Let's Talk About Our Island Home

Alison Forsgren has served as the board president of the Friends of Our Island Home for many years and is now Vice President. She has also served on the Council on Aging and the Memory Cafe, among mulitple other community services for Nantucket. Alison tells us her story and why she strongly advocates for Nantucket's senior community.

Kathleen Grieder (Kathy) has been coming to Nantucket since she was an infant, visiting her grandmother and grandfather, who owned Aime’s Bakery from 1950 to 1970. She met and married her husband, Bill Grieder, a native Nantucketer with a history of many generations of Nantucket and Tuckernuck ancestors. Kathy has an active track record in supporting the senior community of Nantucket. She is the leader of the Friends of Our Island Home and has served on the NCEA (Nantucket Center for Elder Affairs) board for many years. She tells her story about caring for her family, how she served the senior community for decades, and the critical role Our Island Home has played in her family.

Frances Ruley Karttunen (Fran) grew up on Nantucket and graduated from Nantucket Public School. She is an American academic linguist, historian, and author. She joins co-host interviewer Stephanie Serra to tell her story about Our Island Home and provide valuable insights.

When Fran entered her teens, her mother became disabled by multiple sclerosis, and Fran was her mother's primary caregiver. When she left for college, her mother became a resident of Our Island Home. After an academic career, Fran returned full-time to Nantucket with her husband, Alfred Crosby, in 1999. A year later, Al was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

Diana Graves has worked as a teacher at Nantucket Public Schools for 30 years as a Teacher of the Deaf, middle school, elementary school, and math intervention teacher. She has served for several years on the Nantucket Commission for Disabilities. Her mother is a resident of Our Island Home.

This has been brought to you by The Friends of Our Island Home, a project of the Community Foundation for Nantucket."