Alice "Tish" Emerson to Receive Spirit of Hope Award
June 23, 2026
The Nantucket Boys & Girls Club has announced that Alice “Tish” Emerson will be honored with the 2026 Tim Russert Spirit of Hope Award at its annual Summer Groove celebration.
This award honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to their community through service, leadership, and generosity. Tish is a fitting recipient, having spent decades making a difference on Nantucket and helping strengthen the organizations that serve the island.
Since first coming to Nantucket in 1964, Tish has been deeply involved in the community. Over the years, she has shared her time, expertise, and support with many local organizations, helping advance education, preserve Nantucket’s history, and invest in future generations.
At the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, Tish has been a dedicated champion for island youth. She joined the Board of Trustees in 2014 and has played an important role in supporting the Club’s mission to ensure every child has access to opportunities, mentorship, and a place to belong. In recognition of her lasting impact, she was named a Trustee Emerita.
Tish is receiving the Spirit of Hope Award for her decades of commitment to Nantucket and the people who call it home. In addition to her work with the Club, she has provided leadership and support to organizations including the Nantucket Atheneum, Nantucket Historical Association, and Nantucket New School, helping these institutions grow and thrive.
A lifelong educator, Tish also served as the first female president of Wheaton College, where she led the institution through a period of significant growth and change before continuing her work in higher education through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
“Tish has spent years quietly making Nantucket a better place,” said Jamie Foster, CEO of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club. “Her dedication to young people, education, and community service has touched countless lives, and we are honored to celebrate her as this year’s recipient of the Tim Russert Spirit of Hope Award.”
This weekend marks a first for the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club: a couple who met at one of our own events is getting married. Lia Wayman and Mike DeMakos met at Summer Groove in 2024, the same year Lia served as co-chair. After months of a mutual friend trying to get them in the same room, it finally happened that night at the Club. Lia has been part of the Club community for years. In addition to leading Summer Groove, she was a team captain for the inaugural Sam Sylvia Women's Golf Tournament in 2025. Her parents, Jim and Rosalee Wayman, have been longtime supporters of the Club. Mike’s connection is just as strong. His sons, Kolton and Gavin were both Club members, and he spent years on island as the Head Golf Pro at Nantucket Golf Club. They were already part of the same community, just on different paths, until the night of Groove. To celebrate them, the Club sent Lia and Mike a custom blanket in deep navy with cream stitching, designed with small details from that night and Nantucket, including a disco ball, florals, and other island elements elements and staples woven throughout. “We met at Summer Groove” sits at the top, with their names woven in at the bottom. Today, Lia and Mike are based in Florida, but Nantucket and the Club remain part of their story. Lia and Mike, congratulations! We're so thrilled for you both and are proud to be a small part of your forever story.
From left to right: Julian Cyr (State Senator) , Bess Clarke (Board Chair), Jamie Foster (CEO), Thomas Moakley (State Rep)
On February 19th, the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club gathered supporters in Palm Beach for an intimate reception at LoLa 41, generously hosted by Trustee Mark Daley. More than 70 guests were invited to join trustees and Club leadership for the evening. While the setting was Florida, everyone in the room shared a connection to Nantucket. For some, the Club has been part of their lives for years. For others, the reception served as a first time introduction to the work happening every day at 61 Sparks Ave. Board Chair Bess Clarke opened the evening by sharing her personal connection to the organization as a former Club kid. She reflected on what the Club meant to her growing up on Nantucket and why she remains deeply committed to ensuring its strength for future generations. Her journey from Club member to Board Chair speaks for itself. CEO Jamie Foster followed with remarks about the Club’s growing reach and the responsibility of expanding opportunity for young people on Nantucket. He spoke about the role the Club plays in providing stability and exposure to new possibilities for more than 1,300 children each year. Guests were also among the first to hear about several key priorities guiding the organization’s next phase of growth, including investments in infrastructure and long term stability that will ensure the Club can continue serving Nantucket families for decades to come. The evening was thoughtfully designed to reflect the Club’s Nantucket roots. Guests were welcomed with curated materials about the Club’s impact and received gift bags featuring Nantucket Looms soap along with custom Nantucket Boys & Girls Club hats embroidered with “Palm Beach” on the back. The Palm Beach reception reflects a broader effort to stay connected with Nantucket supporters wherever they spend their time throughout the year. As island families and friends gather beyond Nantucket, so too does the community that supports the Club and its mission. We are grateful to Mark Daley for his hospitality and to everyone who joined us for a meaningful evening of connection and conversation.
Snow days may have pushed the calendar around a bit, but that certainly did not slow down our Club Jr. preschool students from celebrating their 100th day of school. Dressed in hair rollers, cat-eye glasses, and greying mustaches, our preschool kids spent the day imagining what their future will look like when they’re 100 years old. Our car aficionado, Lucas, says that he sees a Lamborghini in his future, while Alaina looks forward to finally being tall. Damien looks forward to having a lamp and a bed in the tent that he’ll live with. Now we know who to get in touch with if the world goes off-grid.
For most twelve year olds, a birthday party means cake, gifts, and being the center of attention for a day. For Stella Davis, her birthday was an opportunity to give back. On January 18th, Stella celebrated her birthday at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club with family, friends, and teammates by her side. As she marked her final year as a tween, Stella chose to celebrate in a way that felt both meaningful and unmistakably her. Instead of asking for presents, she invited her guests to make a donation to the Club. Together, attendees contributed over $350 to support the programs and spaces that have become such an important part of her world. Stella is a sixth grader who feels right at home at the Club. You can often find her on the basketball court as part of the Poet’s Corner D1 Girls Basketball Team, where her energy and focus are hard to miss. Choosing to celebrate her birthday by supporting the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club reflects a generosity and thoughtfulness well beyond Stella’s years. While many kids her age are focused on parties and presents, Stella was thinking about a place that has given her community, confidence, and space to grow. It is a grown up choice, made by someone still very much enjoying being a kid. And of course, Stella still has her tween priorities. When she is not on the court or at the Club, you can find her reading her way through The Summer I Turned Pretty series. She is patiently finishing the books before watching the show, by choice. The Club is grateful to Stella and her friends for turning a birthday celebration into a meaningful act of giving. Her story is a reminder that kindness and community mindedness can start early, and that sometimes the coolest thing you can do is think of others first.
