by Suzanne on January 19, 2009
This year for Christmas, 500 families got an amazing present - their January mortgage payment was taken care of, paid, virtually erased from their to-do list.
Instead of their usual holiday party extravaganza’s, ING Direct gave $861,513.25 (about $1,700 per household) to 500 families. I’m not sure which piece I’m more blown away by, that they did something so generous or that they usually spend almost $1 million on holiday parties.
But, it has me thinking…If every big company did this, what would happen?
Would the parties really be missed? And couldn’t they happen anyway with some fancy sheet cakes from the grocery store on a Friday afternoon in December.
Think about how this would help the people in our country that are suffering because of our economy?
If you own a big company…or work for one, think about making this happen in your community. What an example ING Direct has set. What a high, and halo-lit, bar to reach….
by Suzanne on January 9, 2009
As you all know, Martha’s Vineyard has been the longtime host to President Bill Clinton and his family, Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton and her family and now, we’ll be host to Madame Secretary of State Clinton and her family.
Makes us wonder what might come next. Justice Clinton? Congresswoman Chelsea? The options are endless.
But I’m delighted - having met the 42nd first family and the 44th first family, the Obamas - that all of these smart, personable and influential people choose to spend time with us. It raises the bar on our island and our island population which is already teeming with intellectuals, artists and social changers.
I know that I for one am thrilled to have these extraordinary people as visiting ‘wash ashores’!
by Suzanne on December 16, 2008
It’s true: you can prevent Lyme’s Disease.
That’s the good news. It’s no secret that Martha’s Vineyard is known for its abundance of ticks and the disease - brought on by wide open spaces and forests that make deer, mice and ticks plentiful and the fact that island temps rarely dip below freezing which renders the ticks actionless.
A new group, the Martha’s Vineyard Lyme Disease Association (MLVDA), has recently formed and includes business people, health officials and residents - all interested in protecting islanders and the wonderful tourists that fill our island all summer.
So, how is Lyme’s preventable? It takes 24-72 hours for a tick carrying Lyme’s to transfer the disease to a person - so if people do regular tick checks everyday, they’ll be able to avoid the disease.
This is certainly a rule in our household. It’s so easy to check yourself or have someone else check you - and so worth it.
The MVLDA will be spreading this word around the island - so expect to see reminders and more safety tips appear before your eyes…even at local restaurants, hotels and shops.
by Suzanne on October 17, 2008
This is always a bittersweet time on the island. It’s the end for some, the beginning for others - a change for everyone. Perhaps it’s hardest on the summer people - they have to go back to their real lives once Labor Day passes, after all.
A client of mine, who has become a friend, remarked that this is the first Labor Day that won’t cause physical pain for her and her family in a long time. They usually rented for the month of August and so Labor Day was a big stop sign for them that meant they had to say goodbye to the island, their friends and this way of living until next summer.
But last winter, they purchased their own island home. They won’t be leaving until Wednesday, September 3rd…and they’ll be back most every weekend, until the winter, when their whole family will join them for their first Vineyard holiday season.
Of course, people that haven’t spent much time on the island have made comments about how there must be nothing to do here when it isn’t summer - but it isn’t true. The Vineyard community is so strong, the seasons are truly palpable. Sometimes it is a little quiet…but we think that, sometimes, that’s the point.
