About Vineyard House | A safe sober place to live for Islanders

About Us

Vineyard House, Inc. provides safe, sober housing in the local community, for those men and women of Martha's Vineyard who need a safe living environment while they are in the early stages of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, and who need support while renewing responsibilities to themselves, their families and the community. Currently, we operate three houses, two for men and one for women.

Vineyard House was founded in 1997 by a group of dedicated and caring volunteers who saw the need in the community for recovery support of people after they detoxify, in their home community on the Island of Martha's Vineyard. It continues today, mostly through the work of volunteers in both the areas of running the residential program and in raising funds to support the program.

Although there is a fee paid by residents, it does not cover the entire cost of the program. Most other funding has come from private donations, although Vineyard House has also received some institutional grants.

We do not solicit grants from state or federal agencies as this would require that we open our programs to non-Island residents, and we decided early on that we wanted to focus on the specific needs of Martha's Vineyard.

Vineyard House is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and with the Federal Government, EIN 04-3374-934.

Mission Statement

"The objective of this corporation is to establish a temporary home or homes for alcohol and/or drug dependent persons primarily from the Martha's Vineyard community who need a sober, stable and mutually supportive transitional environment in which to find health and independence."

Board & Staff

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2007

John G. Early, President

Mark Jenkins, Vice President

Sharon Duncan-Sylvia , Treasurer

Lang Clarke, Clerk

Dawn Bellante-Holand	Jim Pickman
Robert M. Doyle, MA	Sheila Shapiro, MSW
Carol McManus	Charles H. Silberstein, MD
Donald Ogilvie	Cheryl B. Stark

HONORARY DIRECTORS
Clarence A. Barnes III, Barbara R. Jordan,
The Honorable Ann Brown, Julie W. Norman, Richard Olsen

BOARD OF ADVISORS

Eric Adams	Susan Murphy
Dana Anderson	Mary Nada, MSW
Joel Buchwald	Lorraine Parish
Chief Joseph C. Carter	Niki Patton
Larry Conroy	Rufus W. Peebles, JD,EdD
Tim Dobel	Deborah Pigeon LICSW CADAC
Judy Fraser-Pearce, CAC	DiAnn Ray
Margot Barnes Goodwin	Tim Rush
Stan Hart	David Schuster
Linda M. Jackson, Esq.	Hazel A. Teagan, RN, CAC
Janina Kean	Amanada Thibodeau
Edward J. Khantzian, MD	Chief Beth Toomey

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Kathleen Ferland

RESIDENT HOUSE MANAGER
Charles Tucy, VH I & II

CASE MANAGER
Dianne MacKellar, M.A.

Newsletters

May 2008

Dear Vineyard House Supporters,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying summer on Martha’s Vineyard. I am taking this opportunity to give you a brief update on our activities at Vineyard House.

You may know that our organization has been invited by The Festival Network to participate as a local partner in the Boston Pops concert that will take place on August 10^th at Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs. This day-long event, which will feature several nationally known acts as well as some of our local talent, will provide a unique fund raising opportunity for Vineyard House and two other local non-profit partners, the YMCA and the Oak Bluffs Association. Approximately 1000 tickets will be marketed in a collaborative effort by the local partners, the proceeds to be divided equally. Vineyard House plans to have a hospitality tent at Ocean Park. The concert will replace the Water Tasting as our major mid-summer fund raising effort. We hope that you will be able to join us on August 10^th for what promises to be a remarkable program. We will be contacting you with detailed information in the very near future.

Our day-to-day operations continue to run smoothly due to the dedication and efforts of our house managers and caseworkers.

First of all, and most significantly, we continue to fulfill our mission of offering safe and sober housing for Island residents in the early stages of recovery from substance abuse.
We are running at nearly maximum capacity. Our oldest resident is 55 and our youngest is 18.
I have the opportunity to meet and interact regularly with men and women from our three sober houses and it is not an understatement to say that our organization – with the help from supporters like you – is saving lives.
It is not just our residents, who benefit, but their families and the entire Island community.

Our cause may not be the most fashionable, but I believe it is absolutely vital for the health of our community. If you or anyone in your life has been affected by the disease of alcoholism or drug addiction, then you are aware of the importance of our work. As you may know, we require that our residents pay rent, be employed, attend support group meetings, have a sobriety “sponsor” and help maintain the houses. Our program is a model for sober houses everywhere.

The stated goal of our Board of Directors is to transition from three older houses to a new, consolidated facility. Despite the uncertain economy and its impact on efforts to raise the funds necessary to make that a reality, we continue to move forward:

We have the site for the new facility, a two-acre parcel in Vineyard Haven.

We have over $1 million in pledges.

The Building Committee, under the chairmanship of David Schuster, is reviewing the plan for our new campus to make certain that we build an energy efficient facility that is of the appropriate capacity and configuration to best serve the needs of our residents.

The Development Committee, under the able leadership of Carol McManus, continues to pursue many sources of funding.

The Executive Committee is considering the various options for the disposition of the existing Vineyard House properties in order to insure that the organization realizes the maximum benefit from this valuable real estate.

This letter is not an appeal for contributions. I wanted to let you know on behalf of all of us at Vineyard House that our organization continues to thrive, and that we are doing the hard work that needs to be done in our community. We have done this work in the past with your help, and we trust we can count on your continued support in the future.

With best regards,

John G. Early,

President

Vineyard House, Inc.

Newsletter 2007 (pdf file)
Newsletter 2006 (pdf file)
Newsletter 2004 (pdf file)

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