Charley and I had to go off-Island last week and I want to say thank you to the employees of the Steamship Authority. Getting our reservation was easy. The ferries going and coming were on-time, clean, and had well-stocked snack bars. The parking and loading and unloading of a whole lot of foot and vehicle traffic was handled with speed and without incident. It’s so easy to complain when anything goes wrong, but my experience with these folks has always been terrific. There are a lot of unsung heroes there. Don’t take it for granted folks; remember to say thank you.
I want to give you a reminder about the help available to seniors from the Call the Tech Pro program. This is a chance to have a real tech professional (safe and savvy, CORI screened) come to your home to help with any and everything related to technology for free. Let me say that again — it’s totally free for any M.V. resident over 60 years of age. Don’t know how to use social media? Do you have a frozen computer? Think you might have been hacked? Does your text program do unexpected things? Sign up! The program is funded by a grant from the four Councils on Aging and is coordinated by Healthy Aging MV. You can register for this help by calling your local Council on Aging (the Up Island Council on Aging phone number is 508-693-2896). I know of several seniors who could surely use this help, and was surprised to learn that not one person from Aquinnah had taken advantage of this opportunity. So, don’t feel stuck and stupid, just ask for help.
For people looking for employment help, ACE MV wants you to know about their many classes and job-related programs. They offer a community apprenticeship and mentorship program that includes help for people who want to learn about and make connections to employment, as well as support for employers who want to take on interns. Another example is that on March 9 from 10 am to 12 pm, they have a class for creatives on how to sell your art/craft on Martha’s Vineyard and generally how to marry your creativity to a business model. There are lots more classes available. Contact ACE-MV at admin@acemv.org.
Susan and Mark Shea celebrated a special wedding anniversary on Feb. 23. Their wedding was held at the Old Gay Head Town Hall in February of 1974, making this their 50th anniversary. The wedding was attended by many locals, but their families were stuck in Woods Hole because the boats didn’t run for three whole days. Donald Malonson and Luther Madison walked Susan down the aisle, standing in for her dad. There are good messages here, including that the way the wedding plans go (or don’t go) don’t give you any clues as to how successful the marriage will be. Congratulations to Susan and Mark, may their happiness continue to grow. (And thank you to the community that helped them to get started.)
On the birthday front, I am embarrassed to say that I missed Jeanne Taylor’s birthday on Feb. 23. Jeanne is my grandchildren’s other grandma, the mom to my beloved son-in-law, and one terrific friend to lots of folks, including me. Happy belated birthday Gigi. Coming up are birthdays for Andrea Muir on March 3, and Reed Vanderhoop on March 7.
If you have any Aquinnah Town Column suggestions, email Kathie Olson, aquinnahcolumn@gmail.com.
