By Pam Wetherill, HRRC Repair Education Coordinator

What happens when two great nonprofits get together to make a difference in the lives of kids?  HANDS-ON SUMMER CAMP happens, that’s what!  This week, Open Doors Academy brought energetic, curious & adventurous middle school-age kids to HRRC for a fun, interactive, 2-day summer camp.

Open Doors Academy (opendoorsacademy.org) is a nonprofit, developmental enrichment program and leadership academy for adolescents. The program was established in 2002 as an after school drop-in program for youth living in high-risk environments at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Open Doors Academy now has the resources and capacity to serve over 400 middle and high school youth and 1,400 family members in Greater Cleveland.  Member youth participate in project-based learning experiences such as core enrichment programs and academic tutoring built around their developmental needs, full-day summer camps, and service learning trips. At the core of the program is building a safe haven filled with support, creating a sense of community and fostering the kids’ confidence.

Why HRRC?  We share the same passion for empowerment, and we took this opportunity to work with kids and ran with it!  The ODA Student Scholars went to Fix It classes, where they learned how to do some common household repairs, learned what those repairs would cost if a professional did them, and learned about a variety of occupations.  The crowning event of the camp was Build-It, where scholars built a wooden toolbox to take home with them, using hand tools, power tools–and a lot of courage and perseverance!

Hands-On Summer Camp was taught by a dedicated group of volunteer instructors:  Mr. Mike Bailey (Build It), Ms. Malia Lewis (Fix It & Build It), Mr. Wes Walker (Fix It & Build It), Mr. Dennis Meltzer (Fix It), & Ms. Pam Wetherill (Fix It & Build It).  Together with the AMAZING staff of ODA, we made sure the kids had a great, safe time and learned a lot in the process!

HRRC@WRRK-Empowering Homeowners of the Future!