PINC  NEWS
Protect. Inspire. Nurture. Challenge.
February 6, 2018
FROM YOUTH FUTURES TO OUR FUTURE

 Annemarie M. Grassi
ODA Chief Executive Officer
Dear  

Last month, an awesome opportunity came our way.

Actually, it was two.

The Cleveland Clinic wanted to find a unique way to support our programming this year. So, we began planning with them and the Positive Education Program (PEP) to schedule trainings on trauma-informed care for ODA's programming team. 

And then the Jewish Federation of Cleveland told us that they had visitors coming from Israel who were interested in learning more about ODA's model of out-of-school education. I had met some of them last summer when I participated in the biennial Adler Civic Leaders Mission to Israel. The staff at Youth Futures shared their best practices, experiences, and challenges serving high-risk youth with me, and I recognized that this upcoming visit to Cleveland could be an opportunity to continue this intercultural, intercontinental conversation. 

So, instead of just doing a presentation on ODA, we combined these two opportunities. The 12 delegates from Youth Futures spoke in small groups with our scholars and even participated in afterschool programming with them. And the next morning, they joined ODA's programming team for the first training on trauma-informed care, where they learned how it can inform our work with youth from high-risk communities.

You can check out some of the photos from this visit and training below.

The point is that these opportunities do not simply happen. They reflect the investment of time, interest, and financial support by the people and organizations who believe in our work.

We will always make the most out of these opportunities, because that is how we are going to impact millions of kids together.

Sincerely,

Annemarie M. Grassi, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer


PHOTOS FROM THE VISIT WITH YOUTH FUTURES AND THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND

Tal Rotstein, the delegation's trip coordinator, and Annemarie.
Small group conversations between ODA and Youth Futures staff.
A delegate from Youth Futures works with scholars from ODA's E Prep Cliffs campus to construct a tower from pipe cleaners... using only one hand each!

Two ODA alumni, who are in college now, share their experiences and stories with the delegation from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Youth Futures.


1ST ANNUAL ODA CAREER FAIR

On Friday, December 8th, ODA hosted it's first ever Career Fair!  15 company representatives and over 225 ODA middle and high school scholars participated in this event. 

ODA scholars learned about many different career fields, the training and education required to work in those careers, and which careers they have an interest in.

If you're interested in representing your company in our next career fair, contact Chris Gregilla, Career Development Manager, at cgregilla@opendoorsacademy.org  or (216) 229-1900 ext. 120

THIRD FEDERAL GETS A LEMONDAE DAY VISIT FROM ODA SCHOLARS 

A group of 8 ODA scholars from Mound STEM, a CMSD school in Slavic Village, surprised the staff at Third Federal one day during their lunch break with snacks and treats! Scholars were selling items as a part of their Young Entrepreneur project.  
ODA Coordinators, Doug Taylor and Dawn Stock, worked with Kurt Karakul of the Third Federal Foundation to make this impactful event happen. This partnership and experience led to the group of scholars being invited to present in front of a network of nonprofit, civic, and community organizations at the monthly Slavic Village Broadway P-16 meeting. The ODA scholars described their project and the success they had with developing and selling their products. 

ODA's 16th ANNUAL HOLIDAY DINNER & DANCE

The 16th Annual ODA Holiday Dinner & Dance was a great success! The event was held at Windows on the River on Thursday, December 14th from 6-9 PM. 

ODA Staff played a major role in making this year's Holiday Dinner the best attended family event ODA has ever hosted, with over 1,100 guests and 71% of all ODA families attending. 

The traditional ODA event components and a couple of new ones are a huge factor in our growing attendance and engaging so many families. 

ODA scholars and their families enjoyed: A delicious dinner, music, dancing, photo booths, visits with Santa and Momma Claus, receiving their special ODA gift and books from the Kids Book Bank, and taking selfies with the ODA Snapchat geofilter. 

A BIG thanks to Windows on the River for a beautiful holiday venue and amazing team to work with!


GREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank  makes an important and positive impact in the Cleveland community by increasing access to nutritious and belly filling food! They provide meals to ODA scholars during afterschool and summer  programming. 

