James Wogan picked up a mother and two young children from a motel Friday and drove them to a shelter, because they had no money and nowhere to live.
For Wogan, helping homeless children, foster youths and other students who are struggling in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District is an around-the-clock job. He works with students who have suffered trauma, abuse, hunger, despair, loneliness and who have considered suicide.
"I bear witness to many of the struggles that kids have," he said somberly, in his office at Olympic continuation high school. "I struggle between feeling grateful for what we have done for them and knowing that we're still not meeting the needs of all the kids."
He and his staff strive to help turn around students' lives so they can be happy, successful and hopeful about their futures. They provide food, bus passes and even cellphone minutes to help families get by.
"Our goals are to see kids smiling and feeling good about themselves and doing well in school," said Wogan, who administers programs for homeless and foster youths, along with "care teams" that work with students who are struggling with academic or behavior issues. "Often, kids struggle when life is not predictable. It leads to a lot of stress and anxiety."
Read more of Theresa Harrrington's Contra Costa Times article HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment