I used to complain that the Island charities that many of us year-rounders support put on their fundraisers in the summer when the moneyed people are here. I understand the reason for this, but I have never been able to afford to attend the fun things they do. I don’t have the kind of money that I can pay what they charge for one evening’s entertainment.

This year, however, I decided to attend the Farm Neck fundraiser for Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard . I truly believe that hospice is the best thing to come along since hot fudge sundaes, and I support it with a small donation every time a friend dies. But with so many of my peers dying, I decided this year to put it all in one donation — and have a nice evening at the same time.

It was a wonderful evening. Daughters Deborah and Sarah and I dressed up like we haven’t dressed up in a long time — we got there early enough to park in the last disabled parking place and I used my rollator to cross over the gravel driveway (not easy) and the grassy stretch to the smooth floor under the huge tent. We chose a table close to the food table so I wouldn’t have to go very far to fill up my plate from the delicious offerings of Jaime Hamlin and her crew. We nursed a glass of wine while we watched the tent fill up with more than 300 people, a few of whom we knew, but not many as we have always been country folk from West Tisbury, year-rounders with only one house.

The round tables which seated eight sported white tablecloths with cobalt colored wine glasses and linen napkins — a lovely center bouquet was on each table. There was a silent auction, too far away for me to get to, but the live auction near the end of the meal was pure entertainment of the finest kind. We three didn’t bid on anything, but I was happy that Mike Joyce got the really good prize — for years he has been a hard worker in Island education and is now retired. Mike spent $100 on a lottery; the winner was then allowed to choose any one of the live auction items, and he chose a trip to the Dominican Republic — for $100! As the young might say, how cool is that? We watched and appreciated how much fun it was to see a bidding war for several of the items. The auctioneer, John Terio from Cape Cod, was a show in himself, and he pushed every bidder to the limit.

It was a great evening and it exhausted me. Hospice benefitted to the tune of $100,000, which will all go to their clients, who get their valuable services free. My daughter Deborah benefitted from hospice when her partner Todd died suddenly in 2012, and I benefitted earlier in that year when Johnny, my husband of 65 years, died of a stroke.

And guess what — neither of our local papers covered this wonderful event.

Shirley W. Mayhew
West Tisbury