BACK ON MY FEET (BOMF)

Before moving to Chicago a friend of mine told me about an organization called Back On My Feet. If a remember correctly she sent me a job ad and told me apply for an open position in Chicago. I didn't apply for the job, but I visited their Web site to see what the organization was about.

A girl several years ago was running by a homeless shelter, as she often did, had an epiphany and the organization was born. (that's the short version) She began a running group with the residents at the shelter to give them hope about the future. The organization has spread to Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and two other cities Indianapolis and Dallas later this year.

The thought of volunteering with the group did appeal to me. However, I was extremely nervous about the ratio of residents to volunteers. For several months I put off attending the orientation. After I returned from my holiday break I made a commitment to myself to sign up. Now you may be thinking why in the world did you join a running group in the middle of winter? Good question. I don't have no a clue. After attending the orientation last week, I signed up to run on Wednesday mornings at 5:45 am. Volunteers are "required" to run at least one day (Monday, Wednesday, or Friday) a week with the group. My plan is to run two days a week.

I walked to the YMCA (near our apartment) on Wednesday morning. I walked through the doors and straight into a hug. At orientation we were warned that this is a hugging group. I was welcomed with open arms to the group. It was an exhilarating feeling. I had several conversations with the residents who told me about their efforts to get back on their feet and how the organization had helped them with jobs, etc. After a few exercises we were off to the streets. Residents had the option to run 2 or 4 miles that morning. All miles are tracked and milestones are recognized during the week. To be honest I thought I could only run 2 miles. The last time I ran outside was last November in Miami. I started running with another volunteer, also new, and a resident. When we reached the 2 mile mark I was ready to quit for the day, but my running partners kept going and so did I. We may have pushed our resident to far, but we kept up; he's only been running for a couple months now. I was impressed by his determination and spirit.

This was not at all what I was expecting. I have to admit, I've always been fearful of homeless people. I have no clue why, because I have worked in soup kitchens and lived in big cities where homelessness is prevalent. I've known about it my entire life. I think it's the unknown that scares me. I do realize these people are just like me and at one time had a family.

One of the reasons I wanted to join BOMF was to dispel my own myths. I was blown away by the people I met last week. I'm not naive enough to think that everyone in this stage of life are similar to the people I met, but I do have a better understanding. I'm really excited about this program. I think in the long run, I'm going to get more out of this experience then I thought.

Thanks Anne for the great recommendation.