LONG BEACH >> The sun was barely rising when Mary Galloway, sweat streaming down her face, came running down the sidewalk on Pacific Avenue into the parking lot next to the Long Beach Rescue Mission.
She was greeted by fellow runners with high fives and shouts of “awesome” and “Way to go, Mary!”
You would think that Galloway had just won the Long Beach Marathon, but, in a way, she had achieved something even more meaningful. The 58-year-old divorced mother of two children has been homeless while struggling to find work, and is now fighting back with help of a new nonprofit.
Back on My Feet, formed last fall in Long Beach and Los Angeles, helps the homeless become self-sufficient in a seemingly odd way: encouraging them to run and exercise.
“This is helping me a lot,” Galloway said as she received pats on the back and congratulations from her fellow participants after finishing her run/walk through the streets of downtown. “I feel really good about what I’m doing now. I’ve lost 30 pounds.”
The nonprofit, which will hold a public “fun run” this Saturday at Lincoln Park, uses running as motivation to give homeless people a renewed sense of self-esteem and self-confidence, said David Walker, executive director of the Southern California chapter of Back on My Feet.
Participants are required to attend at least 90 percent of the runs, which take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. They can run or walk, depending on their conditioning.
Walker said running, especially at such an early hour, helps build discipline and motivation to get the day off to a good start, participants say. It also helps break down the stereotype that homeless people are not able-bodied.
But exercise is just the beginning, Walker said. Once participants maintain their running frequency, they are eligible for counseling, job training and some financial help, among other services, he said.
Back on My Feet was created in 2007 in Philadelphia by Anne Mahlum, an avid runner who ran by a homeless shelter and discovered some of the homeless were waving at her. With help of the shelter director, she started a running club — and Back on My Feet was born.
The nonprofit has since expanded to 11 cities nationwide, with the Los Angeles/Long Beach group being the newest chapter. The LA/LB chapter partners with the Long Beach Rescue Mission, U.S. Vets at Cabrillo, the Union Rescue Mission, Homeboy Industries and the CLARE Foundation.
Various teams meet three times a week, starting with group exercises and the serenity prayer.
Galloway, who worked as a medical transcriber until her position was eliminated, has been in and out of housing since 2012. She was recently able to find shelter at the Rescue Mission, and plans on taking job training classes at Long Beach City College in hopes of getting back on her feet.
Like any new nonprofit, Back on My Feet is looking for volunteers to help the homeless. Volunteers such as Brittany Struck get up early in the morning and run with the team.
“I heard about the program from my pastor,” she said. “I feel good that I can help others who are working so hard just to find a job so they can support themselves. It also helps me get motivated.”
Struck then joined her team members in a circle where they said their second prayer of the day, congratulated each other on the morning’s achievement, and ended with a rousing cheer:
“Who are we?”
“Back on My Feet!”
“How long do we want to run?”
“Forever!”
Back on My Feet will partner with Friends of Lincoln Park for a fun run from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Lincoln Park, located in the civic center at Pacific Avenue between Ocean Boulevard and Broadway Avenue. There will be three routes for a 5K, 10K and 10-mile run.
For more information on the run or the program in general, call 562-354-1929 or visit the website, la.backonmyfeet.org.
