The following episode was recorded before the WGA sag Aftra strikes of twenty twenty three.
We have a guest that I have a very very warm spot in my heart for mister Ron Functious. I met Ron in La six degrees dot Org was going down to skid Row to an organization called School on Wheels that provides tutoring for unhoused kids in Los Angeles area. We were hoping to get another celebrity to show up with us, and we had reached out to Ron just with a cold call, basically saying, Hey, we're going to show up at School on Wheels down in skid Row.
Any chance you could come and hang out with the kids for a while and see what they're up to? And he said, yes, I didn't know him, he didn't know me, and I think that really speaks to the kind of man that he is. I was thrilled that he was willing to sit down and shoot the breeze with me a little bit.
So here's Ron funchers.
Ron.
So good to see you.
Good to see you again, Kevin.
How are you.
I'm good.
I'm doing absolutely fine.
Thank you.
How long has it been now? They tell me six years since we were in the same space together. I think, I don't know, Yeah, the.
Time doesn't exist even before the pandemic to me, so even more so now you could say it was ten years ago, it's always last week in my mind. It was such a fun time getting to meet you and going to school on wheels and just really opened my eyes to a lot of things. So I really appreciate I don't think I ever said that thank you for that.
Well, listen, thank you.
I mean that was We're obviously going to talk about school on wheels, but that was like so cool that you just kind of showed up and you know, people, a lot of what this podcast is about is about meet people who outside how can I say this, We live and operate in such a self involved kind of worlds as performers, and you know, in order to make it, in order to like fight your way through all the people in the world that want to be in the entertainment industry, you have to have a very very serious
focus on yourself, especially if you're an actor. So when I meet people like you who were willing to do something outside of your own sphere of career, it's always kind of impressive to me. What do you think is that is about you that you know? I don't know.
Has that imputuce?
Well?
First thing, I'd say, I think it helped that I wasn't an actor to start out with.
You agree, I agree.
A lot of people who I haven't met who are straight actors and I and I get It's like you said, it takes a And some of these words are gonna sound negative, but I don't mean them in any negative connotation.
But it takes a certain delusion to believe.
That you're special enough to believe that you can, to believe not only just believe that, but to have people reject you over and over and over again, and your mind state be, no, you're wrong, I'm great.
You just don't see it yet.
You know.
That takes a certain delusion, a certain selfishness that I think, in some ways, I'm very glad that I found I came from. I come from the world of stand up comedy, and a lot of that is the opposite people pleaser. I'm coming from a trauma based background where you know, I grew up in an unstable house where my mom was in an abusive relationship, and a lot of that time as a kid was me spent trying.
To keep the house at peace. So you know, a lot of that comes with the.
Charm and trying to be funny and trying to and so and and and a lot of times at at an expense.
Of my own needs or my own wants.
Let me just stick into that for one second, because because you put your finger, I was thinking about talking to you today, and I was refreshing myself on some of your hilarious stand up which is available. Folks. You gotta see ron stand up because it is absolutely singular, both in the material but also in the deliveryank, you know, not not really like anybody that you've ever seen before. And I was thinking about comics. I've spent some time
around the comics. I love to go to comedy. I think the reason that I like to go to comedy is because it is so dangerous. It feels so risky to be out there. And I also like to go to it because I can tell that I'm correct me if I'm wrong. Most comics are coming to this from a perspective, from a painful perspective A lot.
Yeah.
I mean, would you say the majority or or I mean, do you know any comics who had a really chill and happy childhood.
I know you, I know a couple and that's what makes it. I find them to be the weirdest of all. How did you have a good background and you still end up But for the most part, yeah, I think a lot of it.
You find a lot of people with similar stories.
They may be, you know, very unique to their perspective, Like you know me coming from a background where my mom was in an abusive relationship, and then having a son very early at my son a month after I turned twenty, and then he was diagnosed with autism two years later, and it's like all these different traumas that tweaked my brain to a certain way where I was like, I'm just gonna do what I want, and what i want to do is comedy, and I'm gonna figure it out.
