Joy and Sarah
The Joy Fund was created by Sarah in 2015 through the Permanent Endowment of MV. It was created as a way to honor Sarah and Ali’s mother, Joy Flanders, who passed away in 2011. This hybrid scholarship and grant fund provides scholarship for special needs students on the Island or Island high school/college student seeking advancement in Special Education studies. This fund also award grants to nonprofit organizations, who focus on service to the special needs community here on the Island.
Joy was a Special Needs teacher here on Martha’s Vineyard since 1986. Over the years she taught at Oak Bluffs, West Tisbury, Tisbury, and Chilmark Schools as well at the High School.
In the 1990’s, She worked with the owners of Chilmark Chocolates to create a program for her special needs students from the Oak Bluffs School. Every week Joy would shuttle the kids up-island to the shop, where students would complete an array of tasks while working at rotating stations.
In honor of our mother and her love for chocolate, a percentage of our sales will be donated to The Joy Fund.