The Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation has selected Juli Vanderhoop as the recipient of its 40th Creative Living Award.
The award was first given out in 1983 to honor Ruth Bogan who embodied a creative spirit and love of the Island. Each year the foundation chooses a new recipient who carries on this legacy.
Ms. Vanderhoop was born and raised in Aquinnah, is a member of the Aquinnah select board, an EMT and the owner of Orange Peel Bakery.
In a press release from the foundation, the organization praised her community involvement. “She has served on the boards of organizations such as the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Island Housing Trust, and Island Grown Initiative. As an Aquinnah select board member and a Wampanoag tribal elder, her advocacy extends to ensuring that the voices of her community are heard.”
Ms. Vanderhoop started Orange Peel Bakery in 2006 and since then it has grown into a community gathering space, especially on pizza nights when patrons gather to share a meal cooked in her signature outdoor Le Panyol clay oven imported from France.
The mission of the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation is to “put charitable contributions to work for the people of Martha’s Vineyard by making grants that address community priorities.” Since 1982, the organization has distributed over $14 million in grants and scholarships.
