Supporting Our Island Home Is About Caring For Our Own

To the editor: Our Island Home occupies a warm and irreplaceable space in the heart of our community. Thirty miles out to sea, it allows island families to be with loved ones who are no longer able to care for themselves. It provides swing beds for community members recovering from surgery or other procedures. It offers a space for families to connect and share memories.

We both have histories with this priceless facility. Barbara’s mother lived there for several years at the end of her life, receiving personal, professional care. Since 2019, Jim has been giving guitar concerts every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. for residents - one of the many volunteers who regularly visit OIH.

Time and again, we have seen the friendly spirit and loving care that the facility provides—so different from the anonymity of many facilities on the mainland. We’ve seen how faithfully family members and friends visit OIH residents, offering them a precious connection to the blessings of our small community.

Yes, funding a new facility will raise our taxes to some extent, and no, none of us want higher taxes. But it’s important to remember that our tax rates on Nantucket are quite low compared to other affluent communities. If we cannot dedicate a portion of our spending to this cause, we may ask, what then is our purpose in coming together as a town? Besides the education of the young, what cause could be more important or compelling than caring for our own?

We urge you to support Article 11 at Town Meeting on May 4.

Sincerely,

Jim Sulzer and Barbara Elder