And you find a lot of people have these stories, and then I think one of the biggest things you have to do is then let go of that story and just be like, well, I'm here now, that doesn't serve me anymore.
I just need to work and enjoy my life and build a life.
And that, I think is what made me more open to being involved in charities. Is that I'm like, Oh, I'm not in this moment where I'm like I can play like, oh I'm a big doing my life's been tough, and it's all those things may be true, but but they don't do any service right now. So I have to go out there and actually be a positive in the world. And again, just so with my son having autism from an early age, I be which by the way.
You've you've you've you've mined uh and are very open about it in your in your comedy, and.
And it's it is Again.
That's another thing that's so interesting about about you as a performer that you take something and you put it out there, but you put it out there in not in a sentimental way, but at all you know, you're very uh. It's pretty edgy some of the stuff that that comes out, But at the same time, it's so clear that it comes from a loving place that it it it it It lends a kind of a depth to to the show that I think is just so awesome.
I really appreciate that.
Yeah, I just try to be realistic in my life and in some of the ways that I had seen autism portrayed or just out in the media was always just like whoa is me? And oh, you know, we can't survive and these kids all are you know, almost as if they were feral or something.
And I'm like, no, this.
I learned so much from my son and we've had issues and we think but it doesn't define him, like it's a part of his life. Just if if I had diabetes, or if I had a broken arm or something, you know, and that made that might be a little different because of my arm would get fixed. But it's just a part of his character sheet and that's the way we look at it. And some of the things
are really funny. And so I never there was a part of my life where I didn't want to talk about it because I was afraid people would think I was making fun of my son or or just look at it in the perspective. But it was the opposite.
It was so true. I found so many people reached out to me and like, oh, I have someone in my life, or people who were who had autism who were like, it's so nice to just be talk to or seen as just a full persons, not like some charity case or not something to look down on or not a punchline. Which I had seen a lot in comedy of just using the word autism and replace of the R word and so.
And to me, that's not edgy, that's lazy.
You know.
So I hear you, yeah, to talk about your real life, to talk about things going on and talk about you. But to me, that's that's where it really, that's where real comedy is for me, not you know, I'm not a police a comedy, but that's my perspective.
Well, yeah, sure, and that's that's what we're interested in.
You know.
I you you made a point about the actors, and I know that you do act you you you you've come to an acting career and a writing career through and a podcasting career through through uh comedy. But I think it's very true what you said about actors, and that is that you need to become an actor. I
think you do need a certain level of delusion. I mean, I remember walking into auditions when I was in my teens and and they'd say, you know, we're looking for there was I had an audition once where they said the director likes tight Lacoste shirts on boys. So I walked into this room and I went out and bought, you know, an alligator shirt.
Right.
So I've walked in this room. There's like thirty guys with you know, you know, kind of highlighted sunny tips on their hair, wearing like who've done like a whole bunch of you know, push ups, and they're all wearing these tight lacosse shirts. And I thought, fuck, I mean, how am I supposed to like cut through this?
You know.
So, so there was a level of delusion where I would tell myself I have something to offer.
Now.
Did I know that I had something to offer? No, I don't think I knew that I was any good, and I certainly I don't think I thought, wow, you're really good. What I thought was maybe I could get better. But I didn't think, wow, you're really good. Did you know that you were funny? Did you have responses from people that were encouraging of that notion?
I knew I was a funny child.
You know.
One of my earliest memories is, like I tell the story a few times, is that just you know, my mom was saying Mom always stressed out all the time, and we did something to me and my sister and she was like, you guys, go to your room, I'm coming up in five minutes, You're getting spanked, you know. And in that time period, I'm upstairs scared, but I'm cracking jokes to my sister, making fun of my mom,
you know. And on the other side of the door, I started to hear my mom laugh, and she's laughing, and she's laughing, and she's like liking these jokes and then she and she forgets to spank us, and I'm like, oh wait, there's a power here.
Okay, so you're still out there trying to avoid a spanking.
Yeah, pretty much in my life.
But that's one of the things I love that I'm glad that I found acting as well, because I I think I needed some of that selfishness and some of that delusion in believing in myself in that way.
