Agnes Stevens, Founder of School on Wheels, died in Ventura, CA after a long illness. Agnes was born in Boston, MA on June, 13, 1935, the youngest of five children. Two sisters preceded her in death. Surviving are two brothers, four nephews, two great nieces and four surviving step children.
Agnes taught in Chinatown in both New York and Chicago, as well as “Little Tokyo” in Los Angeles while a Maryknoll sister for 18 years. She later taught for 22 years in the Pico Rivera Public School system in the primary grades.
After an early retirement, Agnes came across a book by Jonathan Kozol called “Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America” which influenced her to become involved with kids who were homeless. She worked part time at a school in Venice greeting and testing the educational level of kids coming from a homeless shelter. These experiences opened her eyes and heart and she began formulating plans on a way to reach out to kids without a home. In 1993, she single-handedly founded School on Wheels, a nonprofit organization, and twenty two years later is still thriving. This past year over 3,000 homeless students were tutored by over 1800 volunteers, as well as providing backpacks, school supplies, uniforms, bus tokens and computers to over 6,000 homeless kids from donations of 1.5 million dollars.
Agnes received many awards and recognitions over the years. Her 20 year fight on behalf of homeless children was recognized in 2008, when Agnes was one of three women who received the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child, known as the children’s “Nobel Prize.” Winners are chosen by a global vote from a pool of 17 million children in 100 countries. It is the world’s most prestigious prize for defenders of children.
Agnes was voted LA Weekly’s 2009 Person of the Year. According to LA Weekly, School on Wheels is “a tiny bright light in the decidedly dark universe of a childhood on Skid Row.” Agnes received many other accolades and awards including the Children’s Freedom Award, Hero’s Award, Courage Award, Cool Women Award, Citizen of the Year Award, the US Senate Certificate of Commendation, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles.
Also in 2009, Agnes received the Minerva Award from then California’s First Lady Maria Shriver. “I challenge every person to do something in their community until there is no homeless child living on the streets, in a car, in a hotel or in shelters,” Agnes told the audience. Maria Shriver called Agnes a “Hero on the front lines of humanity.”
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to School on Wheels at PO Box 23371, Ventura, CA 93002.
Details for a memorial service at the community center in Paradise Cove, 28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265 will be posted at www.SchoolonWheels.org and on the School on Wheels Facebook page. Agnes’ ashes will be taken out to sea in a small private ceremony, as the sea is where Agnes always went to seek peace.