The Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard is now accepting nominations for the 2010 Creative Living Award. This award was established in 1983 through the Ruth J. Bogan and Ruth Redding Fund and recognizes members of the Vineyard community who embody Ruth Bogan’s spirit and love for the Island and who have contributed significantly to the quality of life on the Vineyard. Last year’s recipients were Camp Jabberwocky and its founder, Helen Lamb.

Ruth J. Bogan first saw the Vineyard in 1947 and was delighted by the natural landscape. Although a nurse by training, she taught herself painting, photography, sculpture and three languages. She was known to be an ingenious cook, an avid gardener and someone who could fix anything. As her friend, Ruth Redding, wrote in 1983, “... she met every problem as a challenge to be confronted with courage and intelligence.” Ms. Bogan retired to the Island in 1968 and upon her death, the Ruth J. Bogan Fund was established to help preserve and nourish the beauty she exemplified and to help Vineyard inhabitants to “realize the value of their treasure.” The Creative Living Award, along with a $1,000 honorarium from the fund, honors those engaged in “creativity and ingenuity in many fields.”

To nominate an organization or individual for the 2010 Creative Living Award, please send a letter or e-mail describing their contributions to Island life and explaining how they personify the qualities of Ruth Bogan. Nominations are due by July 2, 2010. After a review of all candidates, the board of the Permanent Endowment will determine the recipient of this year’s award. The award will be presented at an event hosted by the Endowment in August. The mailing address for nominations is P.O. Box 1182, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts 02557 or endowmv.org.

The Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard is the Island’s community foundation. Established in 1982, its purpose is to put charitable contributions to work for the people of Martha’s Vineyard by making grants to local public and nonprofit organizations, funding scholarships for Island students and building an endowment that will provide resources to address the community’s needs in perpetuity. For details, see online endowmv.org or at 508-338-4665.