2020 Awards
COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Seven students were selected to receive renewable scholarships that will total roughly $470,000 over four years. The Advisory Board evaluated 46 applications using an evaluation tool to assess: academics, character and service. An Interview Committee comprised of Trustees and Advisory Board members interviewed twelve semifinalists. The semifinalists then reported their admission and financial aid information to MVYouth. From the cost of attendance at their chosen schools, MVYouth subtracted the estimated family contribution (EFC) and any institutional grants or scholarships the students were offered. Each of the semifinalists' funding gaps were calculated and our award recipients were selected.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Six students were selected to receive renewable scholarships that will total roughly $290,000 to pursue professional development and technical training in automotive technology, aviation maintenance, cosmetology, law enforcement, horticulture and architecture/building trades. The WDS Advisory Board evaluated 16 applications using an evaluation tool to assess: academics, character and career experience & goals. Nine semifinalists were then interviewed. From the cost of attendance at their chosen schools, MVYouth subtracted the estimated family contribution (EFC) and any institutional grants or scholarships the students were offered. Each of the semifinalists' funding gaps were calculated and our award recipients were selected.
COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants
MVYouth awarded $812,000 to Island nonprofits responding to the Covid-19 crisis. MV Community Services, The Island Food Pantry, Island Grown Initiative, YMCA of MV, Boys & Girls Club of MV were selected for funding. Additionally, the MV Early Childcare Providers Emergency Fund was seeded and a Covid-19 school surveillance testing program was funded in partnership with MV Bank.
Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools
A Martha’s Vineyard School Surveillance Testing Program was supported in partnership with MV Bank with $212,150 to identify and contain asymptomatic cases in schools and assure families that returning to school can be safely done. The proposed plan will use SalivaClear, a spit-sample PCR test produced by Mirimus Clinical Labs. Weekly, pooled testing of staff and students in all Island schools is planned to begin the first week of January and continue for 24 weeks until the end of the school year. Testing will be mandated for any staff or students who want to enter school buildings. Those who do not consent to testing will be offered a fully remote learning option. SalivaClear testing samples will be self-administered at home and delivered to a central location in each school every Tuesday morning. Samples will be pooled in groups of 24, with follow-up pair testing and then individual testing should a positive test be identified. The Superintendent will oversee the program administration, and school nurses will distribute, collect and track the testing kits.
School children are likely to be in the last category of recipients of a vaccine, so it is anticipated that the testing program will continue for the duration of the school year. The total project budget for 24 weeks of testing is $462,150. The All Island School Committee (AISC) approved a $150,000 contribution to the testing program, which was then approved by individual schools’ budgets in mid-November. The MV Bank Charitable Foundation committed $100,000 to the project and agreed to be the fiscal agent for the program.
MV Community Services
MV Community Services was awarded $200,000 to support the organization’s response to a myriad of Island issues. The organization has transitioned all counseling and addiction services to be delivered through telehealth. They are supporting families served by their Headstart and early childcare programs - supplying essential personal items, groceries, formula and diapers to families in need. The organization is relocating victims of domestic violence, organizing a volunteer matching program and providing needed support for MV’s homeless population.
The Island Food Pantry & Island Grown Initiative
The Island Food Pantry was awarded $36,000 to support the projected 20-50% increased demand for food access. Working in partnership with Island Grown Initiative, who was awarded $14,000 to expand their operational capacity, the two organizations are racing to face the explosive increases in food insecurity on Martha’s Vineyard.
YMCA of MV
YMCA of MV, awarded a $200,000 Expansion Grant in January 2020, was notified that all restrictions on their grant would be lifted, allowing the funds to be used to close the projected $750,000 funding gap the organization projects they will face as a result of lost revenues, if closure continues until June 30 and transition programming online for children, teens and elders. The organization is providing engaging virtual online activities and connection through a host of exercise classes, outdoor activities, chat groups and virtual classes to promote community connection, health and wellness.
Boys & Girls Club of MV
Boys & Girls Club of MV was awarded $100,000 to support the organization’s pandemic response, supply lost revenue and specifically enable the club to offer a free summer program to year round families in need of childcare.
MV Early Childcare Providers Emergency Fund
As a result of the state mandated 15-week closure period, home-based and center-based childcare providers faced dire financial pressure to fund their operating budgets without any income from family fees. MVYouth seeded the MV Early Childcare Providers Emergency Fund with $50,000 to support 16 licensed early childcare programs on MV. The intention of the fund was to attract additional funding to adequately address the scale of the collective problem and support the administrative needs of all providers to harness public funding. Four MVYouth Founders, the Couch Family Foundation, the Ziff Family Foundation, MV Bank and Mary & Jerome Vascellaro contributed to the fund and a grant from the Commonwealth Children’s Fund was received to specifically support the home-based providers. Over $180,000 in awards from the Early Childcare Providers Emergency Fund funded gaps created by the closure period and helped to stabilize all programs until reopening is deemed safe and feasible.
GRANT RECIPIENTS
After careful evaluation and recommendation from the Advisory Board, the Board of Trustees awarded $1, 075,000 to support four youth organizations: YMCA of MV and Vineyard Family Tennis, Plum Hill School and Vineyard Montessori School. Synopses and images below outline the award-winning proposals.
*Click on each organization’s name or photo to read annual updates about their growth.
YMCA OF MARTHA’S VINEYARD
re(PURPOSE) to re(VITALIZE): Youth Space Repurpose Project
Expansion Grant Award: $200,000
Mission: The YMCA of Martha's Vineyard is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, individuals, families and the Island community by helping our community members realize their fullest potential through the development of body, mind and spirit. We strive to be a community leader that promotes healthy living for all, nurtures youth development, fosters collaboration, and advocates social responsibility. We work to connect people from all backgrounds and support those who need us most.
