One Hour A Week

Last year was the sixth year of me being a stay-at-home parent.

It was also the first year all three of my kids were in full-time school. Without a little person (or two or three) in tow with me everywhere I went, I was a little lost.

I’d tried volunteering for School on Wheels in the past, but with our hectic family schedule it just didn’t work out. Now that I had some time during the day, I gave it another shot.

It changed my outlook on everything. 

Spending time tutoring kindergarteners and first graders, even just one hour per session, was one of the things I looked forward to the most each week.

How silly my trivial problems seemed, when I knew each week I’d get to see my new kindergarten friends, the ones that when they left school each day, called the nearest homeless shelters their homes.

What did my tutoring experience consist of? It was mainly learning how to identify letters, work on letter sounds, write numbers and teaching kids how to write their names.

At the end of each tutoring hour, it wasn’t about what we’d accomplished that day. It was about the time we spent together, sharing stories, me making the kids smile (maybe for the first time that day) or them making me laugh harder than I’d laughed all week.

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It costs about $100 for School on Wheels to support a child impacted by homelessness for a full month. Not only does that include tutoring, but also uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, etc. This month, the month of February, School on Wheels is having their Share the Love fundraiser. The goal is $25,000, enough to fund 250 kids for one month!

If you’d like to donate directly, you can do that by clicking here. If you’d like to shop with a purpose, there are many local businesses giving a portion of their proceeds to SOW (see calendar above).

Also, if you think tutoring is something you may be interested in as well, you can contact the office for: during school, after school or evening tutoring locations, at [email protected].

Finally, feel free to ask me any questions you may have about School on Wheels. If you are unable to volunteer or donate, simply sharing this post with someone else that may be interested in the organization would be just as helpful.

Thanks!