Volunteers of the Month – June 2020
Lynn Johnson
Region 8
I nominated Lynn because she is not only dedicated to helping School on Wheels in any way she can, but she is incredibly dedicated to her student, as well. Lynn is a one of our volunteer ambassadors and she has gone above and beyond to help us transition to online tutoring. As a retired educator, she has reached out to school districts in her area to spread the word about School on Wheels and get information about their distance learning programs. But her main focus is her student and the connection they have made together. She is an incredible volunteer!
Chris Walsh, Coordinator
My neighbor is a CASA volunteer and she recommended School on Wheels to me. Being a retired educator I wanted to continue contributing. One memory that stands out is when I took my student and her mother on a field trip to a CLU Women’s Volleyball game. Her excitement grew as we walked into the gymnasium and grew even more so as she watched the girls play! Her smile never left her face, she looked around so often with her eyes wide open and joined in with the cheering! As a tutor, I benefit from this relationship as much as my student. This experience is so very rewarding!
Rami Izadyar
Region 4
Rami is simply the best volunteer. She is also one of our ambassadors for Region 4. Rami goes above and beyond to help her student and SOW; she jumps right in there, helping with everything from tabling events to admin support. I can always count on her.
Kristina Rakosh, Coordinator
I was doing research online about a charity organization to volunteer with and after a ton of research came across School on Wheels. I was hooked from the start. I was not happy with the state of inaction at national and state level about basic issues such as homelessness, education and health. The ramifications of these issues are so huge that no society can afford to not deal with them. So I got tired of waiting and started acting on it at a personal level. One day when I was tutoring my student in the library, classmates of my students stopped by to say hi and he very proudly introduced me to them: “This is MY Tutor”! If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity with a far-reaching impact, this is it. The child you tutor is going to carry this good will for all of his/her life, and most probably pay it forward.
Phillip Chung
Region 6
Phillip recently became a Tutor Coordinator in the region. All the students love Phillip! He has an incredible ability to relate to any student he encounters and pours his attention and dedication into all that he does at School on Wheels. I’m incredibly grateful for Phillip and all that he gives of himself to his students and to School on Wheels.
Stephanie Swenseid, Coordinator
I was raised with a strong emphasis on education, so I believe it is my duty to leverage this background to help these students reach their highest potential. One student I have been tutoring struggled to read and avoided every chance to do so. I would incorporate math and reading lessons into every session, along with a wild-card lesson of his choice. Without fail, he chose non-reading lessons for his wild-card — but I noticed he was gradually improving. In a recent session, I was overjoyed when he opted to read for his wild-card lesson! It showed how he’d become more confident in his abilities, willing to take challenges. If you have a passion to serve, I think you will find School on Wheels incredibly fun and rewarding. If you don’t have any teaching experience, that’s okay! Your passion and intuition will kick in to guide the way as you grow alongside these incredible students.
Dana Altschuler
Region 7
I nominated Dana because she is an AMAZING advocate for her student and his family. She is constantly looking to enhance her tutoring sessions with fun and diverse activities to help her student look forward to learning. Dana is creative and immensely passionate about ensuring that her student succeeds. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, her resourcefulness, kindness, and patience have stood as a consistent and reliable component in her student’s life.
Maxine Faustino, Coordinator
I started volunteering with School on Wheels because I love to read…it’s an escape into an imaginary world. I wanted to help kids enjoy reading (and school)! My student and I sometimes make faces over our video call screens. He can make really funny faces! Thinking of that makes me smile. I would tell any person who is considering volunteering with kids to recall how they were as a child, what they thought of school, homework, math etc., and with that in mind, go for it! Bring some peace and joy to someone else who REALLY needs it.