Her running has helped inspire the down-and-out
Anne Mahlum has a strict routine. Every morning before the sun comes up, she laces up her running shoes and hits the streets.
Anne Mahlum has a strict routine.
Every morning before the sun comes up, she laces up her running shoes and hits the streets.
Back in July 2007, she began to run past the Sunday Breakfast Rescue mission, on 13th Street near Vine, and every day the same group of homeless men would wave and smile at her.
One day, she stopped to talk with the men, thinking she could get them to run with her.
"Running is so empowering," said Mahlum, 28. "I used running to get through some difficult times in my life and I thought it could help these men in the same way."
She contacted the shelter with her idea, got donations of running gear, and the Back on My Feet running club began.
Now, the program offers morning group-runs three times a week, connections to job training, educational scholarships and housing assistance, funded through private donations and corporate sponsorship.
Yesterday, in a ceremony in the Mayor's Reception Room, Mayor Nutter presented Mahlum with a citation recognizing her service to the people of Philadelphia.
And last month, her efforts were recognized when she was named one of 10 recipients of the CNN Heroes Award out of nearly 4,000 nominations from 75 countries.
"It feels weird," Mahlum said of the recognition for something that she said she considers so ordinary.
Today, Back on My Feet has running teams at five shelters in Philadelphia with more than 90 members and 400 volunteers. She plans to launch a chapter next year in Baltimore.
Mahlum also turned down a high-paying job with Comcast because she felt it would have compromised her focus and efforts with the organization.
On Thanksgiving night, Nov. 27, CNN will honor the 10 heroes at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., and will reveal the CNN Hero of the Year. As one of the 10 CNN heroes, highlighted as ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary deeds, Mahlum will be awarded $25,000 and is eligible for the $100,000 prize that night.
"Hero is a big word to toss around," Mahlum said. "I am just treating people the way that I want to be treated. If that means I'm a hero, that makes me pretty sad."
To vote for Mahlum to be the receipient of the Hero of the Year award, visit www.cnn.com/heroes.
For more information about Back on My Feet, visit its Web site at www.backonmyfeet.org.
"When this first started, there were people who said to keep my distance and remember who I was dealing with," Mahlum said.
"I'm so glad I didn't listen." *
