Open Doors Academy October Newsletter

Issue: # 14

October, 2009

Greetings Open Doors Fans,

Wow! It has been a busy month! With the expansion nearing completion, the organization has been quite busy getting everything in place! On October 3rd, we hosted the 2nd Annual Kickball/ Dodge Ball tournament, which doubled in size from last year! The event was a success, with the biggest hit being lunch from Chipotle! The Roxboro site also ventured to Cedar Hills Conference Center in September for a team building camping trip in the woods! For many this was their first experience camping, and despite the freezing rain on Saturday, it was deemed a blast by the kids!

Our new sites will be opening in the next two weeks and we have much to look forward to ahead. This is a year of growth and opportunity for Open Doors and we intend to cease every moment in order to strengthen the lives of the kids we are serving! Thank you for continue to stand behind us as we seek to serve our future leaders of tomorrow!

Sincerest Regards,

Annemarie M. Grassi, M.S.Ed.
Executive Director

OPEN DOORS ACADEMY NEWS

DO GOOD WHILE YOU PLAY
Second Annual
Kickball/ Dodgeball Tournament
dodgeball1

140 people came out to Bexley Park in South Euclid on October 3rd to claim the title of Kickball / Dodgeball Champion of the world. In its second year, the event doubled in size, with 14 teams taking the field. There was even a visit from Mongo Man (Mongolian BBQ Mascot) who played a game of dodgeball against the kids. Despite his 8 foot stature, he was no match for middle school students and was defeated! Chipotle Burritos were once again a hit, although trying to play kickball afterwards was slightly challenging. Overall it was a successful event and much anticipated revenge for next year!

Congratulations to the 2009 Champions
Kickball
The Italian Stallions
Dodgeball
Pitbull "Pulverizing" Puppies

mongo man

Thank You to our Sponsors
Republic Steele
Chipotle
Life Water
Metrohealth
The Gates Group
Charter One Bank

A Special Thank You to the Kickball/ Dodgeball fundraising committee - Roger Frank, Wes Koontz, Josh Cochran, Lauren Smith, Paul Theodore, Tara Templeman, and Rosalie Giariamo.

Open Doors Academy Scholarship Fund

Did you know that students who remain in Open Doors for three years, demonstrate a higher rate of social capital and positive peer relationships than other youth their age?
Did you know that 90% of Open Doors graduates pursue higher education?
Did you know that Open Doors has a 100% high school graduation rate?
Did you know that 80% of the youth served by Open Doors are low income?
Did you know that 80% of those families will be in need of scholarship?

Open Doors believes in the importance of investing in a child's future, and therefore, we assess an annual program fee to each family member that ranges between $100 and $500, based on the family's household income.

Open Doors never turns away a family because they are unable to pay. Therefore, we provide a trade-off. We will provide scholarship to any family in need, but we ask that they give of their time to the organization. On average an Open Doors family contributes 20 hours of service to the organization each year!
We believe that providing scholarship to our families is critical to the continued success of Open Doors and we ask that you consider helping us by providing a full or partial scholarship to a child at Open Doors.

PLEASE CONSIDER CONTRIBUTING A SPONSORSHIP
THAT WILL HELP ANOTHER STUDENT BENEFIT
FROM OPEN DOORS PROGRAMMING.

Partial scholarships can be given in increments of $25, $50, or $100
Full scholarships can be given in the amount of $500
Full and partial scholarships can also be given over the duration of the year. If you wish to set up a monthly plan to help scholarship a child for the full year, please contact our Finance Director, Bob Buskey at (216) 229-1900 or rbuskey@opendoorsacademy.org

HOW TO GIVE

Send your tax deductible gift to Open Doors Academy, 2460 Fairmount Boulevard, Suite 202, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Go to our website at www.opendoorsacademy.org and click on support us
Call (216) 229-1900 to request a credit card authorization form or to set up a monthly plan to help preserve a spot for an Open Doors student

Meet the New Open Doors Team