by Joe Hollings, Senior Director of Engagement for Open Doors Academy
“I basically grew up in the halls of St. Paul’s…in the basement…going upstairs and having talent show rehearsal… walking down the street to St. Paul’s after school.”
-Open Doors Academy alumna Janine Walker
Janine joined Open Doors Academy’s after school program at St. Paul’s in 2006, following her older brother, Miles. She had been waiting for her turn.
“My brother would come home from ODA and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to do this leadership thing next weekend and such-and-such person is coming in to speak with us.’ As an elementary school student, I was so excited to get started with Open Doors because of how excited my brother was.”
Years later, after living abroad and preparing to study American Sign Language interpretation in Toronto, Janine describes St. Paul’s as “a pillar of my Cleveland Heights experience.”
In 2006, Open Doors Academy (ODA) had already served Cleveland Heights students for more than a decade. Its story began with a simple question and a congregation willing to answer it.
A Church That Chose to Say Yes
In 1992, students from Roxboro Middle School regularly crossed Fairmount Boulevard after school. Some lingered around the church, waiting for rides or simply looking for somewhere to go.
“There used to be a pop machine and a snack machine in the basement, and the students would use the bathrooms and sometimes ask the staff for money,” said Marty Young, who would become Open Doors Academy’s first volunteer director.
With middle school students gathering in a building that had no formal program or dedicated supervision, staff locked the doors. Marty remembers the incident that changed the conversation:
“One of the ministers had an appointment, and that person couldn’t get into the church because the doors were locked. Then he and two other people decided, ‘We need to open the doors.’”
Those three people were the Rev’d Ralph Pitman, parish nurse Ann Gardner, and parishioner Judy Watson. Rector Nick White was a passionate supporter of the effort. Working with Roxboro Middle School and St. Paul’s Outreach Committee, and with early support from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, they created what would become Open Doors Academy.
The program met just two afternoons each week in the church dining room and kitchen. Parishioners donated games, books, snacks, and a Nerf football. Marty stood outside the church after school, inviting students to come inside.
“They started calling me the church lady,” Marty laughed.
As attendance grew, St. Paul’s opened more space. A donated basketball hoop attracted more students. John Carroll University students volunteered and parishioners signed up to provide snacks.
A Place to Learn and Belong
The program paired a welcoming place with opportunities to learn and create. Children cooked in the church kitchen, experimented with science by making rock candy, created art, and played games. Donated sewing machines were arranged into a quilt-making assembly line.
“The boys loved sewing,” Marty said. “They were more into it than the girls.”
As the program grew, the demands on the volunteer staff increased. Marty remembers the appointment of Open Doors Academy’s first CEO as another turning point.
“When Annemarie Grassi came, it became more academic,” she said. “That’s when they started taking the kids to Harlan, Kentucky… She started that part—the service aspect of it.”
On those trips, scholars served families in Appalachia while learning about communities beyond Cleveland.
Janine remembers what those opportunities meant.
“Leadership training—and the trip to Harlan—gave me experiences that I probably wouldn’t have had if I just went to school and went home.”
She also remembers the relationships.
“Open Doors creates a deeper layer of community that you just can’t get anywhere else. Because of the amount of time we spend with one another in such formative years.”
That support extended to families. Reflecting on her mother’s experience as a single parent, Janine said, “She could rest in that her children were in good hands. We were fed, we were taken care of, we had opportunities to do our homework, and we also were being enriched at Open Doors.”
Still Opening Doors
More than three decades later, Roxboro students still cross Fairmount Boulevard—or ride in the ODA van—to attend ODA at St. Paul’s, the organization’s only program not housed in a school.
Today, Open Doors Academy serves more than 1,900 students in grades K–12 across Northern Ohio, preparing young people for college, careers, leadership, and life.
Yet the heart of the mission remains remarkably familiar. What began with parishioners offering snacks, conversation, and a safe place after school continues through people willing to share their time, talents, and support.
Generations of St. Paul’s members have volunteered, mentored, donated, and served on ODA’s board. That tradition continues today: parishioners read with elementary scholars during ODA’s summer camp, purchase and wrap holiday gifts through Holiday Heart, and represent St. Paul’s through a reserved seat on ODA’s board.
Looking back, Janine believes that legacy speaks for itself.
“What type of adult do you want to see in the world? Because they start at places like Open Doors. Open Doors has really facilitated a space for young people who critically think, advocate for themselves and for others, care about others, have a sense of community… If that’s what you want to see out in the world, then I would 100% give back to an organization like Open Doors.”
In 1992, St. Paul’s chose to keep its doors open.
The program has grown far beyond Fairmount Boulevard, but the welcome that began at St. Paul’s remains at its center.
