With Gratitude Comes Responsibility

Sadly, family homelessness is the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in our country.  The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless reports that there are more than 4,000 families with children in the Massachusetts Emergency Shelter program. With family shelters filled to capacity, over 1,350 families are being sheltered in motels throughout our state.

We would like to share a recent e-mail exchange between a School on Wheels of Massachusetts (SOWMA) supporter and our executive director, Cheryl Opper.

Dear Cheryl,

I just saw a little boy getting dropped off at my children's school by a taxi cab. It brought tears to my eyes. Many other kids were being dropped off by school buses or by parents in mini vans. I hope that little boy doesn't feel any different from his peers as he goes through his school day.  If he does not feel any different now, how about when he is in middle school or high school? How do those children who are helped by SOWMA feel sitting side by side with other children in the classroom. How lucky my children are, how lucky I am, that my kids don’t know that feeling. I just wanted to call my husband to say how thankful I am and how silly our worries seem. With that comes a responsibility to help others.

I really enjoyed volunteering at SOWMA. Let me know when my children and I can come in to help pack backpacks.

Best, 
Marilyn

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Dear Marilyn,

Reading your email this morning brought tears to my eyes as I thought about the hundreds of children calling a motel room their home.  Many of our students take cabs and special vans to get to their school, sometimes traveling many miles. There are over 150 families living in Brockton motels alone; statewide there are over 2,000 families residing in motels as temporary shelter. School on Wheels provides tutoring for the children in the Brockton motels, as well as backpacks, school supplies and books.  Our goal is to provide them with academic resources and supportive mentors to help normalize their school experience as much as possible.

Thank you for caring about our kids and being a part of our SOWMA community!

With Gratitude,
Cheryl  

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Read more about families living in temporary housing in Massachusetts motels.

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The mission of School on Wheels of Massachusetts is to educate children impacted by homelessness by providing academic support and one-on-one mentoring so children can reach their full potential.