Edgartown: Thank You To All Of Our Emergency Personnel

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We are listening to five crazy teenagers running around in the snow, screaming with a joy reserved for those moments when it is okay to be kids instead of ultra-cool, reserved teens. Our “real” selves are often best revealed during such moments when we let our guards down and embrace the moment. I am envious of those who live that way all the time. I love hearing the kids’ laughter through the windows. I’m also grateful that I’m inside the warm house! My real self-enjoys playing in the snow sometimes but also likes being a lazy, warm slug. There will be more than enough time to shovel and play tomorrow!

Betty Burton of the Vineyard Committee on Hunger will be the speaker at the Neighborhood Convention when it meets at 11 am on Tuesday, February 2.  Betty will address how the four agencies (the Island Food Pantry, Serving Hands, Meals on Wheels, and Family to Family) which deal with hunger on the Vineyard differ in the services they render and how they relate to one another. The Neighborhood Convention meeting will be at the Unitarian-Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard, 238 Main Street, Vineyard Haven. All are invited, and those attending are asked to bring a non-perishable item to donate.

Here’s a wonderful idea! Edgartown Cinemas is hosting a Sensory Friendly Film showing on Saturday, January 30, at 11 am. The MV Community Services Family Support Center Program is providing children with special needs, their families and the community an opportunity to enjoy a fun movie experience in a safe and accepting environment. During a Sensory Friendly Film presentation, the lights are brought up, and the sound is turned down. And no one will complain if audience members decide to get up, talk, dance, or sing. This event is free and open to the public. To help estimate how many people to expect for the film, please RSVP to Margarite Burell, MVCS Family Support Center, 508-693-7900, ext. 206.

Hats off to the Edgartown Fire Department for their efforts fighting a garage fire on The Boulevard during the storm! Wow. Talk about swimming against the tide. Horrible driving conditions, heavy winds, and white-out blizzard conditions. Though the garage is a total loss, the EFD was able to contain the fire and keep it from spreading in a heavily settled area of town.

While I’m at it, I should send a big thank you to all of our emergency personnel, who work tirelessly during such storms to keep the town and our community members safe. Along with their usual activities, they check on our seniors, helping with seemingly “little” things like clearing gas vents and just doing wellness checks. We are a very lucky community in that way. Thanks to all who help.

I’m happy to share that Jeri Dube was able to attend a fundraiser in her honor at the PA Club on Friday night. Jeri was hurt in a fire at her home a few weeks back, but she has been able to return home, and reports are that she is doing pretty well. The fundraiser was a big success and the family is very grateful for all of the support this community has offered!

MV Community Services Family Center invites you to an informal workshop tonight from 5:30 to 7 pm to explore everyday growth and development through fun activities — exchanging of ideas to create shared moments between you and your child. Tonight’s presenters are Liz Burnham, who has been working with infants and toddlers at MVCS Early Childhood Programs for 28 years, Sally Listro and Jane Joyce, who are teachers at MVCS toddler room, and Developmental Specialist Martha MacGillivray, who works for the Cape Cod Child Development Early Intervention Program.

Some of you may have heard that my cousin and former Edgartown boy, Paul Corwin recently had to undergo some pretty major surgery, due to lasting effects of untreated diabetes. I’m happy to report that he is doing pretty well, all things considered. He has been transferred to Spalding Rehab, where he will undergo some pretty lengthy and challenging rehabilitation. But Paul has faced many challenges in his life and has come through them well. He’s a wonderful artist, a kind and caring man, and an overall good soul.

No Name Calling Week came to an end on Friday at the Edgartown School, but here is hoping that we all learned a little bit from the experience and will carry it through into the future. So many kids wore their pins promoting the week and talked about what else we could do to stop bullying and spread kindness. The funniest experience of the week was when I saw Jen DeLorenzo, a yoga instructor who works in our school, signing the contract outside my room. I offered her a pin, and she said, “I already have one. That’s why I’m here. The boy who gave me the pin said ‘Now make sure you go up and sign the No Name-Calling Week Contract now that you have your pin!’” I love that kids got so invested in this.  We’ll have to make it bigger next year!

Have a great week, all! Remember, a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.