I had the pleasure of taking a trip down to the Monarch School in San Diego and get a first-hand look of their amazing program for the Youth impacted by homelessness.   I also wanted to support the efforts of Richard La China, a certified cycle coach, and girlfriend Heidi Amundson, a physical therapy aide, on their 800-mile, 8-day ride dedicated to help raising awareness about this school and their efforts. Their ride symbolized the daily challenges faced by the kids and the obstacles they have to overcome with hard work and perseverance. It was because of his challenge that I became aware of the Monarch School and their inspirational mission.

The Monarch School located in downtown San Diego provides an opportunity for children, who face homelessness, the chance to be educated and have hope for a future.  Their program serves youth in grades K-12 and is a model for how a community can successfully educate homeless children to become productive citizens.  They fully utilize the space they have in their building.  In the open court, it serves as a morning meeting area for the children and their parents in the morning as well as an all-purpose recreation area.  Inside they cleverly have classrooms that hold classes for dual grade levels. The school not only has weekly classes for the students but also evening events and weekend meetups for the children and their families. The devoted teachers and volunteers make this all possible.   The Monarch School helps the children feel appreciated and it provides a stable environment for them. Currently they are able to assist approximately 150 students and the staff happily informed us that next year they will be able to double their capacity when they move to their new location on Newton Avenue. Although they are very proud of their growth, they reminded us that there are still over 15,000 children in the San Diego area that are not able to be get an education and there exists a long waiting list of children hoping to get a spot in the school.   By raising awareness about this progressive school, let us strive to get more support in their objectives.

We can only hope that more programs are initiated in cities across the nation to help provide a chance for the children impacted by homelessness the ability to survive, become motivated and have the opportunity to become a contributing member in society. The Monarch School serves a model that successfully can tackle the cycle of homelessness.  I believe to end homelessness; we can initiate change with the children.

I thank the Principal Joel Garcia, Vice Principal Vicki Zands and Volunteer Coordinator, Angella Curran, for the hospitality and taking the time out to share the mission of the school. To see how these children and their families have the opportunity to receive an education and be part of this amazing organization, it emphasizes that this is a necessity in our society to give hope for the future. Please take the time out to visit to learn more about the Vision: www.monarchschools.org.

Special thanks and support again to Richard La China and Heidi Amundson on their 800 mile ride to benefit the Monarch School.