In the parish hall of the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, Paddy Moore accepted the Spirit of the Vineyard Award Saturday surrounded by her colleagues, family and friends.
The award is presented annually by Vineyard Village at Home to a person who embodies the spirit of giving back on the Island.
In the church she served as moderator for 10 years, Ms. Moore was celebrated for the spirit of collaboration she has long espoused to bolster social services on the Vineyard.
“Paddy taught us that you can never get too old to make new friends,” said Mary Moscato, the president of the Hebrew Senior Life in Boston.
Ms. Moscato worked with Ms. Moore on the Navigator Homes skilled nursing housing development in Edgartown, which just received approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. The project is a culmination of a career in senior home care, namely Ms. Moore’s advocacy of the Green House model which combines workforce and patient residencies on one campus. The model has since been adopted in 380 communities across the U.S., with Navigator Homes being the first of its kind on the Vineyard.
“When Paddy does something good, the whole country takes notice,” said Cindy Doyle, the chair of Healthy Aging MV, the organization Ms. Moore founded in 2013. Since its inception, the grassroots organization has grown into a coalition of more than 75 people representing over 36 different elder care organizations.
Before turning her sights to the Island and its senior community, Ms. Moore worked in conflict resolution and mediation, which is how she first met Ms. Doyle. Her emphasis on cooperative problem-solving led her to help found a national alliance of eldercare workers, which was modeled after her own community work in the Boston area, Ms. Doyle said.
“She never does stuff alone,” Ms. Doyle said. “She always embraces a group of people.”
One word colleagues used most to describe Paddy was “perseverance.”
Denise Schepici, CEO of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, took note of Ms. Moore’s long commitment to bringing the Navigator Homes project to fruition. Ms. Schepici was not able to attend the award ceremony but thanked Ms. Moore in a letter read by Spirit of the Vineyard founder Polly Brown.
David McDonough, the CEO of Navigator Homes, was also unable to attend, but sent a letter of congratulations as well.
“At its core, the spirit of the Vineyard is community,” he wrote.
Ms. Moore joins the likes of Brian Athearn, Susie Wallo, and Armen and Vicky Hanjian on the Spirit of the Vineyard plaque that hangs in the Agricultural Hall.
“This award really belongs to all of us,” Ms. Moore said, when she took to the podium as the final speaker.
In addition to acknowledging and thanking those in attendance, Ms. Moore read one of her favorite poems, To Be of Use by Marge Piercy. The poem begins with, “The people I love the best / jump into work head first / without dallying in the shallows.”
“Love can’t remain by itself, or it has no purpose,” Ms. Moore said. “It must be put into action.”
Ms. Moore ended her speech by taking her own advice.
“Enjoy each other,” she told the crowded room. “That’s what we’re here for.”
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