Open Doors Academy

As an employer, Open Doors Academy was a fantastic place to work. I felt both challenged and supported through my position as a Campus Coordinator and could see the impact that we were making on our scholars day-to-day. After about two years of working for the organization, I was able to work my way up into Program Management, which gave me a new perspective on the organization and its programming opportunities. Even throughout the pandemic, Open Doors worked tirelessly to provide supports for its scholars, families, school and community partners, and its staff.

As a program, I feel that the scholars received all that they needed and more. From homework help in reading and math to social-emotional learning programs, Open Doors Academy really focused on improving the whole child. The organization truly embodies the "it takes a village" mentality. If given the opportunity, I would gladly return to Open Doors. The work they do is so important, and it is apparent that they have a clear vision for their overall goals and the direction that they would like their out of school time programming to go

I am a teaching artist who has taught for ODA for the last 6 years. ODA is an organization which puts the young artists and students first. Teaching in this supportive and nurturing atmosphere is inspiring!

We are so lucky to have Open Doors Academy as our partners for after school programming! They treat our students and families as their own and continue the work we do during the school day into the afternoon/early evening, giving our students a safe and engaging space at the end of the school day.

I recently had the joy of helping with one of ODA's summer camps and was floored by the experience. The ODA scholars are incredibly bright, hard working, and enthusiastic, and the staff works so hard to create supportive spaces and enriching opportunities that help each scholar thrive. Every kid deserves to be part of a program like ODA—it's an organization that's truly unparalleled.

Open Doors Academy is an amazing place with wonderful staff that love, support and challenge youth of all ages to be the best version of themselves possible. We also do the same for the adult caretakers of our scholars. I can definitely say I am excited to wake up and come to work because I know I am helping to make a difference. Especially on the tough days.

So far my experience here at ODA has been amazing. I love the support I receive from staff and management. The kids are amazing and I love how far ODA goes for the kids.

No out-of-school time program has more devotion to their scholars than Open Doors Academy. Whether in after school, family events, or summer camp, ODA is entirely focused on bringing the best possible experience to its scholars and its families.

Open Doors Academy provides comprehensive programs that focus on academic enrichment, character development, and life skills training. I love that our team is full of dedicated passionate professionals and mentors that create a nurturing and inclusive environment that enables young individuals to thrive. Open Doors Academy's impact is evident in its track record of successfully guiding scholars toward academic success, personal growth, and future opportunities. By promoting education, fostering resilience, and instilling values of integrity and leadership, Open Doors Academy sets a remarkable example of a top-tier non-profit organization dedicated to unlocking the potential of every child.

Open Doors Academy is truly the village it takes to raise a child. The knowledgeable and caring staff work with students, families, and teachers to make sure students have the resources they need to excel academically and personally. I highly recommend participation in Open Doors Academy programs for students in all grades.

Open Doors Academy is an excellent nonprofit organization that puts the youth first in every decision made. As there are a lot of negative influences in the world, ODA helps to provide youth with positive models as they open the youth's eyes to a future they haven't previously thought of. It is a 10/10 organization!

The work Open Doors Academy is second to none. The leadership, mission, and vision of ODA is outstanding and the main reason I chose to work here. The site coordinators truly care about the scholars they guide and mentor and the enrichment program is inspiring. To do all this for free to families is remarkable. ODA should be in every school in Ohio.

As a program to be offered in Open Doors Academy's summer camp, we at Flats Platform Tennis Center (Cleveland Platform Tennis Foundation) were very impressed with the scholars and staff at Open Doors Academy.
This summer was our first opportunity to be part of ODA's summer camp experience and it was a perfect fit. The 18 scholars attending our program were all new to the game of Platform Tennis, as well as the staff that accompanied them to the courts every day. They all listened to the instructions, and practiced the racquet skills they were learning.
By the end of the week, we had 18 new platform tennis players. The mini round robin tournament, capping off the week-long camp experience, revealed a skillful champion team!
Open Doors Academy offers great opportunities for the scholars to stay involved in fun, safe, summer activities that keep them moving and involved!

