Will has been a part of School on Wheels for a long time, now. His story began eight years ago when Founder and Executive Director Cheryl Opper handed Will a new backpack at the Holiday Inn in Brockton when he was just 14 years old. Will and his family became homeless the summer before his freshman year at Brockton High. They were placed at a local hotel with many other families who were also experiencing homelessness. One evening a few weeks before school started, a woman (Cheryl Opper) stopped by the hotel to give the kids new backpacks filled with supplies. Will said this gift of a new backpack motivated him to work harder in school and become a better student because he felt like someone truly cared about him and his education.
School on Wheels was selected to be the beneficiary of Pre-School Playmates’ 10th annual Building Blocks Fundraiser. On the evening of March 4, 2016, Cheryl Opper, founder and executive director of School on Wheels of Massachusetts, attended the gala fundraiser and received the very generous amount of over $19,000. About 70 parents and friends of the local pre-school attended the event which was held to benefit the education of SOWMA’s students who are impacted by homelessness.
We received this note from an 8th grade student who has been in our program for 2 years. Thank you to all our SOWMA tutors and supporters for making memories like this possible!
"It was my first time ever doing a science fair project and I was very nervous. I wanted my project to be the best, as an over achiever.The topic of my project was which of these energy sources, solar or heat can produce enough volts to charge a cell phone. My project made came in first place for my whole school!!! Then I moved on to the city fair where all the middle schools presented their projects. Just when I thought things couldn't get better my project made it to the regionals! Unfortunately, I didn't move on to the state fair, but it was a still a great experience and I did amazing for my first time doing a science project. I want to say a big thank you! This would've not been possible without your help. Thank you so much for the poster lights ,(which made my poster so attractive!) the glitters, and the poster board! I am so thankful for how you made my science fair an unforgettable experience!"
The Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association (MSSAA) National Honor Society held its Spring Conference for National Honor Society students of Massachusetts and their advisors on April 6, 2016 at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Each year the National Honor Society selects a charity to be the recipient of fundraising efforts for their Adopt-A-Charity event. The NHS Committee has selected School on Wheels to be the beneficiary of this fundraising for the 2016-2017 school year.
Meet Eddie Myles. In the months leading up to Outrunning Homelessness Eddie has been waking up at 6AM to run 2-4 miles to prepare for the 5K race. On Saturday, April 30 Eddie and his dad raced for SOWMA's kids together! On top of participating in SOWMA's annual 5K Eddie also raised $140 on his own by doing different jobs. His parents matched the money he earned from doing chores, such as dog walking, for a grand total donation of $280 to support the education of kids who have lost their homes. We thank Eddie for his perseverance and commitment to helping kids who have been impacted by homelessness.
A message from Zachary:
Hello everyone!
As I write this, it is still winter vacation in South Korea, but classes will begin again about two weeks. Actually, the first academic semester begins here in March, as opposed to beginning in September like in western countries. I want to share my recent trip to Seoul with you, and also some updates on classes and what I plan to do next semester.
My friend and I visited Hongdae (one of the many precincts) in Seoul, the capital city, and I was able to try a Korean karaoke room for the first time. Since it is very popular, there are many karaoke rooms along the streets! It was a very interesting experience, and even though I can't sing, it was still fun despite the embarrassment. We also checked out Lotte World! It is a famous Disney World-style amusement park in Seoul. Unfortunately, we were unlucky with the weather, so we stayed on the inside part of the park, but waiting in lines for those rides took hours, anyway.