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Anne Mahlum: A Role Model You Won't Know - Good Eggs
Monday 30th November 2015 | Faima
At age 16, Anne Malhum started running as a means to avoid family turbulences but soon found an air of confidence and control in running and made it a habit. When she started making friends with local homeless people, she wanted them to have the same uplift. She wanted to take those experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives, and it all started with running.
In 2007, she launched Back On My Feet, an organisation dedicated to reshaping lives of the homeless as well as our perception of homeless people. Mahlum wanted to redefine how we help homeless people. Her vision was simple and one we can appreciate today, throwing money at the problem isn’t enough to combat it. She wanted these people to feel good about themselves again, to take control of their lives. Running achieved that.
Her non-profit organisation grew quickly across 9 US states, helping hundreds of members with its aiding programme, providing educational support and job placements. One requirement to join the programme is to be sober for 30 days at least, and each residential member must commit to 90% attendance in the 3-4 runs-a-week. The outreach provides more incentives such as top running gear to those who are dedicated.
Recognised for her efforts, Malhum was able to host an MTV documentary about youth homelessness and features in a book called 50 Everyday Heroes.