My Family loves ODA! It’s provides a safe learning environment for our children, the staff is great

The Flats Platform Tennis Center mission: includes inclusively diversity and engagement with youth programing an important element. We welcomed news, our neighbor, Cleveland Rowing’s staff, suggested we meet representatives from Open Door Academy to discuss youth activities.
Dan Sehlhorst and his assistant spent an afternoon interviewing the staff, reviewing the facility taking time to learn the basics of platform tennis. Both organization agreed to work together to host a 4 day camp. The arrangement was put together professionally which included all the important details.
Credit to ODA, the camp gave the students an entirely new experience, a new sport on the Cuyahoga River in the center of Cleveland. All the students took on the challenge to learn something new. The counselors accompanying the students were top fight: enjoyed the activity, a good resource to student questions and diffusing any issues.
Dan encouraged the lunch break to be unique, providing new concepts to the students; (career talk by several professional, playing 5-gal pail drums, modern dance and tour of Cleveland Rowing.)
ODA ‘s undertaking fits with the Flats mission; we are gratified to collaborate creating opportunities to the students and look forward to the future.
Best
Dave Bebout
Cleveland Platform Tennis Foundation: President
Flats Platform Tennis Center: Director; Student Education
Phone 216-346-0907, daviddbebout@gmail.com

I am a grandmother, raising 5 of my grandchildren and our income is very limited income. ODA has helped us by providing a safe environment where the children can socialize while receiving assistance and encouragement with their homework, opportunities for us to attend places and activities that we would not otherwise be able to afford, they have provided support services and referrals that we needed. They provide support not only for the students, but their families as well. I cannot speak highly enough of the ODA program and staff. I'm grateful that they are available to us.

I love the work of ODA! I have worked with them as a teaching artist in summer camps and during the school year for over 8 years. The staff is always collaborative and continually reassessing how programs should be delivered based on the needs of the students. As an artist and a community development professional with a Masters in Public Policy, I appreciate their approach to youth development that actually includes community partners. This support is why we accomplish so much creative work with the students. Image: recording session at Tri-C, Cleveland's world class recording studio.

My granddaughter joined last year an it helped her with her shyness ,and her english.my grandsons joined this year ,I'm happy because he's doing good in his math an English class ,I love there in a after school program .Thank you ODA

I have had the blessing of being affiliated with Open Doors Academy for over 14 years. I appreciate this organization greatly because they continue to introduce our youth and their families to new opportunities and meaningful life-changing experiences. The staff are amazing and really understand what the vision and mission of ODA is. Having close-knit relationships is key to a child’s success and that is continuously shown!

I will continue to support this program without question in anyway I can. The more youth are exposed to something positive the better. You never know what will spark an interest or what could become a young person's passion having support from a program like this one!

S. Walker

My kids attended this program . My daughter enjoys to be with her friends. They help w homework recreation. Staff is very polite kind and caring with all the kids. Good supervision and organization

I had the pleasure of working with ODA as an aide to a student with down syndrome when ODA was in its infancy. I saw firsthand the impact the staff has on its students. ODA is often a second home for its students, this program offers homework help and social and emotional guidance. Home life can be challenging, and having a place where students can safely express, learn, make mistakes, make friends, and discover who they are and who they can become, is critical for this stage of development. Today, I continue to proudly serve ODA on its Marketing Committee and continue to be passionate about this program and its impact on the students and community.

PINC: Protect, Inspire, Nurture, Challenge. From large scale summer camps that serve 600+ kids to afterschool programs, kids are encouraged to come as they are, embraced, and supported through all the challenge and joy that comes with growing up. It is unlike any out-of-school time program I've ever seen: these kids aren't playing checkers in an empty classroom until 5. They are learning to swim, embarking on service learning trips across the state, and participating in real, personalized academic support. And ODA staff have real relationships - mentorships, friendships - with scholars that I've personally witnessed long outlast a scholar's participation in ODA, following them to college and careers, and sometimes all the way back to ODA.

