CELEBRATE THE ART OF GIVING
“Education
is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”
— Marion Wright Edelman
Letter from the President
Dear Friends,
As a community-owned mutual bank, Martha’s Vineyard Bank is committed to allocating a significant portion of our annual earnings to donations for our community. These donations are disbursed by the Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation through grants and scholarships that seek to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.
Working with local non-profits and community organizations, we strive to address urgent social and economic needs, support community events and initiatives, and help local students and teachers enjoy enhanced educational experiences with annual Art of Teaching grants.
As an employer, we encourage our team to get involved through matched giving and paid volunteer hours. With a history reaching back over a century, we are proud to have helped generations of our neighbors achieve financial security by building a strong and resilient local economy, where helping one another is a way of life.
This evening, we celebrate those who help make our community such a unique and vibrant place to live and work.
Thank you for joining us. Together, we are building a better future for all.
James M. Anthony President & CEO, Martha’s Vineyard Bank
This Evening’s Program
5:30-5:55 Refreshments and socializing
5:55-6:00 Opening Remarks
6:00-6:15
President’s Address
6:15-6:35 A Celebration of Edward E. Mayhew, Jr.
6:35-7:10 Celebrating the Art of Teaching
7:10-7:25 Special Announcement
7:25-7:30 Closing Remarks
CELEBRATE THE ART OF TEACHING
Project grants totaling $17,639 were awarded to 28 local teachers
Celebrate the Art of Teaching Project Grants are designed to support students' educational enrichment by adding that something extra outside the basic curriculum that enhances the teaching experience. From equipment and instructional materials for math, science, language, and art programs, to author visits, creative writing workshops, and more, these annual grants, ranging from $250 to $1,500, prove that even a modest gift can have an outsized impact.
“My school, East Falmouth Elementary School, has a longstanding tradition (over 30 years) of our 4th graders learning about the history of the Cape Cod Canal and as a culminating activity taking a 14-mile “Bike Hike” along the Cape Cod Canal. Over the years, we’ve found the need to teach many students how to ride a bicycle in preparation for this trip. In addition, not all students have access to a bicycle and/or helmet. Since we believe so strongly in the long-lasting benefits this tradition has for the students of our school, we have worked diligently to keep the program alive. It has not been easy, but our school community all pitches in to ensure that every child has the opportunity to participate.
This is the type of trip that “takes a village” and we feel very fortunate to live in a community that has supported this tradition with time, talent, funds, equipment, and love for the students of EFES. That now includes Martha’s Vineyard Bank. We very much appreciate the grant funds. We will be working with Corner Cycle to purchase new bicycles and possibly tubes and/or helmets. The bicycles will be used to teach students how to ride and to borrow on the day of the bike trip. We will use them for years to come. Last year, on the day of the bike trip, we used EVERY bicycle our school had on hand, which made us quite nervous. So, we are delighted to add a couple extra to our supply. If there are any extra funds, we will purchase tubes to repair tires and/or bike helmets.”
—
Nicole Mele, East Falmouth Elementary School
FALMOUTH
MARTHA’S VINEYARD
ISLAND AUTISM GROUP
Receives third installment of grant totaling $75,000
With the development of an innovative new center, IAG is excited to have “a space to share our community with the wider Island community.”
Founded in 2008 by the mothers of two boys with autism, The Island Autism Group (IAG) works to foster the lifelong independence, confidence, and happiness of autistic individuals and their families on Martha’s Vineyard, through housing, life skills, enrichment, job training, and therapies. In addition to raising awareness and providing education and enrichment programs and events, IAG is currently preparing to open an innovative Island Autism Center, including farmland and residences in West Tisbury.
The West Tisbury campus is set on 7.5 acres and will include a working farm, day program, and affordable housing for 14 adults with autism who need supportive housing. The Center will serve school-age children with autism and autism related disorders through after school and summer programs. The Center will support people over the age of 22, as they transition into adulthood, with a summer camp-to-jobs program and job coaching.
Towards that end, IAG applied for funding to the Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation and was awarded a three-year grant totaling $75,000. With an additional $7,500 awarded in sponsorships, IAG received $32,500 total support in 2023.
“Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation has been supporting the Island Autism Center for years, from our beginning as a very small organization that was supporting the local school system to our now own individual non-profit with a very valuable Community Farm coming soon,” says Kate DeVane, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Island Autism Center. “One thing important to us now is that the local towns and businesses are all behind this community idea, and we thank Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation for supporting us.”
FROM IAG’S GRANT APPLICATION
Island Autism is the only organization doing boots-onthe-ground work with people with autism of all ages.
Martha’s Vineyard public school system supports programming during the school day and some children receive extended year programming. No one is currently receiving extended day programming.
Community Services provides some guidance for adults with disabilities and the Island Disability Coalition, also part of Community Services, is working to bring Island non-profits together to support each other and their clients with disabilities.
Island Autism Plan:
We intend to expose our young people to a range of experiences in our camp-to-jobs program so they can find their passions. Kids in the after school and summer program and adults in the day program can try out a series of jobs like raising chickens, arranging flowers, or baking. Then they can ripple out into the community with the help of a job coach.
Architect’s rendering of the new campus for Island Autism Group showing new residences, farmhouse and farmland on its 7.5 acre site in West Tisbury.
FEATHERSTONE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Awarded $25,000 grant to sponsor annual Summer Gala and event programming
Featherstone Center for the Arts has served the Island community with year-round creative experiences for the past 27 years. Thousands of people attend events, take classes, and visit the many rotating shows in the gallery each year.
Featherstone Center for the Arts is a vibrant community art center offering year-round arts education and experiences for all ages and abilities on Martha's Vineyard. Galleries, studios, and outdoor spaces provide creative outlets for visitors, students, and artists.
The Summer Gala is one of Featherstone’s biggest annual events and its largest fundraiser. According to their grant application, the event “provides the opportunity to celebrate accomplishment and outline future endeavors to members of the community who believe in using art and creativity to engage, enrich, and connect on the Island.”
In addition to the Summer Gala, Featherstone also hosts the popular Potters Bowl in September and the Anonymous Art show in August. Throughout the summer, Musical Mondays featured outdoor performances by a variety of local bands, Tuesdays’ Photographers’ Salon, hosted by Michael Johnson, put the spotlight on a rotating roster of Island photographers, and Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish entertained crowds every Friday evening. Days were filled with children’s summer art camp and classes for all ages, with rotating art shows and exhibits at the Francine Kelly Gallery.
FROM FEATHERSTONE’S APPLICATION
For the last few years, as the world turned upsidedown, Featherstone innovated finding new and safe ways for the community to connect through art and creativity. Art has a healing power that can provide consolation and comfort amidst a rapidly changing world. Even as Islanders cautiously emerge from the pandemic, the need for a strong, vibrant community remains greater than ever. Featherstone remains committed to providing creative outlets for all to maintain and grow their vitality and vigor and contribute to a positive community.
Featherstone has undergone enormous growth in the last few years. In addition to the new buildings, the organization welcomed the Garden Gate Child Development Center to the campus permanently in 2020 and hopes to expand classroom space for an arts focused pre-K program in the coming years. Revenue has grown 293% since 2016, an additional full-time staff member was added last year, and the organization is on the verge of completing a new strategic plan to outline a path for success for the next 3–5 years. It is clear, Featherstone has a bright future ahead.
ISLAND GROWN INITIATIVE
$1 Million capacity-building grant for their new Oak Bluffs island food center facility
The new Island Food Center at 114-116 Dukes County Avenue will feature the permanent home of the Island Food Pantry, with ample storage and facilities to meet the growing need for food assistance.
According to the Island Grown Initiative, food insecurity on the Vineyard has grown exponentially in the last several years. With 20% of Islanders paying more than half their income on housing, more and more families are seeking food assistance, with elders and children making up one-third of the Island Food Pantry’s client base of 4,200.
After years of operating out of a church basement in Vineyard Haven, the Food Pantry merged with Island Grown Initiative and moved to the Portuguese American Club in early 2021, just as the need for food assistance took off. With the growing demand and the lease on the space set to end in 2024, the need for a larger and more permanent home for the Food Pantry became critical.
From 742 unique food pantry visits a month in 2019, the number has climbed to 2,000 a month, today.
