OpenDoor-Columbus receives $50,000 grant in Gannett Foundation's A Community Thrives

When a woman who has fallen on hard times is referred to OpenDoor-Columbus, she will find herself embraced and supported for an entire year by a group of volunteers seeking to help her embark on a new path.

Since its founding in December 2019, the Columbus nonprofit agency has helped to connect formerly incarcerated women, those recovering from addiction and other women who need a helping hand with a dedicated support group. In weekly meetings, those support groups, called "tables," help the women with a variety of needs — from transportation, to housing, to health care — as they prepare for the next phase of their life.

Five women have gone through the year-long program to date, while seven more are working through it this year. Thanks to a $50,000 grant through the Gannett Foundation A Community Thrives, leaders at OpenDoor-Columbus hope to soon be able to fund recruitment efforts to attract additional volunteers in order to reach even more women in need.

“We’re small and we’re growing, and this grant is absolutely going to help us with that," said Tammy Adler-Foeller, the organization's executive director and CEO. “If we can increase our volunteers, we can increase the number of women that we serve; we are just so thrilled that Gannett thinks that what we’re doing is worthwhile.”

The organization is one of 16 National Merit Grant recipients to receive between $25,000 and $100,000 grants through the Gannett Foundation’s crowdfunding initiative, A Community Thrives. Adler-Foeller said OpenDoor-Columbus also received a $10,000 local operating grant through the program.

“We are incredibly proud of the positive impact A Community Thrives grants have in communities across the country," said Chairman of the Gannett Foundation and Gannett CEO Mike Reed. "From providing essential services to enhancing the lives of underserved groups, our grants will enable these incredible organizations to expand their reach and empower their communities even more."

This year, the initiative sponsored by USA TODAY’s parent company, Gannett, raised $3.1 million in an effort to support local organizations that alleviate hardships their residents face on a daily basis. The organizations cater to issues surrounding homelessness, pre- and perinatal care, immigration reform, addiction services and more.

Last year, one Columbus organization, ROX (Ruling Our Experiences), which helps girls in 20 states navigate the challenges of adolescence, received a $50,000 national grant and $5,000 local grant through the A Community Thrives program.

Along with Leslie Kristoff and Rachel Muha, Adler-Foeller is one of three founders of OpenDoor-Columbus. All three women were united in their experience as mothers whose children were affected in some way by drug addiction — Kristoff and Adler-Foeller's daughters struggled with addiction, while Muha’s son was kidnapped and killed in 1999 by men who were allegedly under the influence of drugs.

Basing their approach off of the established Open Table model, the women founded OpenDoor-Columbus with the mission of connecting women in recovery with a support group of six to eight community volunteers, all of whom undergo 16 hours of training. Each woman referred to and accepted into the program then meets for one hour each week with her table, who may help her find a car mechanic, or connect her with an attorney offering pro bono services to assist her in navigating the legal system.

“When six people come to the table, and all six people have different resources, we give that all to her," Adler-Foeller said. "We help her connect with people and she is now part of the community."

Adler-Foeller said that the leaders at OpenDoor-Columbus are meeting later this week with a strategic planner who will provide advice on how best to use the grant money to grow their volunteer base. But she envisions that the funding will go toward paying for advertising and other efforts to raise awareness for their mission and encourage other people to volunteer their time.

The goal, Adler-Foeller said, is to attract enough volunteers to add up to 10 more tables.

For her, the mission is personal.

Adler-Foeller's own daughter struggled with addiction at 18 years old before moving away to Florida to seek treatment. Adler-Foeller recognizes how fortunate she is to be able to say that her daughter, now 29, is 10 years sober, but she can't help but think of the other parents in Greater Columbus whose own children are struggling.

It's her hope that many won't have to send their children out of state to get the help they need.

“There are kids in Dublin, Worthington and everywhere who are struggling with this disease, but we keep it a stigma," Adler-Foeller said. "Because of the stigma, (OpenDoor-Columbus) was created; I don’t want other moms to have to send their kids out of state.”

In addition to these grants, more than 200 local nonprofit organizations will receive operating and fundraising grants from $2,500 to $25,000. The local grants are chosen by leaders in one of the 250 news sites from Gannett’s USA TODAY Network.

Sue Madden, the director of the Gannett Foundation, states that, “In 2022, the A Community Thrives program leveraged the Foundation’s investment and USA TODAY consumer base resulting in a $6M social impact investment in nonprofits doing important work across the country. We are thrilled to engage with these impressive grantees.”

For the full list of grant recipients, go to https://www.gannettfoundation.org/act/.

Eric Lagatta is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch covering social justice issues and non-profits.

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OpenDoor-Columbus receives $50,000 grant from Gannett Foundation