Anne Mahlum, Founder and President
Updated: July 21, 2010
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Anne M. Mahlum is the Founder and President of Back on My Feet (BOMF), a strategic and unique nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of the homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.
In November of 2008, Mahlum was named one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of the Year. She was also chosen as one of Philadelphia’s 101 Young Connectors by Leadership Philadelphia and was Penjerdel’s Citizen of the Year in 2009. She regularly speaks on innovative ways of combating homelessness, as she has at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Mahlum is also a member ofthe Board of Directors of Goodwill, Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Mahlum attended graduate school at American University where she obtained her master’s degree in political communications in 2003. She is an avid runner and has completed nine marathons. It’s her goal to run a marathon on every continent and Antarctica is the last one on her list. Mahlum is originally from Bismarck, North Dakota. After living in Philadelphia, in March 2010, she moved to Washington D.C. to lead that chapter's expansion.
In addition to creating BOMF, Mahlum has created unique events and campaigns within BOMF. One example is the Stroehmann Back on My Feet 20in24 Race Event. 2010 is the third year for this 24-hour race and it is projected to net $250,000 through registration and sponsorship.
A LETTER FROM ANNE
Thank you for visiting our site and I can say with such confidence that inside these pages you will find inspiration, motivation, determination and commitment. The Back on My Feet program is 100 percent about results and our team is 100 percent committed to our mission of promoting the self-sufficiency of the homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.
In addition, BOMF has a larger mission of using sport to create social change. There are so many differences between all of us, but running reminds us just how similiar we are. When we run, there is no separation between race, gender, age or socio-economic status.
I’ve been a runner for most of my life and throughout the years running has not only been my best friend, but it has taught me some of the greatest life lessons and it gives me so much pleasure to be able to share these experiences with the members of Back on My Feet. Life is about choosing different roads and our program teaches the importance of choosing the right roads lined with opportunity, hope and happiness.
A little about me…It's on the very flat streets of Bismarck that I discovered I was a runner. Running feeds my mind and soul; it is my daily therapy and it is because of running that I can fly. Each step reminds me that there are no unreachable dreams just like there are no unsolvable problems. There is just our limited perception of what is possible and only I get the luxury of determining what's possible for me. One of my goals is to run a marathon in all seven continents - just Antarctica is left, but I'm from North Dakota so I'm hoping I'll have some kind of advantage!
I just moved back to DC and am very excited to be here. I spent four years in Philly and am very grateful for everyone I met in that city who helped to create BOMF. In addition to running Back on My Feet, I enjoy running (obviously) playing chess (correction, winning at chess), traveling and reading. I also have respectable skills on the basketball court...and I LOVE going to movies.
I went to college in Minnesota and graduate school in D.C, but I am astutely aware that learning comes not only from paying attention in class, but from listening to the symphonious sound of the city, watching people as they shuffle from one destination to the next and of course, from running through the streets of the most affluent neighborhoods to those that have experienced a little more hardship.
Back on My Feet is my way of making positive change. Running is one of the most empowering activities there is because there is no end. There is always another mile, another road, and another right turn. There is no buzzer and there is no referee. It has taught me so much about life, especially the simple notion that to get anywhere, you have to take it one step at a time.
Some words I live by:
"You have to be the change you want to see in the world."
"While we cannot control everything that happens to us in life, we can control how we respond."
"Watch your thoughts for they become your words, choose your words for they become your actions, understand your actions for they become your habits, study your habits for they become your character, develop your character for it becomes your destiny."
Warmest regards,
Anne Mahlum