“We’re seeing professional workers — nurses, social workers, teachers … people who just can’t make it from paycheck to paycheck, coming in to make sure they have food for their families and themselves,” according to Rebecca Haag, executive director of Island Grown
Initiative. “These are working people, working families. They’re contributing to the Island. All of us survive here because we have this kind of labor.”
To meet this growing need, Island Grown Initiative approached Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation with a proposal for a $1 million grant to construct a new food distribution center.
The new site will not only give the Island Food Pantry a permanent location, but also the ability to store three to four weeks’ worth of groceries and prepared meals to ensure backup supplies are available in the event of storms or other disruptions of deliveries from the mainland.
The new facility, located on Dukes County Avenue in Oak Bluffs, offers ample warehouse, retail, and office space, complete with a loading dock for the refrigerated truck that makes weekly trips to the mainland for donated and low-cost foods. The property also has an apartment that is now home to the newly-hired Island Grown Schools educator for Oak Bluffs, a position that had been hard to fill without available housing.
This location on Dukes County Avenue in Oak Bluffs will be the future home of the Island Food Center. Photo courtesy IGI.
Rebecca Hag and Merrick Carreiro showing the plans for the new site redevelopment. Photo courtesy Jeanna Sheppard.
At the new location in Oak Bluffs, the food pantry will allow clients to place their orders in advance, using a simple mobile phone application with photos of products in stock they can select. Their orders will be packed and ready for people to pick up at predetermined time slots, which should help solve the problem of long lines and parking lot congestion that can occur at the current location. In-person shopping will be available only to seniors, who benefit from the regular outing and social contact with volunteers.
FROM ISLAND GROWN INITIATIVE’S GRANT APPLICATION Island Food Center
What we lack to maintain our programs and services is adequate infrastructure. Until last year we were renting various kitchens for prepared meals, the Island Food Pantry lease at the PA Club in Oak Bluffs ends in the first quarter of 2024, and we lack sufficient warehouse space. Right now, we have storage for only the food distributed that very week. If the ferries don’t run, there is insufficient food to meet the demand.
In December of 2022, we acquired a catering company and secured a long-term lease on a commercial kitchen at the Airport Office Park. We still needed a permanent home for the Island Food Pantry and a Warehouse; that is why IGI purchased the Dukes Country Avenue building. This building will allow for our clients to come to pick up groceries, protein, fresh produce, and dairy products. For those who can’t reach us, there is pre-order online option and volunteers pack the products and deliver.
Investment Impact and Return
This $1M investment will help serve over 4,200 (registered Pantry clients) and another 800 through the prepared meals program. This represents 20% of year-round Islanders. Other than the Hospital, it’s unlikely that another Island organization has that broad a reach. Your investment will serve an estimated 5,000 unique lives on the Island; a $200/person investment that lasts over a minimum of 20 years and likely longer. It would be hard to find an investment that can match that impact on the Island community.
The Island Food Pantry has seen its clients more than double in the last three years. Photo courtesy Ray Ewing.
HEALTHY AGING MARTHA’S VINEYARD
$20,000 grant awarded for
their Home Safety Modification Program
Survey data reveals the vast majority of older adults on Martha’s Vineyard own their home and wish to age in place — but nearly half are unable to pay for modifications to make their homes safe.
Example of a home modification paid for by the grant from the Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation. Such renovations make homes safer for older adults.
Healthy Aging Martha’s Vineyard’s 2021 Older Adults Survey results show that 2 out of 5 Older Adults recognize they need home safety modifications — and almost 50% are unable to pay for these modifications.
In 2023, Healthy Aging MV completed the 2nd full year of a pilot program for an island-wide Home Safety Modification Program for 65+ homeowners (or those with disabilities), working with Martha’s Vineyard Builders Association and local contractors. The pilot program is referral based and includes conducting a home assessment for minor home safety renovations (i.e. grab bars, stair railings, improved lighting, pull-out shelves etc.), matching the participant with a willing contractor to conduct the renovations, and providing a post-renovation assessment of the project.
There have been 75 applicants with 62 projects completed as of June, 2023. Almost 70% of participants qualified to have 100% of the costs covered.
Survey data reveals there has been a reduction in falls in the home, from 54% reporting a fall before modifications were complete and only 15% reporting falls since the work was done.
