About Us

For many years Ruth Tschudin loved helping those in need and envisioned a non-profit that she'd one day establish for just that purpose. When her mother, Grace, died in 1999 Ruth started Open Doors, an Amazing Grace Foundation--a New Jersey 501(c)(3) foundation, to remember her amazing mother and to glorify God. It is also dedicated to her wise and wonderful father, Howard, whose sayings Ruth often quotes and applies to her life. For example: You'll find what you're looking for in life.

Grace Alison Schoonmaker-Olnowich (1910-1999)

The foundation is run by Ruth and her husband, Hugo. And the wind beneath their wings is the never-bored board of devoted members who assist in the various projects undertaken by Open Doors. Click here to see photos of Ruth and Hugo and their cohorts!

The Impossible Dream which beckons them on is called Kids'n'Kritters, and is described as follows:

A development of secure, loving homes filled with happy adoptive families. Children and pets, once needy, homeless, and maybe even abused, are now encouraged and enjoyed as they should be--by caring, nurturing families and friends. A large common backyard filled with lots of open space including a playground, a garden, an amphitheater, a chapel, a swimming pool... A clubhouse with a large auditorium for well-known people to speak or entertain,for theater groups to perform, for workshops, classes, and community activities, and also for outreach projects that make a difference in the world... 24/7 healthcare/veterinary facility, daycare/eldercare facilities, and whatever else works well, fits in, and can sustain itself through volunteers and fundraisers. A retreat house in Ocean Grove, NJ, for children’s summer camp and year-round recreational refreshment--right on the Atlantic Ocean. To be replicated and welcomed by the towns and villages around the world because of its positive involvement in the community and self-sustaining set-up. Only God could orchestrate such a miracle--so when it happens we'll know who to thank.