Open doors was able to serve many students during the covid pandemic and we as program coordinators built strong bonds with our scholars. The worst yet best of times, I've enjoyed at ODA

When you think about an organization that meets the expectations of their mission Open Doors Academy comes to mind. The staff goes above the ask to provide a well rounded out of school experience for their scholars. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and schools across the nation closed ODA found a way to pivot and still serve not only their program scholars but their families as well. Once schools started to reopen ODA showed that the need for out of school programming was more essential than ever. They put curriculum into place that not only helped fill academic gaps caused from remote learning but also the social & emotional skills lost from not being able to interact with people outside the scholars primary household for almost a year. Open Doors Academy continues to strive to protect, inspire, nurture and challenge the scholars they work with on a daily basis.

Since my first year at Open Doors in 2002, I have seen how the program has influenced all of its students and how it has expanded to better benefit its clients. As a sixth-grader, I was very shy and introverted, but throughout my middle school years ODA helped me to cultivate my leadership skills and learn how to make my thoughts heard and respected by my peers. I continued to profit from ODA programming during high school as we travelled to Harlan, KY to build homes each summer, and I took advantage of each opportunity to reunite with my middle school friends and the ODA staff. I am now entering my senior year of college, and I am beginning my second summer in a row working for ODA as a summer program assistant. Because of my continuous involvement with this program, I can personally vouch for the good it brings to the Greater Cleveland community. ODA has helped me in several areas of my life, and I honestly believe that I have benefitted academically, professionally, and personally from my engagement with the program. ODA provides such wonderful opportunities to all of its students, and I can only hope that it will continue to expand and reach an even wider portion of the Greater Cleveland community.

Open Doors Academy has been an absolutely wonderful program for my daughter. We transferred from a Private School and had some apprehensions about public school. Open Doors was the bridge that brought us across the "river". The staff's willingness to help students and parents has been phenomenal and the many activities that include the family as a whole and in parts has definitely strengthened my relationship with my daughter and family. Thank you Open Doors for providing such a wonderful lifelong experience that I know we will cherish for years to come. You are the BEST!

The experience that The Open Doors Academy Program has given me is priceless. The relationship that I have built with other students and staff members is so strong. Open Doors is truly a family. I know for any situation, I can easliy talk to any of the stafff members and they will do there absolute best to help me. Over the years I have watched the sites go from two sites into five. As well as adding Alumni sites at the three different high school, which I am currently invovled in. Overall Open Doors is an Inspiration on my everyday life.

As one of Open Doors first "clients" I have had the great pleasure of watching the organization grow into one of the most important programs in the Greater Cleveland Area. Not only is it important in this locale, but it sets the precedent for successful educational activities and personal development initiatives in communities nationwide. During middle school I'll admit I wasn't the greatest student. However, I stayed engaged in Open Doors, which I know helped me from veering to far away from my education. In high school I continued to stay engaged with the Open Doors program by participating in service trips, and now, as I am working my way through my final years in college, I continue to stay in touch with old friends and staff members of my Open Doors community. Furthermore I routinely hear of the wonderful progress and outreach the Open Doors community continues to make in the Greater Cleveland Area. Not only is Open Doors a successful program, it is essential to the maintaining a upstanding social atmosphere for those who wouldn't have the opportunity otherwise. I loved my time at OD and wish only the best for those currently in the community.

