10/9/13 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
It’s 7 a.m. and my clock radio is spilling out the morning
news. As I snuggle down under my
warm blankets for a little more sleep my mind starts to wake up as I take in
what has happened overnight.
Inevitably, the news is bad.
Recently, a boat packed with African immigrants sank off the
coast of Italy. In New York, arrests are being made after dozens of
motorcyclists swarmed an SUV (some injured in the process), pulled the driver
from his vehicle and beat him. In Myanmar, men armed with machetes to kill and
destroy, continue to attack villages. The inhabitants of planet earth are
literally taking a beating.
As I process this news, I don’t think I’m alone in asking,
“What is our world coming to?” Nor am I the only one to look around helplessly
and say, “I’m just one person. How can I help make things better?”
Well, today’s column is about one person who decided there
was something she could do to help
(not harm) one segment of our population-the homeless. It’s a subject
that Lane County residents are familiar with: How do we help the homeless help
themselves?
I came across Anne Mahlum’s answer to the problem while
searching the web for information on Eugene’s situation. The SLEEPS (Safe Legally
Entitled Emergency Places to Sleep) camp protest was in full steam. The subject
was so complex that the more I read, the more confused I became. “There are no
solutions,” I thought.
Mahlum would disagree. She is an attractive, young, blond
woman who took up running to save her sanity. Her father was an alcoholic and
running was her way of dealing with his alcoholism as it affected her. Running
was therapy. “Running,” she says, “really is a metaphor for life. You just have
to take it one step at a time.”
At 5 a.m. on most days of the week, Mahlum could be found
running the dark streets of Philadelphia. A veteran marathoner, her route took
her by a shelter for the homeless where the men would cheer her on. She would
wave and pay them scant attention. But one day something changed.
She remembers thinking, “Why am I running past these guys?
I’m moving my life forward every day and these guys are standing in the same
spot.” On that day in 2007, ‘Back on my Feet,’ was born.
Mahlum contacted the shelter for permission; got donations
of running gear and invited the shelter residents to join her three days a week
on a mile long run. She no longer passed them by. She was including them in her
life. Requirements were simple. They must live in an affiliated facility; be
clean and sober for 30 days; attend an informational session and sign a
commitment form.
Other runners in the community volunteered to run with and
encourage the shelter residents. Along with the male and female shelter
residents, the diverse group included doctors, janitors, and students. Their
run between 5:30-6 a.m. begins in a circle with a request to say your name and
something you like about yourself. One man smiles and offers, “I like getting
my life back together.”
When they run, “You can’t tell who’s homeless and who’s
not,” says Mahlum. “All you can tell is who’s the fastest. ‘’’
The informal runs eventually morphed into a program that has
returned productive individuals to society. Mahlum says it’s simple. “We’re all
looking for the same thing. We all want to be appreciated, loved and supported.
People don’t want to be in shelters, they just don’t know how NOT to be there.”
‘Back on my Feet’ gives shelter residents shoes and gear but
their running commitment includes community and social building opportunities.
With their participation in multiple activities they earn access to job
training partners, housing opportunities and $2500 in financial aid. It’s a
success, Mahlum says, because runners are motivated, reliable, ambitious and
responsible.
One of those motivated individuals is shown in a video.
Kenny joined a running team in 2008. Until then he had been stuck in a shelter.
He couldn’t get out. He says, “As I began to run, my mind became healthier. My
body became healthier. And my decisions became healthier.” Today Kenny says it
was like a marathon to get where he is but now he’s so happy. “Working
consistently around the city (in landscaping) is a beautiful thing. Now I’ve
got my own place. My own kitchen. My own shower. There’s nothing like your
own.”
‘Back on my Feet’ now has 10 chapters to help in their
homeless outreach. And because of a simple team running program, hundreds of
homeless individuals have found meaning in life. They have found light at the
end of a long tunnel. Yes, they now have jobs and housing but they have
something more—hope and purpose
Anne Mahlum has won many awards for her work but she’s not
impressed with herself. She’s impressed with the people she’s helping. “Put
people in a positive environment,” she says, and it’s amazing what can happen.
I’m not the one changing their lives. They’re doing it for themselves.”
Now, every morning when I wake up to the news, I think of
Anne Mahlum and our community of volunteers: our local Relief Nursery; Community
Sharing; Parent Partnership; hospital and school volunteers and so many others
who bring sunshine to darkness.
Yes, the world seems to be spinning out of control. But
there is no end to hope. One person can certainly make a difference but working
together we can change our world. Step by step by step.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people,
places, family, and other matters of the heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment