This year I have had the incredible experience of tutoring homeless children, both in a homeless shelter setting as well as in the classroom. The time spent with these remarkable, sweet, funny and eager children has been one of the most enriching times of my life.
School on Wheels, Massachusetts (SOWMA) is the organization through which I have volunteered my time to tutor. The mission at SOWMA is simple yet so powerful… “educate children impacted by homelessness by providing academic support and one-to-one mentoring so children can reach their full potential”.
If I could only show you the happy faces that greet me and my fellow tutors when we show up to tutor, the appreciation they demonstrate and the effort they put into our sessions, you would understand why this means so much to me. When your own children are working on a school project in the kitchen, remember that living in a shelter or a hotel room means that these kids don’t have the luxury of completing their assignment in a kitchen… they don’t have a kitchen. Nor the tape, glue, magic markers, foam board, tinfoil, card stock, construction paper, etc. SOWMA is there to help fill in those gaps as well.
Please, spend some time looking around our website and learn about so many of our kids who have worked their way out of the cycle of homelessness. It is exciting, inspiring and so very hopeful.
Carol Augustyniak Marcus
School on Wheels of Massachusetts Board Member