The fifty first Annual Nantucket Christmas Stroll brought excitement to Main Street and the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club was proud to be part of the festivities. From holiday music to community gatherings to joyful performances, our kids and staff helped make the weekend shine. At 11am, eight Club carolers gathered at the top of Main Street to share holiday songs with the crowd. Their set included favorites like the Twelve Days of Christmas and brought smiles to everyone passing by. The performance was made possible through our partnership with the Nantucket Community Music Center , which supports our young musicians throughout the year. Kezia Duarte played keys and led the group alongside Ashly Akins , guiding our young singers with clear direction and encouragement.
On November 19th, 2025 the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club marked its eightieth birthday . To celebrate the impressive milestone, staff decorated the front entrance of the building with balloons and a birthday banner, which caught the attention of all 352 members that attended the Club that afternoon. Once members filed into the building, they came together with their respective cohorts and were given party crowns to decorate with jewels, stickers and rhinestones to add even more of shine and sparkle to what was already a very special day. The kids wore their crowns for the rest of the day and celebrated like the true royalty that they are. Earlier in the week the Club also went on air with our eightieth anniversary radio spot on ACK FM 97.7 and Quahog Country 89.5 FM . Several of our members helped record it and the spot will continue running through next month. The week wrapped up on Friday, November 21st with the first Family Fun Night of the school year. Families brought dishes to share and filled the canteen with everything from homemade meals to takeout favorites. NBGC's own Junior Chefs also contributed by making their own mac and cheese and a chicken caesar salad the day before, which was served along with the potluck. After everyone ate, the gym opened for adult versus kids dodgeball which was exactly as chaotic and entertaining as it sounds. The night ended with a special eightieth birthday cake by ACK Pastry for everyone to enjoy. The anniversary was a simple way to recognize how far the Club has come while staying focused on what matters most. Kids showed up. Families showed up. The Club did what it has done for eight decades: it created a place where people want to be. Thank you to our families staff and supporters for being part of this moment and for everything you bring to the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club. It has been our honor to serve you for eighty years. We look forward to the next eighty and beyond.
The Nantucket Boys & Girls Club welcomed more than 200 friends and families for a sold-out afternoon of fall fun during our annual Community Fall BBQ . The event has become one of the Club’s most anticipated traditions, giving our community the chance to gather, share a meal, and enjoy the crisp autumn air together. Our back field on was filled with laughter and activity as families enjoyed classic lawn games, face painting, and a 'friendly' round of cornhole. Kids explored the playground, posed for photos, and lined up for a turn at the Club’s newest favorite attraction: a bright blue cotton candy machine that spun up sweet clouds all afternoon. Guests enjoyed a delicious barbecue spread provided by Island Kitchen , complete with all the favorites that make this event feel like home. The evening was made possible thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and community partners: Cape Cod 5, Bartlett’s Farm, Cheney Custom Homes, Hatch’s Package Store, Nantucket Party Rentals, Sandbar at Jetties, Nantucket Septic, Stop & Shop, and Unite for Safe Social Media . The Community Fall BBQ is a reminder of what makes Nantucket special. Neighbors come together, kids play, and the Club fills with the same sense of warmth and belonging that has defined it for generations. We are already looking forward to next year’s celebration. For more pictures of the event, please visit: https://nantucketbgc.smugmug.com/2025-Community-Fall-BBQ
NBGC Team Attends the 2025 Northeast Leadership Conference
As part of the STEAM program, the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club traveled to the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility, managed by the Nantucket Sewer Department, to learn about its mission: “to protect public health and the environment for our communities by providing high-quality wastewater treatment services in an effective, efficient, and responsive manner.” With this mission in mind, NBGC members were given a tour of the facility and learned about the very stinky engineering process that transforms our dirty water into clean, potable water. The Surfside Wastewater Treatment Plant treats nearly 1.52 million gallons of water each day and can see up to 2.5 million gallons during the peak months of June, July, and August. A team of 12 full-time employees maintain the premises, run the plant’s software, respond to clog calls, and perform daily tests to measure the contents of the water (yes, even on weekends). Originally constructed in the 1980s, Nantucket’s primary wastewater facility processes 85% of the town’s wastewater and includes stations across Sea Street, Monomoy Road, Goldfinch Drive, and South Valley Road. This “dirty” water is transported to headworks where sewage is screened for solids, sand, and dirt. Once clear of solids, the water moves through a clarifying process, which quickly became our members’ favorite part of the trip. NBGC kids pointed excitedly as bits of corn and other “mystery materials” floated to the top of the water. The bio waste, affectionately known as scum , caused quite a stir. Club kids covered their noses, laughed intensely, and more than a few kids recalled stories about the last time they ate corn. Not to worry, our Club kids also learned that this isn’t the final phase of the process. The water then enters a secondary clarifying stage, is disinfected to remove microbes, and is sterilized before being transferred to a neighboring sand bed where it returns safely to the earth. While the trip sparked plenty of laughter and silly jokes about #2, it also sparked curiosity. The STEAM program at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club helps members explore how science, technology, engineering, art, and math shape the world around them, inspiring future problem solvers who may one day design the next great wastewater innovation for our island. For more information about our programs, please visit nantucketboysandgirlsclub.org/programs .
