The Trustees of Reservations, which has several properties on the Island, announced it will honor frontline workers by offering them free admission to most of its 119 properties once a month, starting July 18 and continuing for the foreseeable future. The Trustees will also create a traveling installation that visitors can sign with messages of thanks.
“From brave healthcare workers to the staff at grocery stores and markets, we owe all frontline workers an expression of gratitude and a salute,” Trustees president and CEO Barbara Erickson said in a press release. “In recognizing that these workers are helping to keep the world moving during COVID, we’re pleased to offer them free access to our beautiful outdoor spaces so they can unwind and enjoy nature’s healing properties.”
The traveling installation will begin at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard in August, where it will stay for two weeks before it is moved to another Trustees property. The installation will rotate to different sites throughout the summer. Its travels and messages of hope from the public will be shared on Trustees social media channels as it moves throughout the state.
To gain free admission, frontline workers should visit thetrustees.org/passes, choose the date and place they wish to visit, and select reserve the Frontline Worker parking pass. Upon arrival at their chosen property, they will be asked to show a work ID or similar proof of employment, in addition to their parking pass.
All currently open Trustees properties will be eligible for this program, with the exception of Crane Beach, due to the property’s high demand and limited capacity.
Most Trustees properties do not require a daily or timed parking pass to attend. For those sites, frontline workers simply need to visit the site on Frontline Worker Day, or on any day as part of the general public. The sites that do require a daily or timed parking pass ahead of time include Appleton Farms, Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Fruitlands Museum, Naumkeag, Mytoi, World’s End, and all Trustees beaches on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
Examples of frontline workers include doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, nursing home employees, grocery store workers, fast food employees, delivery drivers, first responders, and janitorial/facilities management personnel.
“Finding a way to give back to this special group of people is so important, and we couldn’t be more thrilled that it starts right here with The Trustees,” said Erickson.
