Lyme disease, sustainable food systems, and new models for elder care will be subjects for study thanks to the Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship which announced its 2017 fellows this week.
A midwife, a social science teacher, five high school seniors, a domestic violence counselor and a fire lieutenant are among 12 Vineyarders chosen to be part of the 2016 Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship program.
A film documenting commercial fishing, studies of northern long-eared bats and farm equipment fueled by waste vegetable oil are among the projects named for this year’s Vision Fellowship Awards.
Ten people have been selected as Vineyard Vision Fellows this year, the largest class in the program’s history. They include a pair of documentary filmmakers and two high school students pursuing social work.
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship has announced the appointment of Melissa McKee Hackney as its program director on the Island. Under her leadership, the fellowship program plans to continue to offer grants to individuals and nonprofit organizations to support environmental, social, economic and cultural sustainability on the Vineyard.
Mrs. Hackney is an attorney who has worked extensively with nonprofits, including the Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard.
Three new fellows have been selected for the Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship, a program established in 2006 by the Kohlberg family to further sustainability efforts on the Island; they are Micah Agnoli, Wesley Look and Taza Vercruysse. Vision fellows receive financial support to study and work in a variety of areas vital to a sustainable future for the Island, including renewable energy and alternative transportation, farm to school and sustainable agriculture, conservation biology and fisheries management, green architecture, elderly services and healthcare.
She’s a Maine native who is trying to save much of the Island’s shellfish population. He’s a Vineyard high school student with a passion for sustainability.
From shell recyclers to waste-management aficionados, seven Vineyarders have been named recipients of prestigious Island fellowships, receiving funding for individual educational and professional endeavors. But the entire Island will also benefit from the awards, with the fellows pledging to use their knowledge and experience to better Island sustainability.