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 November 2012 |
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Greetings!
Frankie is nine years old. He has a rash over his face and body - stress-related said the doctor. He has trouble focusing on his homework and paying attention in school; he has fights in the schoolyard; he has serious mood swings; he has no friends. He lives with his mother and two sisters in one room in a homeless shelter. Frankie is one of our students.
The devastating impact of homelessness on children has become starkly clear from decades of study. While poverty alone creates health, developmental, behavioral, and educational problems for children, homelessness compounds these problems by adding additional stress, fear, anxiety and instability to children's lives.
November is National Homelessness Awareness Month and I have to remind myself that a lot of people don't realize there are children who are without a home, without shelter every day in the United States. Lots of them - over 1.6 million. What is even more astonishing is that this number does not represent all of the homeless children and youth in our society. There are also over one million unaccompanied homeless youth aged 16 to 22 living on their own on the streets or in temporary housing situations.
In this newsletter you will read about our students who persevere every day against seemingly insurmountable odds. Despite desperate living conditions, hunger and other unimaginable challenges, our students show us courage, resilience and determination in their pursuit of education. You will also read about our volunteers - those individuals who give their precious time to help their students get the education they greatly deserve. The best part of their stories is how they view their tutoring experience as rewarding and life changing - for them.
It's Thanksgiving and we have much to be thankful for. Thanks to our generous donors, large and small, we are able to touch the educational lives of thousands of homeless students. We are deeply grateful for our awesome volunteers, who give their time and talents to School on Wheels and our students. Our team and our partners deserve thanks for all their hard work and commitment. And where would we be without our committed and hardworking team and partners.
We are grateful that we have friends like you whose compassion and generosity allow us to reach out to kids like Frankie and help him on his journey. Please know how much we value your continued support for the ever-increasing number of homeless students in our communities. We welcome your ideas, insights and thoughts to help us achieve our mission of reducing the gaps in the education of homeless children from kindergarten through grade 12.
With deep gratitude and appreciation, Catherine Meek, Executive Director |
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Every month we ask our regional staff to nominate a star student and tutor. Both receive a special certificate for being nominated. It is a great privilege to work with these amazing students and tutors. Here are just a few Star Students and Tutors that were featured on our website this year. Over 250 students and tutors were honored and shared their stories on our website in 2012.
 Nicole, 1st GradeNicole has a sunny disposition and a hint of mischievousness about her. She started in the program when she was in kindergarten and she never misses tutoring sessions. Her mom told me that she looks forward to our meeting every week. Nicole greets me with a big smile and is excited to talk about what went on in school that day; her positive attitude is contagious. She loves her older brother, Louis, who is in third grade and "very smart". Nicole likes the fact that she is learning to read. She is very independent and always likes to do things by herself without any help. Strawberries, apples, Menchie's frozen yogurt, singing the alphabet and Barbie are a few of her favorite things. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up. - Anne Klyng, Tutor |
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Shane, 8th Grade
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Shane has been attending our Skid Row Learning Center for seven months. In that time, he has established himself as an excellent student in the program and a helpful brother to his siblings.
As an eighth grader, he has sustained above a 3.0 average and completed eight community service hours with School on Wheels.
The kindergarteners and the first graders love playing ABC games with Shane. He is motivating, supportive, and helpful.
-Allison Maldonado, Learning Center Instructor
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Kyle, 10th Grade
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I have been working with School on Wheels for a couple of years now and have tutored a number of students. Kyle has been my student these past eight months. What sets him apart from other
students is his enthusiasm for learning. He demonstrates this in a variety of ways. He always does his homework and asks thoughtful questions.
He takes advantage of this opportunity that School on Wheels provides; he does not wish to waste this chance he's been given. Although the places
that we meet are generally very noisy and distracting, he manages to stay focused. He also likes to play basketball. I enjoy tutoring him and wish more kids were like him. He is a good kid and I see a great future for him.
- Laleh Dallalnejad, Tutor
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Elijah, 5th Grade
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Elijah is dedicated, hard working and fun to be around. We meet on Thursdays each week at the café where his mom, Diane, works. Over delicious teas and baked goods, we work on reading, spelling and reading comprehension.
