Community Foundation for Nantucket Newsletter Fall 2012

F A L L 2012

NEWS Community Foundation for Nantucket

CONNECTING

PEOPLE

WHO

CARE

WITH

CAUSES

T H AT

M AT T E R

The Community Foundation for Nantucket is proud to highlight some of the wonderful programs we were able to support last winter through our Discretionary Grants Fund. This Fund allows the Foundation to guide resources to the greatest needs in the community, which can differ significantly year to year.

C U LT U R E

Diversity Festival

The Nantucket Historical Association held the inaugural Diversity Festival in the fall of 2010 at the Whaling Museum, highlighting a day of free programs and family activities for the

community with special programs for Nantucket’s non-native English language learners.

All members of the Nantucket community and their families were invited to attend, with non-native English language learners of every age, gender, race, culture and native

language the prime target audience for the program. NHA visitors experienced tours and family activities in four languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese and Bulgarian), enjoyed

free refreshments, and were offered resource sheets to take home in order to share their Nantucket historical knowledge with friends and family in the greater community.

The Community Foundation is honored to endorse and support this wonderful

2010 Festival participants with NHA docent

collaborative community endeavor with a grant, and applauds the Nantucket Historical

Association for their efforts to bring Nantucket’s history and culture to all our community

members. “Museums are a natural location for engaging English language learners,” says NHA’s Executive Director Bill Tramposch, and he refers to the Whaling Museum, particularly Gosnell Hall, as Nantucket’s ‘community living room.’

On the afternoon of Sunday, November 11, 2012, the NHA will proudly host the 2012

Diversity Festival, hoping to partner again with members of the Literacy Volunteers of the

Atheneum, the Nantucket Public School ELL Department and many of the island’s

language interpreters. The NHA seeks to build on the success of the 2010 festival, which

counted over 250 participants and used the NHA Whaling Museum and its collections to

further deepen all of our community members’ understanding and appreciation for

Nantucket’s rich history.

The Community Foundation is honored to endorse and support this wonderful collaborative community endeavor with a grant, and applauds the NHA’s efforts to bring Nantucket history and

As Nantucket continues to become more diverse, efforts such as this become even more important to our community. The Community Foundation is committed to supporting efforts to embrace Nantucket’s cultural differences, and programs aimed at celebrating our cultural diversity. This year’s grant will help the NHA broaden this valuable community program.

www.cfnan.org

culture to our community.

2 PROGRAM

Rebecca Sayre Musical Program

Nantucket Community School

The Rebecca Sayre Musical Program (offered by the Nantucket Community School) was originally established as the Rebecca Sayre Scholarship Fund

by Nantucket Artist Pam Pindell in memory of her daughter who died of accidental causes on June 25, 2003. The 2012 program featured “The Adventures Of Kancil The Mouse Deer”, a Rebecca Sayre Production supported by a grant from the Community Foundation for Nantucket. Casey Morrow, Children’s Program Coordinator at the Nantucket Community School, said that the Rebecca Sayre Production was a great success this year. Fifty-five Nantucket Elementary School students in grades K-5 participated in this after school program which ran from May 1st to June 14th, with a final performance in the NES Gymnasium on June 14th viewed by parents and community members. Kancil, the hero of the story, is a character based on an actual creature that lives in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where Kancil encounters a tiger, a crocodile and a farmer, using his wits to outsmart all of them.

Pindell started the fund to provide elementary school students with the opportunity to perform and grow with the arts. The Rebecca Sayre Musical Program ran for six seasons, giving NES students wonderful opportunities to explore cultural themes through musical theater. The program was not offered last year due to lack of funding. The Rebecca Sayre Musical Program allows a safe, inclusive and supportive setting for those students who may not otherwise participate in this type of after school activity. Students may choose to participate as dancers, singers, actors or behind-the-scenes crew members. This subsidized program opens the door to all children regardless of income, and allows for self-expression in terms of cultural identity through the medium of musical theater.

As the population at Nantucket Elementary School becomes more diverse it is essential to build positive learning opportunities for children to explore and gain respect for all cultures. Pauline Proch, former Director of the NCS, states that “quite simply the Rebecca Sayre Program was the success it was very much due to the financial support from the Foundation.” CFNan is happy to be able to sponsor such a worthwhile program for Nantucket students.

