Rise High Wins $10 Million With The Help Of School On Wheels

For Immediate Release:

LOCAL NONPROFIT’S EXPERTISE HELPS RISE HIGH WIN $10 MILLION

School on Wheels is honored to be part of the team that used their expertise in the education of homeless and foster youth to win $10 million for RISE High  XQ: The Super School Project, a high school redesign competition funded by Laurene Powell Jobs.

LOS ANGELES – September 2016

School on Wheels would like to congratulate RISE High, one of ten  $10-million winning school projects nationwide. The proposed Los Angeles charter high school has been designed to serve homeless and foster children whose educations are frequently disrupted.  The idea being that instead of going to school, school will come to you.

Catherine Meek, Executive Director of School on Wheels said, “We were proud to be able to use our knowledge and understanding of the impact of homelessness on children’s education as part of the grant application team for RISE High.   They will fill a great need by serving our same population in a full-time school program, and provide a model that other schools can use to better serve homeless and foster youth. That will certainly be an accomplishment!”

Natasha Bayus, Team Leader at School on Wheels and an expert in homeless education helped develop the RISE model and she sees a great need for a school devoted to the individual needs of homeless and foster youth:

“It was an honor being part of the grant application team for RISE, as part of the advisory committee, School on Wheels’ experience and expertise in dealing with homeless and foster youth was a major part of the design element.  We also have an after school learning center in the heart of Skid Row, so we see first hand the struggles our students face when it comes to attending regular school and keeping up with their peers.”

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ABOUT SCHOOL ON WHEELS School on Wheels, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1993 by Agnes Stevens, a retired teacher. Today, hundreds of volunteers work one-on-one with children whose homelessness prevents them from receiving the academic stability and help they desperately need. The heart of the School on Wheels’ program is the volunteer tutors who come from all backgrounds and professions, with a shared goal – to reach out to a child, to teach, to mentor, and assist in his or her educational life. The mission of School on Wheels is to enhance educational opportunities for homeless children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The goal is to shrink the gaps in their education and provide them with the highest level of education possible. Their program serves as a consistent support system to homeless students at a time of great stress and fear. School on Wheels brings the message to homeless students that they are cared about and important. They do this by offering:  One-on-one weekly tutoring with a volunteer / Backpacks, school supplies and school uniforms / Assistance in entering school / Help in locating lost records / Guidance for parents in educational matters for their children / Skid Row Learning Center / Tutoring in six counties in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

PRESS CONTACT School on Wheels, Inc. Sinead Chilton 805.641.1678schilton@schoolonwheels.org

To learn more about School on Wheels, volunteering or donating please visit: www.schoolonwheels.org