Today is a rest day not only to give my knee a break, but because I'm headed to NYC for the weekend! I've got my sneakers and gear packed and hopefully I won't get lost on my morning runs since I have absolutely no idea where I'll be going. I've been to New York numerous times, but I'll be damned if I can understand the layout of that city. Go figure, a girl who can navigate the old cow paths of Boston can't manage a grid ::shrug::
I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all a little bit more about the charity I am running the Boston Marathon for -
Victory Programs. In my first post, I mentioned that Victory Programs is a Boston-based nonprofit that serves 2,600 men, women and families annually who are struggling with homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and chronic illnesses like HIV/AIDS, but that doesn't really pain the full picture of this robust agency.
Victory Programs was founded in 1975 with the opening of its first program, Victory House, a recovery home for men returning from the Vietnam War with drug and alcohol addiction. Since that time the agency has grown to 19 programs that include an urban farm (
ReVision Urban Farm) and New England largest community & resource center for people living with HIV/AIDS (
Boston Living Center).
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Joelyn's Family Home kitchen & community room.
Joelyn's has remained empty since being
evacuated on October 8. |
Today, I want to tell you about one program in particular - Joelyn's Family Home. Joelyn's Family Home is a long-term recovery program for women with drug and alcohol addiction that, up until October 8, was housed on Long Island in Boston Harbor. On October 8, the Long Island Bridge - the only access road from the mainland - was closed swiftly and without warning,
causing the evacuation of Joelyn's and several other programs for Boston's homeless and those in recovery.
The 37 women who were in residence at Joelyn's had to leave their home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Personal items, photos, medications and clothes were all left behind. No one knew when or if they'd ever get to return. The amazing Joelyn's Family Home staff sprang into action, securing beds for all 37 women at other Victory Programs sites on the mainland. It's been a month since the bridge closed and Joelyn's Family Home's future remains in doubt. It is currently a program in name only without a facility to house it.
With the closure of the Long Island Bridge the City of Boston lost 57% - more than half - of its substance abuse treatment beds in the middle of what Governor Deval Patrick has deemed a heroin epidemic in the Commonwealth. Programs like our Joelyn's Family Home are needed now more than ever. It is estimated that the Bridge will be closed anywhere from 3-5 years - a lifetime for a nonprofit agency and for a person in need.
By donating to my Team Victory Boston Marathon fundraising page, you're not just helping me run a race - you're helping the women of Boston who are desperate for help. Your donation goes toward bringing Joelyn's Family Home back from the brink and offering a second chance to women who are trying to get their lives back on track for themselves and their families.
Loving your blog and updates!! Nice work!
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