MVYouth awarded expansion grants of $200,000 to the YMCA and $75,000 to Vineyard Family Tennis on Wednesday, announcing simultaneously that the organization has begun a comprehensive study of the needs of Island youth and youth services.
The study is being led by Boston consultant Sally Sharp Lehman and will include an examination of the Island population of young people in various age groups up to 25 years old. Services designed to benefit youth, including child care, after-school and summer programs will all be examined as part of the study.
Founded in 2014, MVYouth is a unique philanthropic community fund dedicated to improving the lives of Martha’s Vineyard young people through education, scholarship and capital needs assistance for the organizations that serve them.
Since its founding, MVYouth has handed out more than $8.5 million in expansion grants and student scholarships.
The expansion grants announced this week could be expanded pending the outcome of the new study, advisory board chairman Ron Rappaport explained at the event Wednesday, held at the West Tisbury Library.
“It is our expectation that the study will help us better target our giving in the fall,” Mr. Rappaport said. “The study is underway and we expect a final report will be ready in May.”
The $200,000 grant for the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard will be used to reconfigure the use of space in the building with a goal of expanding the organization’s after school and summer youth programs.
Sarah Murphy, director of advancement for the YMCA, told the crowd that the facility has been struggling to meet the needs of young people as the Island community continues to grow.
“In the 10 years since the Y started, our programs have grown tremendously and we are now serving thousands of youth . . . With that has come challenges in adapting to this growing need in our community,” Ms. Murphy said. “With this grant we can complete the original vision of the Y.”
A planned major expansion plan for the YMCA facility has been hampered by limited wastewater capacity in Oak Bluffs, said Lindsey Scott, executive director of MVYouth. The expansion grant will go toward internal construction to create more space for children in the various programs.
The Y after school and summer programs annually serve 351 youth. According to projections, the increased internal square footage will allow them to serve an additional 82 children annually.
“We have seen it grow and grow into something new and now, thanks to MVYouth, we can re-purpose our administrative space into designated use program space,” Ms. Murphy said. “We are just incredibly grateful for that gift.”
In 2019 Vineyard Family Tennis (formerly Vineyard Youth Tennis) was awarded a $250,000 grant to buy a new bubble for its athletic facility after the previous one was destroyed in a storm. This year’s $75,000 grant will enable the organization to install a new HVAC system to provide ventilation and climate control inside the bubble. The system will reduce operating costs associated with erecting and lowering the bubble every year and will open up additional summer play.
Recent approval from the town of Oak Bluffs has cleared the way for adults to play at the facility when the youth programs are not in session, in order to create a viable economic model as the majority of the youth enjoy free lessons.
“When we started the new operating model we didn’t know how things were going to work out,” said Chris Scott, chairman of the Vineyard Family Tennis board. “We couldn’t be more grateful for all your support.”
“It’s a tremendous program and we were glad to be able to give it to you,” replied Mr. Rappaport.
In the spring, MVYouth also administers a scholarship program for students pursuing college or work force education. The deadline to apply is Feb. 16.
Mr. Rappaport concluded: “Thank you for the generosity from the founders of this group that has made all of this possible.”
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