Comedy can be a lot different.
And you know, you go to some of these clubs in the green room will be the stock room with the mayonnaise and the nacho cheese and stuff. And the first time I'd ever actually worked with someone who was an actor and they would have this schedule and they'd be like, why get up in the morning and I work out and I do this, and I do that, and I need this, I need these teas and I
need that. And it was the first time I had ever thought about setting those type of boundaries or setting those type of things that I needed in my life.
Those down Oh, I mean a lot of the same stuff.
Working out. I have to work out every morning.
I like to do my inter minute fasting and eat on my schedule. I don't like someone else to determine when I eat, So like, even if you know I like I eat it eleven, I eat it two, and I eat it like six thirty to seven. And if I'm on set, I'll just wait until we have a little break and I'll eat. I don't you know, I just work on.
My same thing. I do same thing, and then.
It's just water standing hydra.
And one of my biggest things in auditions and everything now is like I like to come in not needing anything from anyone. So I'll come with my water, I'll come with my lunch, I'll come with my things. I want to come in as a bonus. I don't need you.
That's interesting me.
So that's just but that's just like a mind that's like a mindset that you want to have for the audition.
Wow, that's an awesome I wish I had known that.
I mean, that is a great, great tip any any young actors out there. Don't come in needing something from them, you you, you come in offering them something and even if it's not true.
Yeah, yeah, you know.
But that was a lot of my perspective, Like the La cost story is so I mean, I think that's to so many people's acting careers. Is then you sit there and you go, what makes me different from all these people? And I think my whole perspective in the way it even started now landing more roles and being.
More confident in myself.
It switched from that perspective like that I had from comedy or from being a traumatic kid, of being.
Like, what do you need me to be? Whatever you need? Do I need to be smarmy, I'll be smarmy. Do you need me to be a businessman, you need to be a gang member? You need me to do this, I'll figure it out.
And now it got to a point where I had to just be confident myself and I go, you know the same thing where he's like, what, there's a couple of actors in the world, and God bless them, that they're can mimic, they can do so many things, they could play so many things in the world. I don't know if that's going to be for me. I gotta find what makes me work and what make what I
offer that is unique. And if I find a role or I see something or they send me something and I go, oh, I know, I could pop that or I would make that, you know, I would. I see how they kind of want it, and I would, and I showed them what I can bring, and then I just go like that, well, this is what I can bring. If you want it, I'm over here. If you don't, it was a blessing to me, you hopefully. I just did it just to learn to love the work and
be like, oh I nailed that audition. Like I just had this audition to play a detective and I didn't get it. And then it was fine because but I was like, oh, no one. I would never thought anyone would be like, oh he could be a detective. This guy could be a detective. And it wasn't a comedy. It was like, you know, a drama, a dark comedy if anything. But it was very real and drowned it and doing the audition and having the cast and director and the actual and the di rectro session.
So the director was.
There and she was like, I don't really have any notes. She's like, that's good, And that's what I love to hear, you know. To me, I'll never slam dunkle basketball, but that's what when I'm like doing something out of my comfort zone and then I hear them go like, well, we're moving on, I'm like, oh, I just slammed in everybody's face.
And good. Yeah. I love I love hearing that. I love hearing that.
You know, it's so funny that you mention the word smarmy because the very first well I don't think it was the first audition I ever had, but the very first movie I did was Animal House, which was nineteen seventy seven, and I didn't have an agent, and I was in acting school and they came by and they said, we're looking for you know, kind of like college kids. So they sent me over and they said be smarmy,
and I didn't know what it meant. I didn't know what the word meant, and obviously we didn't have a little device in our hands to quickly look it up. So I just made a face. I hardly had any lines, but I basically made a face that I thought maybe sounded like what smarmy was. And the director John Landis, he loved it. He's like, yeah, the smarty I love when you do the smarmy like he kept saying to me,
do the smarty look. It's just so funny that you mentioned that, because I had no idea that it would It would be like, I don't know, it would be like saying some crazy thing. I mean that I just I didn't know, but it was, but it sounded I guessed at what it might sound like. Let me ask you something, what because I love hearing about this this but the idea of this, this auditioning and of embracing acting. What are the things that you you love to do now? Or do you love them all? And do you love
them all equally? I mean, and do you love it at all anymore?