FROM HEALTH AGING MV’S GRANT APPLICATION
Feedback from clients reveals a high degree of satisfaction and gratitude:
“ It’s very gratifying and empowering to have aging issues recognized and helped.”
“ Now I feel safer living alone in my home. Thank you so much.”
“ The process was seamless. Everyone involved was wonderful, courteous and went beyond my expectations. I couldn’t be happier.”
“ I am very grateful for this program. The generosity of this community is one important reason that my recovery has been as successful as it has been for someone my age.”
“It enables me to get around with daily life.”
“ It makes it so much easier on the stairs and getting in and out of the shower.”
Benefits to our community
Reducing falls within the home results in fewer emergency calls to homes and medical expenses, reduces the need for alternative, expensive housing, increases the wellbeing of Older Adults and their families, and reflects our community values of inclusiveness and caring.
BELONGING TO EACH OTHER
Awarded a $10,000 matching grant for their fall fundraiser, an increase from 2022 support of $7,500
Facing a growing homeless population and longer cold weather housing season, Belong to Each Other has expanded to play a key role connecting the services provided to homeless individuals in Falmouth and beyond.
With the belief that “neighborliness is a moral imperative,” Belong to Each Other (BTEO) was founded by Falmouth residents and faith-based communities in 2015. Offering loving support and guidance year-round, BTEO provides temporary, free housing during the 6 coldest months to Falmouth-connected adults experiencing homelessness. Emergency winter shelter and meals in Falmouth are provided through a motel-based safety net during nights of freezing cold from November through April.
Originally the all-volunteer organization provided short-term shelter to an average of 26 people each winter season. By 2020, BTEO had transitioned to a blend of part-time staff and 80+ volunteers, honing a collaborative approach with other service providers, employers, property owners, congregations, and organizations across the Cape. In 2021, the Community Assistance program was launched to provide yearround, professional assistance to people experiencing homelessness, leading to more placements in actual homes and apartments, versus transitions to longerterm shelters or placements with family.
Through case management and volunteer services, BTEO assists residents to identify and address personal or circumstantial impediments to their housing transition, and helps them reconnect with family, and/ or navigate the admission process into their own apartments or other housing programs. As people are placed into more stable housing, they move out of BTEO’s homes and others move in, with area volunteers providing transportation, house set up, meals, mentoring, and more.
In 2023, in recognition of their role as “important connective tissue in services provided to homeless individuals in Falmouth and beyond,” BTEO launched the Honoring our Past – Building our Future Comprehensive Campaign.
FROM BELONGING TO EACH OTHER’S APPLICATION
Since BTEO’s inception, our cold weather housing season has expanded from 3 months in season 1 to 6 months since 2020. In our most recent season, we housed 24 individuals in our rental properties for a total of 1779 nights (occupancy of 85%) and our case managers placed 16 of them into more suitable housing options.
In 2021-22 we expanded our case management services from the 31 weeks to year-round; we were better able to help our former residents maintain the gains they made during the residential months, and others in town who were experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness during the warmer weather.
Last season, our volunteers provided 764 full-meal packages to homeless people in Falmouth motels during frigid nights.
The 2023 Fall Fling was held on September 27 and was a sold out success. Photos courtesy of Dorene Sykes.
HARBOR HOMES MARTHA’S VINEYARD
Awarded $10,000 for emergency repairs to Tashmoo
House
As the electrical system and plumbing of the 100-year-old property and congregate living program in Vineyard Haven needed upgrading and repairs, Harbor Homes requested funding to ensure their home for low-income residents is “comfortable, up to code, and secure.”
The mission of Harbor Homes of Martha’s Vineyard is to ensure that low-income residents, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, have access to safe, sanitary, and secure housing so they can participate as healthy and productive members of the community. They do this by providing housing options, overnight shelter, referral and support services, life skills education, and advocacy for collaborative, locally-driven solutions for individuals and families.
Harbor Homes currently operates a winter shelter, a hotel respite program for medically fragile individuals who are homeless, and two congregate houses, one for adult men and one for women, who were formerly homeless. A case manager provides resource and referral support to Islanders who lose their housing. In recognition of the challenges they face, Harbor Homes was recently awarded a 10+. year grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish a permanent seasonal shelter on the Island.
