In marking its 10th anniversary, the Spirit of the Vineyard award fittingly will be presented to its founder, Polly Brown, at a breakfast in her honor at the Up-Island Council on Aging in the Howes House in West Tisbury on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 8 a.m. Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard established the Spirit of the Vineyard award to honor the volunteers who have given their time, talent and energy to a wide range of Island charitable causes over a long period of time.

Ms. Brown has invested her considerable wisdom and talent in helping to guide several Island organizations including the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, the Permanent Endowment Fund and Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard. She has served on the board of the hospital and currently chairs its ethics committee. The Permanent Endowment Fund is a community nonprofit foundation that provides grants and scholarships for Island causes. Polly served as a trustee and chairman. Plus, there’s still time for her to sing in the community chorus and deliver meals on wheels.

Ms. Brown’s involvement with Hospice has spanned over a decade during which time she held every office, some more than once, and served as its president when the Spirit of the Vineyard award was created. She currently leads the finance and long-range planning committees, serves as assistant treasurer and on the executive board. All the while she has been a devoted Hospice volunteer visiting and assisting patients and their families. She is a true Hospice angel.

A life-long devoted sailor, Ms. Brown has served as commodore of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club which has extensive sailing programs for youngsters, hosts sailboat races for visiting teams and supports young sailing teams as they compete elsewhere. She is a U.S. Sailing certified judge and is frequently called upon to judge Vineyard races such as the Moffett cup, 12-Metre regattas and the Olympic trials of Tornado and A Class Catamarans held in Edgartown. Polly is on the board of the Vineyard sailing foundation, a nonprofit group that offers support to Island sailors pursuing racing excellence.

Ms. Brown joins Jack Ware, Estelle Suprenant, Ronald H. Rappaport, the Possible Dreams auction committees past and present, Nellie Mendenhall, Kerry Alley, Dorothy Bangs, Judy Williamson and the Vineyard Harley Riders as holders of this prestigious award.

Nominations for future recipients can be made at any time by mailing a letter to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 2549, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.