Last year the Greater Cleveland Food Bank donated over 40,000 meals valued at more than $130,000 to Open Doors Academy programs. This resource and partnership allows ODA to continue to provide meaningful experiences to more than 500 scholars in Cleveland. 

Thank you for your kind and generous work! 

KEYBANK FOUNDATION:     
A PARTNER FOR PATHWAYS
 
Support from KeyBank has spanned nearly a decade, built on a relationship with former ODA board member Josh Cochran, who serves as its Vice President - Senior Relationship Manager.  Josh has recommended ODA for KeyBank's Community Leadership Gift Program each year for the past nine years. After Josh fulfilled his term on the ODA Board in 2016, we were fortunate to have Terry Jenkins, President of Key Private Bank, come aboard and maintain this relationship. 

For the past two years, the KeyBank Foundation has provided generous grant funding in support of ODA high school programming. As our new Pathways to Independence Program model takes shape, we hope to deepen our partnership with KeyBank and produce even more meaningful impact for our high school scholars. 

"Helping children get a start in life thru education is one of the most important things we can do to give back to our communities," said Terry. "I'm honored to be a part of ODA."

To learn more about KeyBank Foundation, click here.
ODA CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT: 
ST. PAUL'S/ROXBORO

ODA's Roxboro/St. Paul's Middle School Campus is an exciting place to be during ALT (Academic Learning Time) Clubs, an enrichment option on Friday's that allows scholars to have youth-choice and fun at the end of the week. 

In each corner of the room you will find a different club with a group of engaged scholars.Some of Roxboro's most exciting clubs are game clubs that consists of Connect Four and Uno, group Hang-man games on the white board, Slime Creations, and a Step Club. With a wide variety of scholar interests, each student has an opportunity to find a club that matches their personality. 

ST. LUKE'S SUPERSTAR: 
HEAVENLY BERKLEY

Congratulations to ODA Coordinator, Heavenly Berkley, for being a recipient of the 2017 St. Luke's Foundation  Superstar Award! 

This award recognizes the very best direct service  st aff in the field who distinguish themselves and their work by using data to constantly adjust their service delivery approach while intentionally  st riving to build transformational relationships with those being served.

THANK YOU 

Open Doors Academy staff and scholars want to thank The MetroHealth System for their generous donation. Their gift helps ODA provide best-in-class programming and services to over 500 scholars and families in Greater Cleveland.    

2/17
Parent Power Seminar
ODA parents and gaurdians attend at least one Parent Power Seminar each year. This is a full day seminar that teaches a variety of parenting skills.

2/19
Presidents Day - ODA Closed
3/3

Parent Power Seminar
ODA parents and gaurdians attend at least one Parent Power Seminar each year. This is a full day seminar that teaches a variety of parenting skills.


3/15


Evening at the Museum
This ODA Family Event gives our scholars and their family members free admission to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for an evening of fun and learning! 


4/21


ODA 7th Annual Benefit: The Frolic
This event is at the House of Blues from 6-11 PM. 

STAY CONNECTED
Major gifts and grants to Open Doors Academy come from:

The Abington Foundation, The Ames Family Foundation, ArcelorMittal, Barbara McWilliams and Tom Piraino, Bruening Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, CDBG, Cleveland Clinic, Deaconess Foundation, Dr. Malcolm Kenney, John Morley, 
Higley Fund, The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation, KeyBank Foundation, Lubrizol Foundation, The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Department of Education, The Reinberger Foundation, Robert Immerman, Saint Luke's Foundation, Starting Point, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, The Thomas H. White Foundation, Third Federal Foundation, The Treu-Mart Fund, United Way of Greater Cleveland. 

For more information about gifts and giving, please visit

Major gifts and grants to Open Doors Academy come from:

The Abington Foundation, The Ames Family Foundation, ArcelorMittal, Barbara McWilliams and Tom Piraino, Bruening Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, CDBG, Cleveland Clinic, Deaconess Foundation, Dr. Malcolm Kenney, John Morley, 
Higley Fund, The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation, KeyBank Foundation, Lubrizol Foundation, The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Department of Education, The Reinberger Foundation, Robert Immerman, Saint Luke's Foundation, Starting Point, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, The Thomas H. White Foundation, Third Federal Foundation, The Treu-Mart Fund, United Way of Greater Cleveland. 

For more information about gifts and giving, please visit