Open Doors is one organization that has truly provided me a wonderful experience beyond belief. Flashback to year 2001. This was the very first year that Open Doors started, and I am proud to say that I was a student in the program that year and throughout my entire middle school years. Open Doors taught me so many valuable lessons that I remembered and utilized throughout high school, but also preparing me to continuously better myself after completing this program. Now flash forward to today, 2012. This past May, I have completed my Bachelors of Business Administration from Northwood University in Midland, MI. Every time I was home, I would make it a priority to visit and volunteer at Open Doors or at least catch up with Annemarie, the Director. Open Doors has been a big influence on my life and my success, so I am so proud to say that I am Alumni from this program. Open Doors has played a positive role on my life that my younger brother also attended while he was in middle school. Now that he is in high school, he is a volunteer and is continuously involved with Open Doors to this day. Although, I am a little jealous of the continued experience that younger students now have with the program as they move up each year in high school. When we attended our program only lasted for three years. But I am glad to see these opportunities arise for students today, to continue on the right path that Open Doors provides. This organization is constantly finding new ways to not only improve themselves but continuously finding ways to help future generations be leaders and have much success. I can only imagine what the future will hold for Open Doors as it continues to expand. I truly believe that this organization positively impacts lives and does their best to make sure that we as students know that we are believed in and that anything we dream is definitely possible. And I believe it is with every students' start here at this program, where those dreams start to come true.

Never have I met a group of individuals who have genuine love in their hearts for the people they serve. ODA staff goes far beyond what is asked of them to ensure the well being of every family in our community. From holiday gift donations, and parent workshops to various field trips and regular everyday programming, ODA staff is committed to making sure that families needs are met.

From the moment i met ODA staff I immediately knew this organization was different than others i had seen. I can say with all sincerity that i look forward to coming in every day and spending time with the kids. It is a blessing to have the opportunity to be a positive influence in their lives. I love what i do.

We are a local foundation that has supported Open Doors Academy for the past four years. We love the comprehensive, personalized nature of the after school model that Annemarie Grassi, the founder, designed and are consistently impressed with ODA's success rates. Annemarie is an exceptional young leader and, along with ODA's engaged, committed Board of Trustees, the sky is the limit as to what they can achieve. We are grateful for their nurturing and development of our community's youth.

I've been working at ODA for a little over a year now, and it has been truly amazing to see the time, energy, love, passion, and dedication to excellence that our staff membmers exhibit on a daily basis. This can be seen in talking with students and parents who have been impacted by ODA in powerful ways: ODA makes a difference by helping improve students academic achievement levels, self-confidence and leadership skills. It provides a safe place for our kids to enjoy healthy relationships with adults and with their peers. ODA helps parents to expand their support base and their practical toolsets to make sure that they have what they need to raise emotionally, socially, and physically healthy children. ODA staff members work tirelessly to ensure that our kids have the chance to succeed! I'm proud of ODA, our staff, and our kids!

I am consistently blown away by the kids that participate in ODA in addition to the level of committment the staff has to the program. It is incredibly heart-warming to hear from the students the impact that ODA has on their lives.

To meet our kids is to understand the importance of our organization. I have personally seen the light bulbs go off in our students heads when they realize, for the first time in their lives, they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. The skills they learn while with Open Doors Academy help set them up for success in school and in life.

One of the reasons I enjoy working at Open Doors Academy is because the organization uses a holistic model to serve youth and families. A major component of the model is building positive and meaningful relationships with parents and youth. This is especially important with the development of youth. Students enroll in Open Doors Academy as early as sixth grade and continue on through middle school and then high school. Through these mentor relationships students are likely to be at less-risk and succeed academically. Working daily with our youth I can say I am witness to the success of our students.

My daughter is an Open Doors student and has been provided with experiences that she will remember for a life time. Zip lining in the woods, going to Cleveland's International Film Festival, volunteering for local organizations and going to local theater productions have all been a part of this program. For many middle schoolers it is a time where they question everything that is going on around them. Open Doors staff was there to help me answer the many questions my daughter had about growing up and about life. The staff provides all of the students with extra support academically and helps develop the students understanding that these middle school years create the foundation that is needed to be successful in high school. All middle schools would benefit from an Open Doors Academy program in their school.