Tag: press release

Oct 21

School on Wheels is honored to announce that former student will join the Board of Directors

School on Wheels | | In The News, Press Releases

“I really enjoy advocating for education and being a voice for students who are normally overlooked. Education has always been important to me because it represents a springboard out of homelessness.” – Angela M. Sanchez

School on Wheels first met Angela when she was 17 and living at a homeless shelter with her dad. While living in shelters and motels, she completed high school with a 4.2 GPA and went on to college at UCLA.

Angela Sanchez earned her Master’s in Education with a focus in student affairs from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Volunteering with School on Wheels, while an undergraduate, she established the first university faction of the nonprofit at UCLA. Angela created college admissions and financial aid workshops tailored to the students’ needs in addition to volunteer recruitment, training, donor and community relations, and development.

As a graduate student, Angela provided the evaluation component to UCLA’s Philanthropy Lab and also worked in UCLA’s Alumni Affairs, assessing scholarship recipients’ feedback to engage alumni and encourage giving. Angela currently works as the Program Analyst for College Success at the ECMC Foundation and continues to provide motivational talks for students across Los Angeles. Her impressive background in program development, assessment and community building, in addition to her unique personal experience with homelessness, will be great assets to the School on Wheels board.

“Angela is a true Renaissance woman,” says Catherine Meek, Executive Director. “She is a talented education professional, soon to be published author and cartoonist, magician (member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle), blogger extraordinaire, and passionate education advocate for our students. I’ve known Angela for over seven years, and she will bring all her experiences, knowledge and skills to enhance our mission at School on Wheels.”

“I am so excited to welcome Angela Sanchez to our Board. Angela brings with her first hand experience of being homeless and working with a School on Wheels volunteer tutor while living in a shelter. She has transformed these life lessons to become a successful role model and an outspoken advocate of our mission. We look forward to working with Angela and sharing her passion.” – Joshua A. Fein, Board President

Sep 14

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

Sinead Chilton | | Press Releases

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

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