I certainly love it. I'm loving it more than ever. Really, what I love more.
Than anything is freedom.
And I like the ability to bounce around and try new things and try new experiences. And that's usually how I lead myself and pick my things. Is that, Oh did I have ever done that before? I have ever thought I'd do that, you know, just even little things like one time they asked me to be on Chopped, and I.
Was like, I can't cook. I don't know how to cook at all.
But I was like, oh, I never in my life would think anyone asked me to be on Chopped, and that would be a unique experience, not every you know, every Instead of being on these comedy things where I'm fighting with eight comedians to be the best comedian, I can go on this cooking show and just talk and be naturally funny and not be competing with anyone.
But just showing who I am.
And it's opening a lot of doors for me doing things like that, and I so I love the ability to bounce around because a lot of them can be frustrated, as I'm sure you know. You know, there was time, especially in my acting career, where I was seeing a lot of growth in class and seeing a.
Lot of.
Just my abilities broadening and my range broadening, but my auditions weren't, you know, so I would still be doing a lot of the same things and and feeling like I was doing the same thing from the first show I was on.
Undateable, And I mean the auditions that you were getting or or what you're doing in the auditions.
The auditions that I were getting, they were, you know, the same style, character, the same you know, just come in, hit a button and leave. And I was like, oh, but I'm like doing these dramas in class. I'm doing these you know.
A frustrating part of our business, though, is that people I always say that we have so little imagination when it comes to casting films and television. Theater is completely the opposite, because if you come in and you can audition, that's it that they don't. It was never a you never got typed. When I was doing theater, it just seemed like if you could do it, you know, whatever the accent or the you know, the walk or the look or whatever it was, then you'd get the part.
But in films and television, we have so little imagination.
I think, yeah, I agree, it's one. I agree with you.
It frustrates me because I'm a big fan of just growth and development. I love that in my music. I love that, and I love being like, oh.
I saw them doing a little bit part here, and now.
Oh this, and then I saw this and then oh wow, that's one of the funnest things in life to me, And it seems such a shame that so many where I feel, you know, the term is usually development, and they always are like, well, I saw you do this, so you can do this, keep doing that, and I just you know, I worked in trap jobs when I
was young. I remember working at a bank call center and you didn't have to have a college degree, and they paid you like fifteen eighteen dollars an hour, and I was like, well, that sounds great now, but I know that's a trap because I'm not gaining any skills other than this job. And so if I ever want to quit this job, I don't have a college education, I'm just either either have to.
Stay here or I have to go back to seven eight dollars an hour.
And I felt the same way with like if I was the key keep doing the same type of roles, I'm like, oh, I'm just going to keep doing this showing them the same person, and I'm going to continue to get older and they're either going to be like, well he's too expensive now or he's too old now. And we found a younger version of that character. So let's move on, and just for my heart and my life.
I like challenging myself and trying new things. So it's been really great to be like, Okay, well acting isn't going that great right now, so I'll focus on stand up. And then the pandemic happened, and the stand up was a thing that wasn't as safe for me and a new baby, and I didn't want to be out there, and so I was like, oh I can. I'm so
lucky I have my voice acting. And it really taught me a lot lessons before because I was like, maybe if I was a specialist in one of these things, I could move further along than one of these things. But I then was like, oh, a complex web. It seems to be the best for me because if something doesn't feel right, if I'm frustrated, I can at least focus on the other thing. I love stand up so
much because it's immediate. I get the immediate reaction. I don't have to wait for some you know, the editing and watch it myself or see somebody else's take that they pick.
Are you comfortable playing out now? I'm sorry?
Are you comfortable playing out now? Are you are with stand up?
What do you mean by that?
I mean, are you doing live shows.
Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, oh yeah.
I'm uncomfortable now for sure, and depends on the week, but more so now.
And I just miss it.
