by KYW’s Steve Tawa
Philadelphia's oldest rescue mission, which dished out its first breakfast nearly 130 years ago to help the homeless, is about to form the city's first homeless running club.
Before Anne Mahlum goes to her center city Philadelphia office each morning, she's out there running at dawn -- often by the Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission at 13th and Vine Streets. She recently had an epiphany:
“Why am I just running by these guys? Why am I not sharing this feeling with them and getting their day off to a great start?”
While the rescue mission helps the hungry and the homeless, Mahlum, who is training for her seventh marathon, solicited donated running shoes and gear and will start jogging sessions at the shelter, offering members of the shelter incentives:
“So if they run ten miles, they get X.”
She says the clients will stay engaged and involved by choosing their rewards based on mileage goals:
“What are some of the things they want? What are some of the things they don't have the resources for? Maybe two tickets to a restaurant or a movie, and they get rewarded.”
So far, 12 residents of the rescue mission are now enrolled in the Sunday Breakfast Running Club.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
