VOA标准英语2009年-Running Club for Homeless Grows on US East

By Roger Hsu
Philadelphia, PA
23 October 2009
 
Anne Mahlum
Like many big American cities, the officials of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania have spent a lot of time and money on programs to help the city's homeless. But one Philadelphian, 27-year-old Anne Mahlum, came up with a program all on her own. She gave up a high-paying career to help the homeless through her passion: running.

The sun is barely¹ up, but Anne Mahlum and her fellow runners are already gathered outside a gas station in Philadelphia. "I was running like I do every morning," Anne says, "It was pretty early, like 5 AM. I live in what most people call an up-and-coming area of Philadelphia."

Up until two years ago, Mahlum used run alone every morning.

"When I was running there was these groups of guys outside in the morning, just hanging out. I am from North Dakota and what I do is wave and say good morning and I smile and wave at them. They first looked at me like I was a bit crazy, but after I kept doing it a few days they got comfortable with my presence," she said.

Anne says that running has been a big part of her life ever since she was 16, when her father's drug abuse broke her family apart. She says running was an important spiritual support then and still is more than ten years later.

"Running saved my life. It taught me discipline and respect and I feel like I was the person I want to be when I was running. There is just something about the permanent motion of it that makes me feel alive and makes me feel excited and [believe] things are going to be OK," she says, "When I saw these guys who reminded me of my dad, I thought this is my second chance."

Anne got approval from a local homeless shelter to start a running club, which started with nine people. "After the first week…I thought this could really be the first step in changing people's lives," she said.

 
Back On My Feet running club
A few weeks Anne gave up her high-paying job to focus on the running club full time. She formed a non-profit organization called Back on My Feet. Her goal was to use organized running as a tool to help develop discipline and respect. The organization then guides members in finding educational and employment opportunities.

Today team captain James Thorpe leads the group in a half marathon. "Everybody wants to be loved and be a part of a community and this creates a running community," he says, "All of us know as soon as you show up at a run, everybody is a runner."

It takes some resolve to join the club. Three days a week runners meet before sunrise. They cannot use alcohol or drugs and must participate in employment counseling².

 
James Singletary
James Singletary was one of the nine original members. "I used drugs for 35 years. I've [been through everything] that's possible to go through … the lowest. When I first started out running with them the first month, I didn't think I could do a mile. There were times when I thought I wanted to give up, but no, I know I came here for a reason and I want to complete something in life," he said.

"When I first started I couldn't run two blocks," Morris Gates says, "It was hard. It was a gradual progress. This is Morris's first half marathon. His son, a soldier in the army, came out to support him. "I am proud of my father," Chris says, "what he achieved. He is dedicated³ and he started something and he is finishing it, so I am very proud of him ... he definitely motivated us to come out and support, so I am going to run the 10 miles with him today."

There are 16 homeless runners participating in the race today. When Anne started the Back on My Feet running club, some people were skeptical⁴ that running could solve such a complex social problem. But Anne believes that developing a sense of self-esteem is the most important first step. "You can see the smile that takes over their face, you can see they are becoming really proud of who they are, and that's incredible," Anne says, "Understanding what it's like to be part of a team and support each other, that's what life is all about." 

Since its inception⁵ in 2007, Back on My Feet hasn't stopped growing. It now has more than several hundred members and has branches in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

"Running really is a metaphor⁶ for life, there is always another mile," Anne says, "You just have to take it one step at a time."

1 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。

2 counseling   

n.咨询服务

参考例句：

• A multimillionaire media magnate has shocked his employees with his candor by telling them all that he's putting his business affairs on hold to enter an alcoholism-counseling program. 一位身份数百万的媒体大亨，坦诚地告诉他全体员工他将暂时搁置他的事业以便参加戒酒班，令员工大为惊愕。
• She will need medical help and counseling to overcome the tragedy. 她将需要医疗帮助和心理咨询来平复这场悲剧。

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

5 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

6 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。