Martha’s Vineyard Community Services also took time to honor this year’s Buchwald Award recipient, Bob Tankard.
By
Eunki Seonwoo
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Dreams were made possible on Sunday with another successful fundraising campaign for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.
The 46th annual Possible Dreams fundraiser, which benefits the Island nonprofit, brought gregarious cheer on a hot and humid Sunday at Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Katama.
More than 200 guests chatted over the jazzy tunes provided by the MV Big Band while enjoying refreshments under a large white tent.
From live auctions to raffles, $500,840 was raised on Sunday to support the various programs run by Community Services.
“That is an amazing outcome,” Beth Folcarelli, CEO of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, told the Times.
Seth Meyers, a late night television host and seasonal Chilmark resident, returned for the fifth time to host the event. Described by Folcarelli as a “champion” for Community Services’ cause, Meyers brought the comedy for the fundraiser, and made his own donation to the organization.
Leading into a tale about President Joe Biden — who was a “Late Night” show guest before — meeting his children, Meyers commended the 46th U.S. president for deciding to step down from the presidential race mere hours before the fundraiser took place. Meyers called it a “real act of patriotism and sacrifice.”
Putting the brief moment of political commentary aside, the evening celebrated the accomplishments and ongoing programs of Community Services to help Islanders, such as those suffering from substance abuse or the loss of a loved one.
“There is a lot percolating at Community Services these days,” Folcarelli said. One of the major projects the organization is pursuing is funding to replace the current “old and tired campus” built in the 1980s. She said the nonprofit is expected to reach its “shovel in the ground” goal of $12.5 million by the end of the year, and to break ground by next February.
She also said the organization has come a long way since the COVID pandemic. 2020 is also when Meyers started as the host of the fundraiser, appearing virtually “sitting alone in the house” before the event could come back with a live crowd.
“That was a really important year because of how much Martha’s Vineyard Community Services stepped up during COVID,” Meyers told the Times.
With rapid-fire auctioneering by Sherry Truhlar from Red Apple Auctions, accompanied by a quick-witted Meyers, the pair playfully goaded bidders into placing higher bids for charity.
Meyers jokingly suggested some more Vineyard-centric auction items for a future Possible Dreams, like a dose of a Lyme vaccine, or to always have the level of cell phone connectivity as when presidents visit the Island.
There were a variety of items sold during the auction, but perhaps no one was as excited as young Sawyer Lurie, when his grandmother, Mimi Haas, won him a Boston Celtics memorabilia bundle for $20,000. The package included a basketball autographed by star players from this year’s NBA championship team. Sawyer was stunned, staring slack-jawed at the signed golden basketball when it was placed before him in a see-through container.
“I don’t know why I got it, but I’m very excited about it,” Sawyer told the Times. He added that he is a Golden State Warriors fan.
Other auction items bid for during the live auction included a private party at the Ritz with Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish, which sold at $10,000, lunch with comedian Larry David (who promises to be cordial) with a Jet Linx private jet package that sold for $10,000, and a “Sleepless in Seattle” family dinner with Meyers and other entertainment stars, like actress Meg Ryan and producer Gary Foster that went for $30,000.
Possible Dreams also held time to honor this year’s Buchwald Award recipient, Community Services’ veterans outreach advocate, Bob Tankard. He is the second person to win the award, and was recognized for his dedication to the Vineyard, from his days as an educator and coach to his time at Community Services.
Onstage, Tankard reminisced about when the nonprofit first started 63 years ago, initially on Main Street in Vineyard Haven, and how it would go on to save many lives and help families stick together on the Island.
“We cannot do without them on this Island,” he said of the nonprofit.
The award was named after the 1982 Pulitzer prizewinner and Washington Post writer Art Buchwald, who spearheaded the first Possible Dreams fundraiser, and served as the event’s chair and host for 28 years.
Whether Meyers will serve as the event’s emcee for that long is uncertain, but he said it’s a “safe bet” he’ll be back next year.
“It’s very hard to say no to my mother-in-law, and she’s on the board,” he said. “It’s a really easy thing to do, and if anything, I appreciate the people taking time out on a Sunday in the summer to sit in this tent for a good cause. So the least I can do is show up.”