It was, you know, when I didn't have it, I really felt a part of my soul was missing. I just and so and it really is. If you ask me what I love the most of us, be honest, it would be stand up because it's the.
Only one I would do for free. I know I wouldn't act for free.
Tour are you? Are you on tour? Are you planning a tour?
I just got off tour. I'd just been some less shows in November as one of the best priorits.
Of my life.
Usually I have to go all the way through the holiday series, you know, to make sure I can afford things. And it's been nice where I was like, oh I can end in December. I got seven month old baby and we're just gonna help.
Congratulations, thank you.
That's crazy.
Are your second my second? I have a twenty year old in a seven month old. So I got new material.
That's absolutely that's great. Tell me about getting better with Ron Funcius.
Okay, it's a podcast. I really enjoyed doing. It's a passion project.
Why haven't I been on it?
I think I asked my manager to invite you. Perhaps things got mixed up in between the peoples, but but I certainly asked when we work after a little bit after we worked together or we met each other. But I would love to have you on absolutely. And it's just me and people either have my best friends or people who I've always wanted to learn about. Are just people whose stories that I've found that are interesting to me.
About getting better at your life, your chosen field. I feel my whole life has been a big moving forward of just like not coming from the best circumstances, but little by little getting better at my life, getting better
how I handle things, and pushing myself forward. And I think sometimes we get this perspective between like people who make it and people who don't have anything, and that people don't see the journey and don't think that they can do it or don't believe that they have it in them.
And I like humanizing and showing that.
Everyone that I've ever met is still dealing with some rejection and still dealing with a thing that they're driven to do, that they're fighting for and they want to achieve, and I like celebrating it when I see people achieve those things. So when I see my friends get a show, or when I see people just achieve their dreams, I'm big into celebrating that and then discussing how they got there so that people don't just see the end rest.
It's like when I started comedy. My only beginning comedy was that I watched comedy specials, so I was terrified. I thought I had to be as good as Chris Rock. I thought I had to be as good as some more. I had to be as good as all these people I saw on TV. But then they go to an open mic and you see people just trying it and just doing things, and you're like, oh, that's a whole world here. Some of these people are good, some of these people aren't good. Let me just try and see
where I fit in. And I think that's just makes it easier for people who you know.
And obviously I'm not like, hey, you could everyone be a comedian or things.
But I think a lot of people have a passion, a dream, or a thing that they're just naturally inclined to do, and sometimes we get lost in the shuffle of that and you try to use my podcast to regnite people towards that, and I love it when I get great feedback because I like being funny and I like when people are like, oh, I saw you in this, but when you know, when my podcast sometimes people were like, oh, I started going to therapy because I was listening to
your podcasts, or you help me get through this bad time, or I heard you talk about you know, even Whitney Commings talking about toxic relationships and it made me realize I was in an abusive relationship and it helped me get out of it.
And I was like those type of things.
I'm like, oh, I'm actually doing something positive in the world, and that's a big you know, because I'm sing so many and I do. I'm like, oh, the world could be so tough and it could be stressful, but I'm not a person who's like, oh, it all sucks.
I'm like, let me go.
Do what I can, you know, And in some small ways that's what I try to do with that and try to do with the charity, which is usually me actually just giving other people's money to them, which I love.
That's awesome.
Well, I mean I love the concept just of getting better. And I don't know if you've had anybody's ancient as me on the podcast, but I think a lot of times people at my age there is kind of a thing that people joke about and say, which is, well, I'm too old to change now, and you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And that applies to so many things. I mean, whether it's work. You know, sometimes people are retired so they don't have to be a better dentist, or they don't have to be a better
carpenter or an actor or whatever it is. But it also applies to like a worldview where someone says, I'm just you know, you're not going to change the way that I feel about whatever politics or PC stuff or or you know, don't I don't like this, you know, woke culture or whatever these things are. It's really possible to continue throughout your life to keep changing and getting better.
You know.