FROM THE HARBOR HOMES APPLICATION
With funding from Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation, the organization’s first priority was to address much-needed repairs to Tashmoo House, the men’s congregate house located in Vineyard Haven.
With funding from MV Bank, Harbor Homes will make physical upgrades to the men’s congregate house, located at 103 Tashmoo Avenue, Vineyard Haven. Residents of the congregate house are men, ages 18-80, who were formerly homeless. Residents live in single, private rooms and share kitchen, bath, and common space. The house is a renovated Dutch Colonial with 6 bedrooms and 2 baths that is over 100 years old. Because of its age, the property needs continuous upgrades.
Addressing the electrical and plumbing needs of the house are a priority. Minor repairs have been done to the electrical system of the house (i.e. adding outlets), but major work (increasing the capacity of the electrical panels, new wiring, etc.) will continue throughout this fiscal year 2024. Plumbing upgrades in the 2 kitchens and bathrooms will also be completed by 6/24.
Other Notable Donations
Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation recently awarded funding to the following four non-profit organizations for specific projects to meet community needs in the areas of health, human services, and youth development.
Penikese Island School
Penikese Island School was awarded $9,000 to provide 4th-12th graders from Falmouth and Martha’s Vineyard access to place-based experiential education on a remote, 75-acre, uninhabited island. Offering a place for students to “study nature, not books,” the school strives “to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards who will value, cherish, and protect the natural world. Our programming aims to expand scientific literacy, inspire curiosity and creativity, and build appreciation and understanding of the wider world and the need for a sustainable and ecologically balanced future.”
Neighborhood Falmouth
A $5,000 grant to support scholarships was awarded to Neighborhood Falmouth, a community-based nonprofit membership organization with a mission to help seniors live independently, safely, and comfortably at home for as long as is practical. Volunteers provide rides to appointments and for grocery shopping, assist with computers and other electronic devices, help with light household maintenance, and offer additional services as needed. In operation since 2009, the organization is “120 members+ strong and growing.”
Martha’s Vineyard Little League
Martha’s Vineyard Little League received a $8,450 grant to cover the cost of player uniforms and hats, new equipment and supplies, and a limited number of scholarships. Fostering “Character, Courage, and Loyalty,” the league welcomes local boys and girls ages 4 through 19 to play in divisions ranging from T-Ball to Senior Babe Ruth.
Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group
A $9,000 grant to Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group will support this all-volunteer group’s mission to provide emotional and financial support to Island cancer patients and their families, friends, and caregivers. Started by a group of Island patients who began meeting regularly to share their experience, the group became a non-profit committed to the belief that “No one with cancer needs to be alone.”
$25,000
grant in honor of
Edward Elliot Mayhew, Jr. awarded to Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard
Edward Elliott Mayhew, Jr., known as Ed, Ted, or Teddy to his many friends, started his banking career as a teller at the Dukes County Savings Bank, eventually working his way up to Treasurer before being appointed the bank’s second president in 1977. Ted worked at the bank for 40 years, learning all aspects of the business as well as his bank family, which extended to his beloved employees as well as its many depositors. Ted loved to assist young people in opening their first bank account and shaking their hands to welcome them into his extended family. He retired as the bank’s president in 2004.
In 1981, Ted became one of the founding members of Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard and was always proud of what Hospice could do to help Islanders. In return, Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation is proud to award $25,000 to Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard.
$25,000 awarded to Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard
Offering quality palliative, hospice, and bereavement care, Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard provides compassionate, supportive care for those facing the end of life and comfort to their loved ones. With personalized care at home, in the hospital, or in extended care facilities, their dedicated team works collaboratively to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and families.
Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation
Launched in 2019, in recognition of Martha’s Vineyard Bank’s 110th anniversary, Martha's Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation began with an initial donation of $1 million dollars. Since then, the Foundation has focused on supporting high-impact non-profit organizations and community service initiatives that enhance local societal and economic development.
This year we are proud to announce the Bank’s gift of $2.2 million to the Foundation.
Our Mission
Inspired by the fabric of our communities, the Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation supports nonprofits that enhance the lives of those we serve.