School on Wheels Story

The School on Wheels story began in 2001 when Sally Bindley became aware of a startling statistic- the average age of a homeless person in Indianapolis is nine years old.

Providing supplemental educational services for homeless children is a big job and until School on Wheels was formed, no one was doing it. That’s when Sally hit the streets- literally, and began tutoring homeless children. School on Wheels was founded and received 501(c)(3) status in 2001. During the first year, two part-time staff members and four volunteers provided tutoring for 50 homeless children at one shelter. Word quickly spread and the good work of School on Wheels was being requested at other homeless shelters in Indianapolis.

Today, School on Wheels has a staff comprised of 13 talented and dedicated employees and over 300 active volunteer tutors.

Over the last eight years, School on Wheels has accomplished the following:

Provided tutoring for eleven homeless providers.
Trained over 1,200 community volunteers.
Provided tutoring to nearly 2,400 school-aged homeless children.
Provided over 21,000 hours of tutoring.
Distributed nearly 1,100 backpacks filled with school supplies to homeless children.
Distributed over 4,600 articles of clothing for school uniforms to homeless children.

The mission of School on Wheels is to enhance and enrich educational opportunities for school-aged homeless children. Our vision is to break the cycle of homelessness through education. We implement our mission and work toward our vision by operating two programs, “Tutors in Action” and “Ignite Learning.”