Open Doors Academy students make a difference for the poor in Harlan, KY
It has become an annual tradition for the alumni of Open Doors Academy to leave behind their televisions, cell phones, and video games and give up a week of their summer and venture down into the heart of the Appalachian Mountains to Harlan, Kentucky. There they spend a week working long hours in the hot sun, helping people less fortunate than they are.
This year, Open Doors took 14 of its graduated middle school alumni (now freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school) down to Harlan, where they worked for a week from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., rehabbing a damaged roof, digging trenching for new plumbing and tyveking (sheet that is laid on the outside walls before siding is placed up) a new home.
For many of the students, this was their fourth year in what many of them call “their favorite place in the world.” Maybe it is the small town feel, or the beautiful surrounding mountains, or maybe it is being able to step out of the world that is so familiar, into one that is so different. With Wal-Mart as the central hang out for the people of Harlan, and a trip to the movies costing $3, there is a sense of simplicity that can bring peace to a 16 year-old from a busy urban environment.
But the primary purpose of this service learning trip is to expose students to rural poverty and help them understand a different culture, and a different way of life. In our week in Harlan, students talked openly and at length about their reactions to seeing people live in these conditions. The collection of materials, old vehicles, tires, etc on people’s property, the physical living conditions, the hoarding and neglect of pets, the lack of racial diversity, the limited resources, and some apparent complacency were some of the issues the students struggled with.
This year the teens returned to Cleveland proud of their hard work and committed to learning more about the greater Appalachian community and how to create change in Harlan, and beyond.
Open Doors Academy, a Cleveland Heights middle school enrichment program, seeks to nurture, protect, inspire and challenge adolescents to reach their full potential. Open Doors Academy receives funds from the City of Cleveland Heights via Community Development Block Grant funds, several private foundations (the largest contribution is from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation) and private contributors. To learn more about Open Doors Academy, contact us at 216-229-1900 or check out our website at www.opendoorsacademy.org.
Annemarie M. Grassi is the executive director of Open Doors Academy, enjoying her 5th year traveling to Harlan with the alumni of Open Doors Academy.