My father to me was a kind of an inspiration in that way because he lived to about ninety four, and this guy was always trying new shit. I mean, I you know, he'd like he was like he's like in his like nineties, and he started he said, I'm gonna start doing taichi and I'm like, that is so inspiring to me. And I feel the same way that getting better at all kinds of things is a really not only is it as it's not so much that
it's noble, but I think it's healthy. I think that it makes people live longer, you know, last longer, love longer. I think those are all really great. Uh, that's that is a that is a cool idea for a podcast. So I'm definitely gonna check that out now. We met uh at at school on wheels, uh, you know, quite a few years ago, which is an organization that you have thankfully remained in contact with.
If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word Bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift empowers us to continue to produce pro programs that highlight the incredible work of everyday heroes, well also enabling us to provide essential resources to those that need it the most. Once again, text b a co n to seven zero seven zero seven zero or visit six degrees dot org to learn more.
So let us bring to the show Shiney Chilton.
She's here today.
The chief development and Marketing officer for School on Wheels. We met while all three of us met six years ago in downtown LA pretty much on what's known as skid Row and saw this remarkable spot that you have down there. So just for those of us who don't know, can you just kind of explain to us what School on Wheels is?
Yes, of course, Kevin, that was almost six years ago to the day when you first came to cent So. School on Wheels is a nonprofit that provides educational assistance to children and youth experiencing homelessness from kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade. There are over nearly two hundred thousand students in the six counties we serve in southern California that are living without homes, and you met is
at our only learning center in skid Row. Skid Row has the highest percentage of homeless people in the nation experiencing homelessness and that don't have homes, and there is no public spaces, there's no libraries there, so we've always had a presence for the past twenty years as an after school program for students living in and around that area.
We've heard a lot about the homeless problems in California and Southern California specifically, is it getting better or getting worse?
Unfortunately guessing worse, Kevin and homelessness has a devastating impact on education. You know, students move schools frequently than nine times more likely to repeter grade. Seventy five percent of students that don't have a home don't graduate high school. So while School and Wheels is not a nonprofit dealing with ending homelessness, we are trying to end the cycle of homelessness through education and that's where our niche and our small part in hopefully helping with this problem is.
So it's it's interesting because, you know, education, we think of it in kind of like the reverse. There's this homelessness problem, so we need to educate our youth. But in some ways, if you educate our youth, and if we have a stronger platform for education in this country, there's much less of a chance that someone becomes homeless. Am I correct about that?
Yeah?
The number one reason in California while people experience homelessness is lack of affordable housing and poverty, two things. And you know, the way to get out of poverty, we believe is through education. We know the statistics about you know, if you have a college degree, you're going to earn more money. But with seventy five percent of students living in shelters and group foster homes and on the street and in domestic violence shelters, if those kids aren't graduating,
how do they get the jobs? How do earn the money to stop this cycle and stay out of homelessness.
It take us through like a day, like what would what would the what would the programs do in the course of the day or a week, just kind of walk us through the nuts and bolts of it.
Yeah, So, School on Wheels is the only nonprofit dedicated to educating homeless children, and we do that with a volunteers that joiners from all over the country to help
a student experiencing homelessness. And those students are identified through the school districts or the shelters where they're living, and then School on Whlls goes in to provide support, whether it's backpack, school supply, whether it's a laptop, chrome book, whether it's internet connection, and then we match them with a trained volunteer who helps them with their school and helps them to catch up and keep up with their studies.
And it's an hour week shooting program. But since the pandemic and a lot of our tutors have been online, we can meet students more frequently than physically going to the location.
Online thing is, actually the pandemic had one good benefit, which is to really establish the possibility of online tutoring.
Yeah, that was a silver lining for us because we'd been piloting a digital online program for many, many years and we just got it, and we got the right software, the right packaging, and then the pandemic hit and we just very quickly retrained our volunteers to be online volunteers. And you know, most of them took to it like a duck to water. Some people it took a bit longer, And most students took to it really well because a lot of the kids were just you know, online and
there was no in person school anyway. So yeah, in all of it, that was the silver lining.
Ron do you remember the feeling? I mean, obviously you've stayed in touch with Shaneadan, with this organization since we went down there, since you were good enough to join Six Degrees down there, But do you remember what affected you in terms of the feeling and the vibe at the learning center.
