{"id":3894,"date":"2016-02-27T00:00:48","date_gmt":"2016-02-27T05:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=3894"},"modified":"2016-02-22T16:13:05","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T21:13:05","slug":"3894","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/archives\/3894\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight On: Open Doors of Asheville"},"content":{"rendered":"

Story by Cappy Tosetti | Photos by Paul M. Howey<\/p>\n

Nonprofit organizations throughout Asheville and the surrounding area nourish the people within our communities, caring for those in need, protecting our historic heritage, educating young and old, and nurturing our cultural soul. Each month, <\/i>The Laurel brings you the story behind one of these agencies.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Spotlight<\/a>Like flowers in the spring, children can grow and blossom when given the opportunity to explore and discover the world around them. It\u2019s a wondrous thing to watch as curious minds develop through childhood, forming a foundation of who they are and what they will achieve in life. As a community, it\u2019s our hope that all children can flourish in the same way. For many youngsters, however, the reality of poverty tells a different story.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinancial burdens aren\u2019t the only thing holding a child back,\u201d explains Jennifer Ramming, executive director at OpenDoors of Asheville. OpenDoors is a nonprofit organization that connects at-risk children with individualized educational and enrichment opportunities that enhance lifelong social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills. \u201cThe lack of quality time with a parent or guardian is also a deterrent that often causes problems and setbacks,\u201d says Jennifer.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine being a single mom struggling to make ends meet by working two minimum-wage jobs,\u201d she continues. \u201cShe would love to be home reading to her children or helping them with a school project, but she\u2019s waiting for the bus, laden with groceries, and wondering how she\u2019ll manage to get some clothes washed and dried before morning. There\u2019s no time to get to the laundromat. There\u2019s no extra change in her pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is just one of the many scenarios facing children and teens living in public housing, trailers, cars, and homeless shelters. It\u2019s not easy mustering up the courage and energy to excel in school, especially when a good night\u2019s sleep is a rarity or there\u2019s not enough food on the table. Students who aren\u2019t thriving physically or mentally often misbehave or shut down.<\/p>\n

This happens frequently in a busy classroom when teachers are overextended and simply don\u2019t have the time or resources to engage individually with every child. Sadly, many adults see children of poverty as low-level performers or having behavioral problems, often missing pertinent clues that would let them know a child is gifted and talented in many areas.<\/p>\n

Jennifer noticed this when participating in some afternoon activities with her children at Isaac Dixon Elementary. It was obvious that one particular third grader was a bright little boy, but he shied away from participating, preferring to sit alone in the corner. She remembered how at one time he had enjoyed sports, but now refused to play. It became clear after talking with his teachers that he didn\u2019t have the money for uniforms or transportation to get to games. He felt it was easier to retreat than explain his situation. That\u2019s all it took to spark an idea within Jennifer that would help this little boy (and eventually a lot of other children).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to do something. So I began talking to anyone willing to listen. Helping children is an investment in our own futures and in our community. We simply can\u2019t ignore them. Each life is precious and deserves every opportunity to shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the promise Jennifer made seven years ago by creating OpenDoors of Asheville, a volunteer-driven organization that provides access to such things as tutoring, sporting events, and music and art lessons. The group finances scholarships, academic lessons, extracurricular activities, nutritional meals, summer camp programs, and also helps pay for fees and equipment.<\/p>\n

The funds for these programs come from donations, fundraising events, and grants. The mission is simple: To connect children living in multigenerational poverty with an active and individualized network of support and opportunities for education and enrichment.<\/p>\n

People are the heart of everything at OpenDoors. How comforting to know at the end of the day someone cares. After all, isn\u2019t that what we all want in life?<\/p>\n

To learn more about OpenDoors of Asheville and how you can volunteer and support the group\u2019s efforts, visit opendoorsasheville.org <\/a>or call 828.777.1135. Art Affair 2016, one of the organization\u2019s main fundraising events of the year, is March 5 (for more information on this, see the story on page 23).<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story by Cappy Tosetti | Photos by Paul M. Howey Nonprofit organizations throughout Asheville and the surrounding area nourish the people within our communities, caring for those in need, protecting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\nSpotlight On: Open Doors of Asheville - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"OpenDoors is a nonprofit organization that connects at-risk children with individualized educational and enrichment opportunities that enhance lifelong social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/archives\/3894\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spotlight On: Open Doors of Asheville - 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