The Nantucket Community School was founded as part of the Nantucket Public Schools for the purpose of providing year-round educational enrichment for adults and children outside the traditional school day. The Community Foundation works collaboratively with the Community School on many projects each year. For more information visit: www.nantucketcommunityschool.com

www.cfnan.org

“ Quite simply the

Rebecca Sayre Program was the success it was very much due to the financial support from CFNan.” —Pauline Proch, former director of NCS

CFNan Discretionary Grant Recipients 2011 A Safe Place Alzheimers Services of Cape & Islands Big Brothers Big Sisters on Nantucket Friends of Nantucket Public Schools Housing Nantucket Inky Santa’s Toy Drive Nantucket AIDS Network Nantucket Atheneum’s Literacy Volunteers Program Nantucket Boys & Girls Club Nantucket Center for Elder Affairs Nantucket Community Music Center Nantucket Community School Nantucket Cottage Hospital Nantucket Family Planning Nantucket Historical Association Nantucket Interfaith Council’s Food Pantry & Rental Assistance Programs Nantucket Lighthouse School Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Nantucket New School/Strong Wings Nantucket Sports Therapeutic Accessible Recreation (S.T.A.R.) Nantucket Visiting Nurses Association SeaPony Farm Small Friends on Nantucket Sustainable Nantucket Theatre Workshop of Nantucket

3 YOUTH

MYNantucket

The Community Foundation was able to provide a grant to this worthy organization as they

Mentoring Youth Nantucket

In April of 2012 the staff and board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nantucket separated from its parent organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, and became an independent Nantucket agency. The new agency, Mentoring Youth Nantucket or MYNantucket, exclusively serves Nantucket kids and families, and now for the first time focuses on the challenges and uniqueness of island life.

MYNantucket will continue its focus on its traditional 1:1 mentoring program where an adult volunteer mentor is matched and spends time with a child mentee with similar interests, having fun and learning. Studies show that children in an extended, professionally supported mentoring relationship are less likely to skip school, engage in violence, start using drugs and drinking, and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. With an eye to what island life means to Nantucket kids, MYNantucket has for the first time allocated funds to be used for day trips for the mentors and mentees to share some time in “America”, and to fund program-wide group trips that might include a bus trip to Boston for a Red Sox game, a visit to Faneuil Hall and the North End, or to a big production Boston play—things that most off-islanders take for granted, but are not available to the kids on the island. Many of the children and families that MYNantucket serve only get “off island” infrequently, if at all.

were on their way to becoming an independent group.

In MYNantucket’s long standing Breakfast Buddies Program, a Nantucket Community School program which is funded by the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation, juniors and seniors from Nantucket High School meet with elementary school kids prior to the school day to share a healthy breakfast. The NES and NHS students talk, play games, do crafts or simply hang out. This past year there was a new concerted focus on literacy and general classroom support where the NHS volunteers also read with the NES kids and helped them with their homework. It is clear to all those who are familiar with the program that Breakfast Buddies benefits the NES kids by providing them with a friend and role model.

It is equally beneficial to the high school volunteer mentors who learn to be responsible and reliable leaders, and gain satisfaction from giving back to their community.

There has been significant growth in the Breakfast Buddies program, serving from 70 elementary school kids in the 2010–11 school year to over 90 this past year, and junior and senior high school student volunteers increased from 30 to 50—clearly a program worthy of the community’s support!

The grant provided by CFNan was used to establish a fund for MYNantucket, which provided a way for them to receive charitable contributions and grants for their programs until they receive their own 501c3 charitable designation, hopefully later in 2012.

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Community Foundation for Nantucket

Nonprofit Org U.S. Postage PAID Nantucket MA Permit #553

For now, forever, for Nantucket.

P. O. Box 204

Nantucket, MA 02554

Would you like to help?

Board of Trustees Generous donations by Nantucket-loving people and organizations have made it possible for the Community Foundation to award Discretionary

Officers Phillip F. Stambaugh PRESIDENT

Robert Dean Felch VICE PRESIDENT

Grants to wonderful programs such as those

Ann Colgrove

highlighted in this newsletter. With the support of

Marsha Egan

our donors, CFNan is making direct investments

Michael Varbalow

to address critical issues so that our community

Sue Ottison

is a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Trustees

In addition to the Discretionary Grants Fund, the Community Foundation administers funds for individual donors, through donor advised and field of interest funds, and helps donors sort through the many philanthropic opportunities on Nantucket.

To become part of the Community Foundation’s philanthropic movement, contact Margaretta Andrews at mandrews@CFNan.org, or (508) 825–9993.

VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER S E C R E TA RY

Jim Bennett Ann Colgrove Marsha Egan Robert Dean Felch William H. Frist, M.D. Joe Hale Ellen Hoeffel The Rev. Gary Klingsporn Tom Maggs Eileen P. McGrath Marsha Reis Kotalac Victoria McManus Susan Chase Ottison Magdalena Padzik Melissa Philbrick Geoff Smith Phillip F. Stambaugh Michael Varbalow, Esq.

Advisory Committee

CFNan connects people who care with causes that matter to them by providing simple, powerful and creative ways to give back to the community to help ensure Nantucket’s vitality now and forever.

www.cfnan. rg P. O. Box 204

Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554

p 508 825 9993

f 508 228 8943

Steve Davis Dan Drake Peggy Gifford Wade Greene Reginald Levine The Rev. Eugene McDowell Richard Oman John Penrose Lynn Petrasch Clarissa Porter Mimi Young

Staff Margaretta S. Andrews

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mignon Mullen

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

info@cfnan.org