Sally Grimes: Experience shapes her work to expand young lives

Sally Grimes is executive director of Activities Beyond the Classroom – an organization celebrating its 20th year of helping students succeed through increased opportunities in arts, sports and wellness.

She is known for her work in the nonprofit sector, having earlier served as director of the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition and the Winter Wildlands Alliance. But there was a brief period about eight years ago when she was out of the not-for-profit game, and everything was going so well. 

Grimes and her husband were living in Pleasant Ridge and their two daughters were thriving at Pleasant Ridge Montessori. For the first time, Grimes was working in the private sector where the pay is always a little better – sometimes a lot better. Everything was so good, in fact, that Grimes’ need to help others began to percolate again and soon enough, the family was taking in a foster child – a fellow student at her daughters’ school. 

This girl had “significant needs” both academically and emotionally. “She needed help and we knew we could do it,” Grimes said. Almost immediately, the scope of the work involved with the child revealed itself. This, of course, did not surprise Grimes. But what she did not expect was the amount of support provided by the school. “It was so much, but the school stepped up in a remarkable way. They assembled a team with 10 people and they developed a plan, a big plan.”

The girl stayed with the family for two years, and Grimes started thinking of returning to service. This time she knew she wanted to make a difference in education. Particularly for students who need a little extra help. Or a lot.

In 2017 Grimes started with Activities Beyond the Classroom as director of advancement. In 2021, she became executive director. 

“Nobody knows the level of complexity schools are dealing with every day. There is so much good in the schools and not enough money,” Grimes said. “It really opened my eyes.” 

Schools across the state and country are trying to stretch dollars. There has also been an increased emphasis on test-taking and measurable academic success. These two factors mean some of the other things that were to be part of a regular curriculum have fallen off the table, and that result puts the weight on parents to provide music lessons or to help pay for sports. If that is a good idea or not is a matter of debate. But what is not up for debate is that many parents of students in Cincinnati public schools simply cannot afford those things. 

Access to opportunities

ABC’s mission is to “help students succeed through equitable opportunities in arts, athletics, and wellness that build character, ignite passions, and instill values that last a lifetime.”

Essentially that means all students should have access to opportunities outside of the classroom, like art and sports. ABC removes the financial barriers to these important activities that round out the student experience. 

Last year, ABC was in all 64 of the city’s 65 public schools – the only exception being the district’s entirely virtual option. ABC helped 25,000 students. Most of those students live in poverty or financial distress which makes sense considering more than 80% of students in the district qualify for free or reduced lunch. 

Grimes knows that no matter how important the classroom is, the world outside of the classroom can make an even bigger difference. She remembers one story from early in her tenure at ABC, when a student who was already hanging by a thread nearly lost the thing that kept him going.

The boy was homeless, sleeping on a different couch every night. He carried his world with him in two bags. One for school, and one with his clothes and boxing gloves. 

Grimes continues the story…

“The boxing gym had become his home in the absence of one, and boxing had become his focus. He came to school one day and didn’t have his bags, and people at the school learned the house he’d been staying in caught on fire and he had to leave without his bags. The school took care of his school bag, but he needed help with his other bag. He was devastated that he’d lost his boxing gear and might not be able to box again. I overheard my new coworkers discussing who would run out, buy a bag and boxing gear, buy some clothes and deliver it to the school. When I learned about this kid’s story, and learned what ABC was doing to help him, I became enamored with ABC. Buying him new boxing gear seems like such a small thing, but in his world, it made all the difference.”

ABC works in partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools. The organization manages and hires athletic directors, and manages and hires school resource officers, who identify students in need of help and find what they need. Grimes said that if the principal and teachers represent the school’s brain, the resource officer is a school’s “heart and soul.” 

Schools are in Grimes’ blood. Her mother was a junior high teacher, and her father was an assistant state superintendent of Indiana schools. 

“Education is incredibly important to my family. It was everything we talked about at the dinner table,” Grimes said. “So, of course, I swore I would never be an educator.” 

And now Grimes is, but she likes to nibble around the edges. “Maybe what you really are is a saxophonist or a football player, but you won’t learn that in the classroom. That you have to try. Education is incredibly important, obviously. But it is not what makes you who you really are.”

Grimes only needs to look at her husband, Chez Chesak, to know how important extracurricular activities can be. “High school football helped my husband in every way,” she said. “He had a difficult family and the football team became his family. He became a leader and a captain. Football saved his life.”

Discovery of the self

Grimes’ family was very supportive, but still she points to Girl Scouts of the USA as being the organization that shaped her and helped her develop her love of the outdoors. “It gave me a sense of who I was and who I could be.”

These are the reasons Grimes’ entire work life is making sure nothing comes between a student and the things that could shape his or her life. ABC is set up for students to attend three days a week immediately after school. Students meet first in the cafeteria for a snack, then there will be two activities of the student’s choosing. Two different activities, to encourage the students to try a variety.

Dick Friedman is an ABC board member and a longtime supporter of the organization. He knows why it matters. “What makes the energies and efforts of ABC special is that it allows our children, our students, to connect to the world around them and its competitive nature through their interests in athletics, the arts and life skills,” Friedman said. “Simply put, ABC provides a pathway encouraging the discovery of the self for the next generation of doers and leaders.” 

And Grimes, he believes, is the right person to lead the organization. “Each of us has the capability, a motivation, a passion, a desire and a need to accomplish outcomes and a resolve to make things happen,” Friedman said. “Such a description of the human spirit captures the essence of Sally Grimes.”

Born for the job

Board member Jamie Horn’s first experience with the organization was at a jazz festival put on by ABC and Cincinnati Public Schools, an event that filled the Aronoff Center. 

“Attendance is free, and not only do CPS parents get to visit the beautiful Aronoff, but they also get to see their children on a stage that makes dreams come true,” Horn said. “I could feel creative seeds being planted in these children that will stick with them and hopefully grow into future dreams.” 

And Grimes, she said, was born for the job. “Sally sees people for who they are and creates genuine relationships with the greater good in mind.” 

Grimes may have been born for the job, but her life experiences also shaped her. Her first marriage started when she was very young. It is a vast understatement to say that marriage did not go well. She speaks of abuse both physical and mental. She experienced isolation and fear and was left physically, financially and emotionally damaged. When she finally got out, she needed help. 

“What I will say is, to all the people out there who are in a situation that feels hopeless … there is hope. And trauma does not define you. I had to swallow my pride and lean on a lot of people, rely on the public welfare system, and navigate the judicial system. But I knew I did not want that to be my life,” Grimes said. 

“I think about the kids we serve and the trauma and struggles and hopelessness they may feel, and they are my inspiration. I know they have it in them to overcome their struggles, and I hope that we at ABC can help them.”

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