With the goal of strengthening community, the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard serves over 12,000 people annually and nearly 30% of our year-round population. We offer affordable and free programs accessible to all abilities from birth to end of life, and give financial assistance to those in need. We help people build and maintain healthy habits, rehabilitate, and commune in their everyday lives through over 50 unique programs. To have the greatest community impact, we strive to: be operationally sustainable while keeping quality programs affordable to meet the evolving needs of the Island community; be an Island community center serving people of all ages, creating a greater sense of connection to each other and the community; reach out proactively into underserved populations, ensuring inclusion of multiple diverse groups; continue collaborating with other organizations and individuals to best serve our Vineyard community; be a leader on critical issues related to promoting healthy living.
We are addressing the need for high quality safe after school and summer child care, as well as engaging year-round community spaces for youth of all ages. Each year, our youth programs continue to grow but our spaces are at maximum capacity and we are no longer able to add additional licensed spaces to accommodate more children in our programs. Enhanced spaces are necessary to serve the whole child by prioritizing the social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development of all youth.
Repurposing our indoor spaces will increase access to and enhance the quality of child care and youth activities on the Island. This will add licensed space for After School and Summer Camp programs. This project will help us fulfill our mission by improving the quality of life for youth and families. Our increased and enhanced program space will allow us to meet this same goal for our program participants and demonstrate our dedication to growth and advancement in youth development.
VINEYARD FAMILY TENNIS
Climate Control Installation
Emergency Grant Award: $75,000
Mission: To provide tennis instruction to school-aged children through a combination of year-round progressive instruction, training and match play, VYT cultivates proficiency in a life-sport as well as instills the qualities of sportsmanship, commitment, perseverance and character in young people.
VYT was granted permission by the M.V. Commission in April 2019 to leave their bubble up year-round. Having the bubble in place during the shoulder seasons and the summer enables VYT to offer more instruction to Vineyard children, without interruption. Previously, it took at least two weeks to dismantle the bubble in the spring and two more weeks to install it in the fall, at a total cost of $40,000. In addition to the expense, this created a significant loss of court time available for instruction; a minimum of four weeks per year. Having the bubble available year-round also eliminates cancellations of programs during inclement weather in the spring, summer and fall.
When VYT applied for assistance from M.V. Youth, we had not yet been granted a modification of our M.V. Commission permit; our assumption was that the bubble could only be a seasonal structure. Therefore, we did not include the cost of installing a climate control unit to cool and dehumidify the interior of the bubble during the summer months. We found that, without climate control this past summer, the bubble was usable in the early mornings, late afternoons and during inclement weather. However, during mid-days in hot weather, we could not use the bubble for youth instruction because of high temperatures.
Providing capital for a new climate control system will enable VYT to continue and expand the programs it has offered for 21 years. As an integral part of our teaching strategy, the bubble allows us to provide tennis instruction to student athletes year-round, in the shoulder season and throughout the winter. A climate control system will enable VYT to fully utilize the bubble, during any weather, year-round. This will provide continuity to our young players who depend on VYT for sports training, mentorship, and confidence-building.The manufacturer advised us that the structure will last up to twice as long if not dismantled, stored and re-erected annually.
PLUM HILL SCHOOL
Forever Home
Emergency Grant Award: $350,000
Mission: To meet and support children’s unfolding capacities and awakening interests. Through a nature and play-based curriculum, we support the intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual growth of each child. We are committed to the ideals and educational philosophy set forth by Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education.
The Plum Hill School received a $350,000 Expansion Grant to make necessary renovations to a property they purchased this summer in West Tisbury and to establish a toddler program that will serve nine children ages 15 months - 2.9 years old beginning in the summer of 2021. The Plum Hill School has been in operation as a Waldorf Preschool for 19 years and currently serves roughly 20 children ages 2.9 - 6 years old. They estimate they have educated roughly 400 children since their inception. The school has operated out of a rented house in West Tisbury, moving out every summer and returning every September. In addition to allowing the school to develop a new toddler program, the new property will enable the Plum Hill School to run a summer program for toddlers and preschool-aged children.
Phase One of the school’s plan is underway and will be completed by their anticipated September opening. It includes site work and renovations to tailor existing space to be used as classrooms and comply with licensing requirements. Phase Two includes building or reconfiguring existing space to create a classroom that will house their toddler program, installing a play yard for this age group, purchasing start-up supplies to run a new summer program, and installing solar panels.
VINEYARD MONTESSORI SCHOOL
Toddler and Preschool Community Expansion Project
Emergency Grant Award: $450,000
Mission: To follow and execute the philosophy and curriculum for the education of children developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. In providing a carefully planned, stimulating environment, children will develop within themselves the foundational habits, attitudes, skills, independent thoughts, and ideas which are essential to a lifetime love of learning and creative thinking.
Vineyard Montessori School received a $450,000 Expansion Grant to construct a new building on their Vineyard Haven campus that will add thirty-six new childcare spaces by summer 2021 (eighteen toddler spaces and eighteen preschool spaces). Vineyard Montessori School has been operating a preschool and elementary school for 45 years in Vineyard Haven. The school currently serves 60-70 children ages 2.9 years old through grade 6. Based on their enrollment records, historically roughly 40-50 of these children are preschool-aged. VMS estimates it has educated over 2000 children since the school’s inception.
Squash Meadow Construction has designed and will build the 2,400 square/foot modular structure this year. Two classrooms are planned for the downstairs space, each of which will accommodate nine toddlers. A third classroom is planned for the upstairs space that will accommodate 18 new preschool-aged children. Vineyard Montessori Schools plans to open the new space by summer 2021 to run an expanded toddler and preschool summer camp before the 2021/2022 school year begins.