The Significance of Bailey Park

By Rana DiOrio, Founder, Little Pickle Press

As the writer in the family, I agreed to help my Dad, Ron DiOrio, write the annual appeal letter for Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard (Habitat MV). My Dad has donated a great deal of his time and talent to Habitat MV over the past decade serving as its President. Because the letter has relevance to our Need vs.Want theme this month, I wanted to share an adapted version with you.

The Town of West Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard magnanimously bestowed upon Habitat MV three lots. They are located off County Road in a section of town called Bailey Park. Habitat MV plans to build homes for three families on these lots, and they require $200,000 to do so.

When my Dad learned of the gift of these lots, he was struck by the irony, or perhaps serendipity, of their location. If you recall, Bailey Park is the affordable housing community that George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) helps to finance in the Christmas classic, It’s A Wonderful Life. There are other parallels between this story from a simpler time and what Habitat MV is trying to do today. When Bailey’s Building and Loan Association, the force supporting Bailey Park, was in trouble, the community came to its rescue. Similarly, Habitat MV has been supporting affordable housing on the island for 12 years, and they are asking their supporters, their community, to help them with this capital campaign to continue its mission of building simple, decent housing for families in the lowest qualifying income range. In the movie as in life, giving is galvanizing to a community.

At the end of the letter, my Dad reflects, “I have been in my role as President of this organization for over a decade, and I remain in awe of your generosity. Thank you, in advance, for giving us your resources—funds, materials, skills, time—so that we may achieve our goal this year of building three homes for families who need them.” In the spirit of the holidays, please consider making a donation to Habitat MV http://www.habitatmv.org/donate.html. Every little bit helps.