2018 Team HUM Member

Hi Friends! I am running in the Baltimore Running Festival in the half marathon this year for a good cause.                                                                                                                                        I am returning to the BRF after a few years off, and with the support and encouragement of loved ones, I am so excited to be back. I face an uphill battle of training over the next few months as I am slower than I have ever been, am 20 pounds over my running weight, and have to fit in runs at the crack of dawn, around a hectic schedule. It is well worth it though! I am my best self when I am running, and I have done a lot of work to get back to the point where I was ready to commit, once again. The fact that I am able to use my running as platform to raise money, is beautiful and I have no doubt that I will achieve both my finishing goal, and my fundraising goal.                                                                                                                                                     I have raised money for the Helping Up Mission before and I am a huge fan of this organization. This is a worthy cause. I have personally seen the mission save lives and change lives. If addiction, mental illness, and homelessness have not impacted your life or the lives of your loved ones- consider yourself lucky! There is no shortage of casualties and no shortage of grief on that path.                                                     Whenever you pass someone on the street that is lost- please consider, they are someones child, a sibling, often a parent... another human being. I have been fortunate enough to survive my own struggle and loss. I could try to fundraise for the rest of my life and it would never repay what I have been given. I am one of the lucky ones. While integrity and hard work are a part of my story now- I was raised with an inordinate amount of unconditional love and had hundreds more chances than many. I can't even claim my successes as I believe my living is a result of so many things that I have no control over.                                                                                                 It's important for me to remember my humanity. I remember that not all of us have been dealt the same hand. People burn bridges, make mistakes, get sick, get lost, and lose everything. We don't all have the same chances or make the same choices. The end result is jails, institutions, and death. HUM offers a chance and a beacon of hope for those that have lost it all. 

I am very excited about this opportunity and humbled for the opportunity to do even the smallest bit of good!