A little more than 18 months ago, members of the Martha’s Vineyard community stood on a vacant lot with a vision to build a new home for people in need of care and assistance.
On Friday, they gathered once again to officially open the Morby Family Building, created to house Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, the Island’s social services hub, offering support for those with disabilities, substance use disorder, behavioral health challenges and more.
“Indeed, the Island is built on a bedrock of strength, a history of philanthropy, a habit of the heart, modeled and manifested by our local founders and foundations,” said Gary Foster, chair of Space to Thrive, the capital campaign created to rebuild the Community Services campus. “Our innovative civic institutions like MV Youth and our business and corporations that support this Island’s health and well-being.”
The project cost $17.75 million and was supported by 225 capital contributions, including a $3 million gift from the Morby family. It was built by South Mountain Company.
“Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation is proud to support projects that reflect the very best of what makes this community so unique,” said James Anthony, president and CEO of Martha’s Vineyard Bank. “When we gathered on this very site, shovels in hand, for groundbreaking, the 18-month journey we’ve shared with community services, from that groundbreaking to today’s ribbon cutting, exemplifies something I treasure deeply about our Island community: the value we place in trust, an act of trust to tear down a building, not knowing exactly where the next round of funding will come from, but believing that this generous community will rise to the occasion and help make this vision a reality.”
A few hundred people gathered under a tent constructed outside of the entrance where a short ceremony was held before the ribbon cutting took place, officially opening the building to the public.
“For more than six decades, Islanders have turned to Community Cervices,” said Mr. Anthony. “Today, the needs and pressures facing Island families are greater than ever, making the opening of these doors all the more meaningful.”
Amy Gavin, board president for Community Services, talked about her own personal experience with domestic violence as a testament to the essential services the organization offers.
“We lived in a small community in northern New York State and navigating those frightening experiences were difficult without professional resources,” said Ms. Gavin. “It taught me just how vital safety and support are when life is vulnerable.”
Durwood and Tobias Vanderhoop, members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and part of the Black Brook Singers, performed an honor song before speeches were made by other members of the community.
“Any attempt to reduce the stresses impinging on Islanders must be the work of many hands,” said Dr. Nancy Monasteen Williams, a member of the board of directors for Community Services. “So today, as I look around, right here, right now, under this tent, we see the many hands and many skills that are building on Dr. Mazer’s vision of hope and health for this island.”
Dr. Milton Mazer, who died in 2007, was the Vineyard’s first resident psychiatrist and helped found Community Services.
Inside the building is the William and Rose Styron Center for Wellness and Recovery, where rooms are dedicated to support mental health and addiction recovery.
“My family is very happy about this,” said Ms. Styron while taking a tour through the building for the first time.