STUDENT APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2023 - 2024 SCHOLARSHIP
DUE BY JUNE 30, 2023
email Katie Young at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information.
April, 2022
We are honored and delighted to introduce a new Scholarship Program to further support students in our Bridge Mentoring Program as they set out to pursue their dreams and reach their potential. Our deepest gratitude to Bill and Annmarie Harlor for their confidence in our mission - and in our students.
Thank you. 
We would love to have you part of our village
to provide educational support to a Massachusetts
student experiencing homelessness.
If you would like to help usher a student through high school,
college or the trades, or to learn more about our
mentoring services and Soaring Students Scholarship,
click for our Bridge Mentoring page
~ or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
_______________________________________________________________________________
February, 2022
We love to follow our students as they set out to pursue their dreams and explore the world. As expected, many times careers ebb and flow as students embark upon their journey. Dorca's unfolding career tapestry is no exception. 
We would love to have you part of our village and pair you with a Massachusetts student experiencing homelessness. If you would like to help usher a student through high school, college or a trade profession, visit our Bridge Mentoring Program page.
We are incredibly proud of our recent graduates and wish them the very best as they begin a new and exciting chapter. Many thanks to our mentors, who help change the trajectory and future of those hit by hardship and homelessness. We are especially moved by the support, resilience and creative solutions shown by our student/mentor partners throughout the pandemic. We are inspired by our students, who are courageous enough to ask for help - and determined enough to rise to their potential.
We would love to have you part of our village and pair you with a Massachusetts student experiencing homelessness. If you would like to help usher a student through high school, college or a trade profession, visit our Bridge Mentoring Program page.
A Message from SOWMA Board Chair Christopher Murphy
January 4, 2021
Welcome Steve Telesmanick
Dear Friends of SOWMA,
It is my pleasure to announce Steven Telesmanick as the new Chief Executive Officer for School on Wheels of Massachusetts, effective January 4, 2021.
The Board and I are excited to welcome Steve to the team. His experience and skills will be a great asset as we continue to pursue our mission to Educate Kids, Empower Families and End Homelessness - one child at a time.
Steve received a Bachelor of Science in Business and an MBA in Organizational Leadership from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. He began his career at Marriott International Hospitality Company, where he held a number of roles. While there, Steve became engaged with Marriott’s volunteer initiatives, most notably with the local YMCA.
Volunteering at the YMCA led Steve to transition to the nonprofit sector. He became the Executive Director of Boston’s Charlestown YMCA site. One chief responsibility was overseeing the Dennis McLaughlin House, a shelter for women and families experiencing homelessness. Steve developed and implemented services designed to foster independence and self-sufficiency for the women & families in the shelter.
Steve later became the Chief Operating Officer at YMCA location on Cape Cod, where he helped open new youth programs.
Steve lives in Whitman with his wife Mary (an educator) and their two school-aged sons, Mason & Michael. Steve & his family have a Shih Tzu named Remy and enjoy participating in local youth sports, family cycling, and volunteering in the community.
We are confident Steve will help strengthen our mission and meet the growing need to support the academic, social, and emotional growth of students impacted by homelessness.
I would like to thank the members of SOWMA's Board of Directors, who assisted with the extensive search, including conducting more than 30 interviews during this most trying of times. I would also like thank the staff and Board for their support during my brief reign as Interim CEO. They kept SOWMA operating without skipping a beat during this transition period.
Good luck Steve.
Warm regards,
Christopher Murphy
SOWMA Board Chair
In a year riddled with challenges brought on by COVID-19 and remote learning, especially for families and students facing homelessness, School on Wheels of Massachusetts (SOWMA) pivoted to meet a growing need for educational services. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have recalibrated programs, reconfigured partnerships and recently appointed new Board Members and Officers to meet the growing educational needs for the state’s most vulnerable children and youth.
This year SOWMA's services have become more important than ever. The need for personal tutoring, high school and college mentoring and grade-level customized backpacks for Massachusetts students impacted by homelessness peaked during 2020. More students now live in family shelters, transitional housing or in the case of older unaccompanied youth, “couch surf” with friends or relatives.
When social-distancing mandates began in March, tutoring turned remote and children living in family shelters lost the personal weekly visits of volunteers. Restrictions further cancelled more than 120 business and group annual school supply drives, interrupting the inventory necessary to continue serving more than 6,000 students in need. College students displaced from dorms needed immediate safe and affordable housing.
SOWMA didn’t miss a beat.
We purchased Chromebooks for tutoring, made possible by generous donors and a matching grant. Families, neighborhoods and businesses sought creative ways to not only meet, but exceed the growing demand for new grade-level backpacks and inventory. Donors, a generous public and staff members opened their doors and hearts to college students in need of temporary refuge.
SOWMA is poised to continue to meet the growing demand for academic, social and emotional support to some of the state’s 24,000 children and youth facing homelessness. Newly appointed Board members and Officers bring an array of professional expertise into the New Year to help ensure the state’s most vulnerable students have what they need to succeed in school.
Spearheading these initiatives is a new Chief Executive Officer, to be announced in January. We welcome our new stewards, who have generously pledged their time, expertise and heart to ensure our mission continues to gain momentum into 2021 and beyond, without missing a beat.
1) EVENT PRESENTATION OVERVIEW by Dr. Michelle Alto
2) CHILD TRAUMA TOOLKIT FOR EDUCATORS: The National Childhood Trauma Stress Network (NCTSN)
3) FACTS ON TRAUMA AND HOMELESS CHILDREN (NCTSN)
4) IS IT ADHD or CHILDHOOD TRAUMATIC STRESS? A Guide for Clinicians (NCTSN)