Oh absolutely, I remember a lot of it is like both my expectations and then what I saw, you know, where I was going. I was a little apprehensive because I was afraid that it would be a little bit depressing for me and that I wouldn't that it would just make me feel upset, and I found it to be quite the opposite. It filled me with so much
hope and inspiration and joy and love. And then seeing all these beautiful faces of these kids who had so you could see, I mean, I can see the reasons why you would get up them every morning and go do it. Because these kids are so you see all the potential, You see the light, You see all the different opportunities that could be in front of them if
we can, you know, just help break that cycle. And for my own background, you know, a getting like I told you before, Kevin, with just being in a stable household and growing up in the South Side of Chicago. Art education, access to free museums. Those were the things that save my life and stopped me from going down. Fact, there were choices. There were a lot of the kids in my neighborhood. We were getting involved in gangs, getting involved in bad situations, and I was lucky.
And I was very lucky.
You know that my mom was so good is that even though we didn't have great financial means, she took advantage of whatever resources were available. So if there was a free museum day, we were there. If there was a day or there was a free jazz concert, we were there. And so it showed me a whole other
world outside of my every day in Southside Chicago. And so when I saw the same thing going on at school in Wills, I was so happy and inspired to see all these faces of every color and every race, but for me particular, to see like these young, beautiful black faces that remind me of my own nieces and nephews and my sister and this uf and it just inspired me and made me want to help, because you know, these are just your means, and poverty doesn't define who
you are as a person, and everyone deserves the opportunity to find who they can become. And so many of these kids and so many people get robbed of that because we don't have the we don't have the situation, we don't have the organization put in place. And so if there's a place like school on wheels. It just felt like, of course, I mean, that's what.
Real charity is.
There's a lot of things where you know, you go in and you're like, I don't know if I'm affecting it things at all.
But I went in and saw.
The faces of the kids that I affected and just seeing it happy and just even talking to them a bit about like, oh you're in trolls?
What's that like? Oh you did this?
Like just to even open up their minds and be like, oh maybe I could be a voice actor or something like that is And I'm not saying, you know, like oh I did anything too much, but I got so much out of it. So I certainly got more out
of it than the day that I spent. And the reason why I keep in touch and anytime I'm able to give, or any time I've sent volunteers their way of people who were just looking for something to do and wanted to be involved, and I'm like, look, if you really want to be involved in something, I know a place where your time.
Is well spent and it has been.
Besides, anytime I can help an autism foundation or things like that, it's always my number.
One charity to bring up and to put a spotlight on.
Oh thank you so much for the Run. And we recently reopened our learning center after a hiatus with the pandemic, and the first thing to go on the wall was the TV you donated Run, so thank you so very much. It took them a while to password it from your accounts, but they did it, and they managed to get a movie going for Thanksgiving.
So thank you, Shanad. You obviously have spent a lot of your time and your energy. I don't know your history before School on Wheels, but what is it that you think drives you to do this kind of work in the world.
Well, as you can tell, I'm not a native. I grew up in West Yorkshire in England, and I moved here over twenty years ago, and I didn't realize that homelessness was such an issue in America. And I heard about School on Wheels online and I just didn't It just didn't even cross my mind that there were children that didn't have homes, that were sleeping in vehicles, that
were sleeping in shelters. My first student that I met was sleeping on a church floor in Ohai, and every night the family had to move to a different shelter, a different church that was opening the doors. They had to be out of the church by seven in the morning, and then the church open the doors at five o'clock in the evening to provide dinner and a safe place to sleep. And once I saw that, I couldn't see it.