Elijah will read a few paragraphs to me, and I'll have him write a few sentences on what he's just read. We write down any words he doesn't know, and then work on reading and spelling them out. Diane supports our
tutoring sessions every step of the way which has been fantastic. Elijah has inherited his mom's hard work ethic and it carries over outside of our sessions. This summer, he signed up for a Summer Reading Enrichment program when he was at the library by himself one day. After he has finished studying during the week, he works to earn his own money by helping out at the café. The best part of tutoring Elijah is seeing the progress he's made over the last six months. He is truly worthy of the honor of Student of the Month - Natalie Neiman, Tutor
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Paul Kim, Orange County Tutor
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 "I have only been volunteering at School on Wheels for a few months now, but it has been amazing. After a few sessions, I knew I was in the right place. I didn't make all the right choices when I was growing up, but now that I'm in a better place, I wanted to do something to help other at-risk youth. School on Wheels is the way to do this. A lot of the kids I am working with I only see once, maybe twice if I'm lucky. I see myself in a lot of them and understand that their situation isn't always the best. Being able to talk with them and help them with homework makes me feel like I am making a difference. I was unsure whether or not I could make a difference, volunteering at School on Wheels has proven to me that I can."
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Anne Klyng, San Fernando Valley Tutor
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"I was on the internet looking for volunteer programs and came upon School on Wheels. I had been a teacher many careers ago and knew I had found the perfect place to volunteer. I have been tutoring Nicole for a year now. I look forward to our tutoring sessions every week and realize how much I enjoy teaching. I try to make learning fun. Nicole loves school and I want to keep it that way. I accompanied Nicole's mom to an IEP meeting at Nicole's school. We will be working together to help Nicole master reading and math skills. Learning also occurs outside of the classroom. We collected shells at the beach, went to see "Brave," and climbed aboard Noah's Ark. This has been an experience of a lifetime and I thank School on Wheels for giving it to me. It is a win-win situation for student and tutor."
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Alejandra Arreola, South Los Angeles Tutor
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 Working as a volunteer for Schools on Wheels has been a gratifying experience for Alejandra. "Considering my own academic challenges during my elementary years in South Central, I can understand the struggles that some kids are facing in this arena. I never had a tutor but always wished that someone would take the time to sit down and help me overcome my apprehensions about school. This experience motivated me to become a tutor myself. I truly enjoy working with my student; I learn something from him every time we meet! The mission of School on Wheels is very admirable and it really "hits home" for me. I'd always wanted to work with homeless children and give back to the community. It is when the community comes together to help one another that we all rise above our individual and personal hindrances." |
Victoria Garcia, Inland Empire Tutor
|  "Recently the parent of my student told me that he had received an 'A' in all of his quizzes at school and wanted to thank me. I truly love every minute of being a School on Wheels volunteer tutor. I have gained a greater understanding of what it means to be a School on Wheels tutor, and the difference that everyone in the program has made. It has been a rewarding and wonderful experience that I am beyond grateful to have come across and to be able to share with my student." |
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L'Oreal Women of Worth
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 Today is the last day to vote for Catherine and School on Wheels to win an additional $25,000 for our program. Catherine Meek, has been nominated by L'Oreal as one of their 2012 Women of Worth!
You can visit their website at: www.womenofworth.com and VOTE NOW for School on Wheels. This is a simple and easy way to support School on Wheels and help us win an additional $25,000 so we can help more kids!
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Monday, November 19th 2012
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Charles Evans, Team Leader, was chosen as "Man of the Year" for his work with homeless children and the community by his Church, Bryant AME.
The Jeff Probst Show heard about this honor and surprised Charles and our
Learning Center students with gifts and games.
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School on Wheels Celebrates 20 years serving homeless children
In 2013, School on Wheels will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary as a nonprofit organization. We'll be sharing all the exciting plans we have to celebrate this momentous occasion in the upcoming months.
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PBS - SoCal
November 1st 2012
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 Community Champions honors School on Wheels for reaching out to homeless children. Our PSA (see below) will be aired on PBS throughout the month of November or watch the interview with Catherine Meek online here.  | |
PBS SoCal Community Champions School on Wheels
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5th Annual Fun Run
October 27th 2012
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Our 5th Annual Fun Run & Walk was a huge success thanks to our sponsors, volunteers
and participants. We raised over $30,000 for our program and 300 people joined the fun.
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