Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/1323382
8 School on Wheels of Massachusetts (SOWMA) is making a positive difference for some of the 24,000 Massachusetts public school students who are impacted by homelessness. Most people have no idea that the average age of a homeless person in Massachusetts is 8 years old. These children face an uphill battle in getting the academic, financial, emotional and social support they need to succeed in school. School on Wheels' backpack, tutoring and mentoring programs provide that support and more. School on Wheels of MA began in 2004 at Cheryl Opper's kitchen table in Easton, Massachusetts. There, she personally collected backpacks and school supplies and began tutoring children living in a Brockton family shelter. Opper, an educator, began the initiative after she read a magazine article, "Lessons in Love," about a California woman named Agnes Stevens who created the School on Wheels model for children living on Skid Row. Opper reached out to Stevens and asked if she could visit the organization because she wanted to start a School on Wheels in Massachusetts. Stevens told Opper that she received thousands of calls from people with the same idea, who then gave up when they realized the amount of effort it took. Completely undaunted, Opper asked, "So what day next week should I make my flight?" Thanks to Opper's tireless leadership and a committed Board of Directors, SOWMA has grown into an impactful nonprofit that has donated more than 20,000 customized backpacks, tutored some 3000 students and celebrated numerous college graduations. "Education is a key component to ending the cycle of homelessness," says SOWMA's Director of Development, Tammie Heinrichs. "Children and youth impacted by homelessness need academic support and the social and emotional guidance that a positive relationship brings. Our programs provide the tools needed to help overcome the immense adversity they face on a daily basis." The coronavirus pandemic made SOWMA's operations more difficult, and also more crucial. "We all felt unsettled by the pandemic and quarantine mandates; it has taken a psychological toll on all of us. Now imagine the children facing the same while living in the close quarters of a homeless shelter. These children did not necessarily have the technology to keep up with school, a quiet place or the means to stay in touch with friends," says Heinrichs. SOWMA addressed this need through a grant that has allowed them to purchase Chromebooks for students. It also provided students with summer activity craft kits so that the kids would have something to keep them occupied during quarantine. For sixteen years, and through a pandemic, SOWMA has put supports in place for children and youth from kindergarten to college, with their comprehensive, successful and heartfelt programs. "TOOLS FOR SCHOOL" BACKPACK PROGRAM One thing that damages a student's self-esteem is standing out on How School on Wheels of Massachusetts Is Changing the Cycle of Homelessness By Erica Ford HOMELESS STUDENT STATISTICS • 24,000 students enrolled in Massachusetts Public Schools are identified as homelessness. • The average age of a homeless person in Massachusetts is 8. • Nationally, only 64% of homeless students will graduate from high school. • The number of high school seniors who are both homeless and unaccompanied by a parent or guardian has nearly doubled in the past decade.