And you know, working with an eight year old little girl for whatever reason, her family were in a homeless situation, it had absolutely nothing to do with her, and she was just, you know, a terrible in a terrible situation and going through such trauma that you know, doing a homework that night or thinking about a test for school was just very difficult. But it was very easy for me to help her with that, with her homework with school,
to give her a backpack in school supplies. And when I first met the founder ag and Stephens of School on Wheels, she said, it takes so little to make a difference in the life of a child, And that's just stuck with me ever since. If you can help a child make their day a bit better, a bit brighter, give them some hope, give them a laugh, make learning fun,
then you know, that's why I do it. The kids like Ron said, kids are just kids, and they all want the same They all want to beloved, and they all want to, you know, do the number one job of a child is to go to school and learning and school and meals really helps them do that. And yeah, that's why I'm still here.
Or do you have.
Any I'm curious about some of the kids that we met those six years ago. Are you able to track any of the of the kids and see how they're doing and as time moves on?
Yeah, So, School and Wheels has been around for almost thirty years. It's our thirty anniversary next year. And when I first started, parents didn't have cell phones mobile phones, in fact, in order to stay a shelter. It was considered an additional expense that families didn't need. But with social media and more children having mobile phone owns, and then obviously the pandemic, a lot of students are now connected and have laptops and computers. We can keep in
touch with them much more. And it's fabulous when a student gets back in touch with you. I met my first ever student, Josh, a few months ago. We drove to meet him. He's now mechanic and he lives in Oregon. And it was just so fabulous to be able to keep in touch with him and see how he's doing. So a lot of our volunteers keep in touch with the families and the children that they tutor, and then
we've had students that have come back to be tutors. So, for example, at the Learning Center, we have had several students that were once attending the after school learning center have come back as adults and then shoot, yeah, and just hearing their stories and just what a difference a positive adult can make in a kid's life is just so impactful to me and keeps me going.
To That's fantastic.
So I know that people listening to this would want to know the possibilities for helping out, whether it's donating or volunteering. So this is our time to.
Put out that call to action.
Great, Yeah, I mean, everybody can make a difference. Everybody can change life. It's so simple. For school on meals, we always need volunteers. We need positive adult role models that can volunteer for an hour a week. We provide all the training. You can meet a student online or in person, or in mixture of both. Now, and you know, obviously we always need donors and supporters to keep our doors open. We're very transparent, small but mighty nonprofit based
in southern California. Ninety twer cent of every dollar donated goes straight back into our program. And then obviously you can always advocate if you can't volunteer or you can't donate, talk about to spread the word. I don't think, you know, people understand homelessness, especially in regards to children. We talk about homeless adults on the street, but we don't talk
about families. And you know, there are over two and a half million children in the US that don't have anywhere to sleep tonight, and that's just so sad to me. And you know, those kids have got a future, those kids have got, you know, everything to live for, and just that little extra help and support when their family is going through such trauma really does make a difference.
You can find out all our information on our website, School Onwheels dot org, so you can check out other volunteers from all different backgrounds and walks of life and why they volunteer and why they continue to make a difference with School on Wheels And I just want to thank you Kevin and Ron for helping us spread the word and for being such good friends for so many years. We really really appreciate you both, folks.
Someday we will work towards having no homeless children in this country. Yes, but until we reach that goal, go to school on wheels dot org and uh check it out. And as Shand said, there's a bunch of different ways that that you can help. And as Ron said, it will.
Give back to you.
You will feel better and more hopeful about the world and about the situation. Uh.
Kids are kids and they need you.
Ron.
Thank you so much, SHANEI thank you so much. Keep up the great work.
Ron.
Uh what what? How about?
How about a shout out for you? Like where should we go? Check out your stuff?
You can? You can just google Roun Funches.
I'm around you can find me if what my podcast, he says, called Getting Better.
I'm in my project I'm on right now.
It's called Loot on Apple TV Plus with Maya Rudolph before I play her cousin. And it's real fun show and I'd like to keep doing it. We got a second season, so get on the floor.
Oh yeah, that is a good show. And that is a good show. And you're awesome on it.
Yeah, thank you, Thank you folks, thanks for your time and really do appreciate you being here with me today.
Hey everybody, If you want to.
Learn more about School on Wheels and all this incredible work that they're up to, head to their website.
School on Wheels dot org. School on Wheels dot.
Org, where you can find all the links in our show notes. You can find six Degrees with Kevin Bacon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'll see you next time you