Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s Black Student Alliance and Women of Color programs were recently surprised with a $20,000 gift from a partnership between nonprofit and business entities looking to provide experiential learning opportunities for underserved students of color. The generous donation was presented to the student groups during the 12th Annual Summer Executive Workshop – Black Economic Forum, held August 14-15 at the Farm Neck Golf Club. 

“I was floored. I’m not usually at a loss for words, but I was speechless,” Sheryl Taylor, Equity and Access Coordinator for Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, says of her initial reaction when presented with the gift on behalf of the BSA/WOC student clubs. 

The funds will make what had been a far-off dream to take students on their first ever tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) a much more attainable reality, says Taylor. She says she had taken a small step toward that lofty goal last spring when students raised a modest amount from a BIPOC student art show fundraiser. 

Taylor says the logistics of ferrying off the island and traveling by bus to reach various designations “are expensive and time consuming.” The unexpected windfall, however, will also help fund regional cultural excursions, which are rare, she adds. 

The donation is an outgrowth of a partnership formed last spring between The Legacy Foundation of Hartford, Inc., and MVRHS. Greg Jones, Legacy Foundation Founder and Executive Director—a MV homeowner and seasonal resident with his wife, Lauren—recognized that despite the region’s affluence, some students who live on the island full time lack the resources for educational experiences beyond its confines. To address the problem, The Legacy Foundation launched its first auxiliary: Legacy — Martha’s Vineyard.

The $20,000 donation is a combination of a gift from the Beta Iota Boulé Foundation, McKinsey & Company, and the Executive Leadership Council, the conveners and organizers of the Black Economic Forum with support from the corporate sponsors.  

The Summer Executive Workshop-Black Economic Forum is hosted by The Beta Iota Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc., in partnership with The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) and McKinsey & Company.  The Black Economic Forum convenes Black corporate executives, philanthropists, scholars, and more to network, ideate and collaborate on efforts to advance Black economic development.

The gift was initiated by the partnership between MVRHS BSA/WOC and the Legacy Foundation of Hartford, a sponsor of the Black Economic Forum, and 501c3 charitable foundation focused on academic enrichment and exposure for youth. The Legacy Foundation is responsible for youth programming during and after the Forum, and support throughout the year for the students BSA/WOC. 

Legacy’s Jones says there are two key reasons behind the donation: “One, it’s an opportunity to provide exposure and access for youth here. Youth need exposure and access to learn, to grow, and to develop,” he says, adding, “It’s consistent with what we are trying to do at the Legacy Foundation, and is in keeping with the theme and mission of the Summer Executive Workshop and the Black Economic Forum.” Jones says the second impetus behind the gift was to serve as a way of giving back to the people and establishments that fuel the alluring island year round. 

Representatives from the Beta Iota Boule’ Foundation presented the gift during the forum’s second day, which Taylor and the BSA/WOC students attended for the second year in a row. Taylor says the opportunity to get advice from Boulé Scholars (high-achieving college students sponsored by the Beta Iota Boulé), along with opportunities to practice their elevator pitches with Black corporate executives, private sector business leaders, scholars, and others is priceless. 

The Legacy Foundation of Hartford, a 501c3 nonprofit, has established a dedicated fund for the MVRHS BSA/WOC programs. For anyone wishing to support the ongoing efforts to provide access and opportunity through these programs, charitable donations can be made online here: https://legacyfoundationhartford.org/ways-to-give/