A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT

January 1, 2024

Dear Friends,

Greetings and best wishes from the board of the Isles of Shoals Association, (Unitarian Universalist).

The ISA-UU is committed to supporting the Star Island community. Our Association makes substantial financial contributions directly to the Star Island Corporation annually to help defray operating expenses. We also directly support individual conferences through grants, offer grants to clergy and religious educators attending Star Island for the first time, and fund short-term unbudgeted projects for Star Island, including Island enhancements and amenities such as technology, new rocking chairs, rowboats, sports equipment, musical instrument refurbishments, and other projects of benefit to the community.

The most visible part of our work is the running of the Shops on Star – the Gift Shop, the Bookstore, and the Lobby Store. These shops are part of the fabric of the Island experience, as well as vital to generating funds for Star Island. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Board, staff, and volunteers, we experienced a terrific season in the Shops in 2023. As a direct result, we made a 2023 gift of $40,000 to the Star Island Corporation, supported programming for approximately 20 conferences through $12,313 in grants, and provided $1,416 to Unitarian Universalist clergy coming to Star Island for the first time. With your friendship and support, we disbursed a total of $53,729 in funds for the benefit of our spirit’s home in 2023.

The ISA-UU is a membership organization. Our members pay nominal dues and elect a board and officers at our annual meeting held during the first weekend in November. Please join or renew your ISA-UU membership at www.shoals.org/become-a-member. Membership goes a long way to supporting our work and we greatly appreciate our members.

It is my honor to step into the role of President of the ISA-UU in 2024. I have the privilege of working with the ISA-UU Board of Directors and members; the incredibly dedicated Shops on Star committee, staff, and volunteers; the SIC; and the entire Star Island community. I feel so much gratitude for the commitment of so many people to our organization and our mission to support Star Island.

Please support us in any way possible: renew your membership (maybe consider a lifetime membership!), volunteer in the Shops, and don’t forget to do your own shopping while on island. There is some pretty cool stuff in there! Also, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, concerns, or suggestions. I’d love to chat with you.

In Star Spirit,