Ocean View Foundation Field Staff

Now is better than ever to introduce you all to the Ocean View Foundation Field Staff.  Before we begin, I would like to mention that by "Field Staff" I mean that these are the lovely ladies that you will be encountering at any of the OVF's many daily and special programs. Let us start with the foundation's youngest field worker, Lucy Rigby-Leather.

Summer Field Workers: Going left to right, Erica, Meg and Lucy posing outside of the library.

Summer Field Workers: Going left to right, Erica, Meg and Lucy posing outside of the library.

Lucy, a lifetime islander, is 11 years old and is entering the 6th grade at the Block Island School in the fall. Her favorite color is orange. She has been working with the Ocean View Foundation for one year now, and has plans to stay with the Foundation for as long as she can. Her favorite fruit is strawberries. In her spare time, she enjoys playing soccer, drawing and reading. When I asked her what her favorite book was she answered, "Well, I haven't read them all, so I don't know yet," exemplifying that she is wise beyond her years. Her favorite OVF program is "Stepping Stones" on Thursday mornings. Her family consists of her mother and father and her hamster, named Pepper.  She has a reason to like every season, therefore she has no favorite. Interestingly enough, her best subject in school is Science.

The next youngest field staff member of the Foundation is Erica Simkins. She is 13 years old and will be entering the 8th grade in the fall. She is a summer islander and currently lives in Massachusetts, but will be moving to Florida before the school year begins. This is her 5th year now helping the Ocean View Foundation. She likes to play soccer, swim and surf.  Her favorite Ocean View Foundation program is "Bird Banding" on Tuesday mornings. Erica's banding skills are second-to-none and follows in Kim's footsteps.  She is fond of pastel blue and turquoise. Her favorite food is Chicken Marbella. She also wanted me to include that her favorite fruit was watermelon. Her favorite book is If I Stay  by Gayle Foreman. As for siblings, she has one, an 18 year-old brother named Steven. Her favorite season is Spring.  Science, like Lucy, is her best subject in school.

In the general organization of things, the information on me, Meghan Bernier would be placed here. As not to repeat myself, I will instruct you to check out my first blog post entitled, "Meet Me: Meghan Bernier" if you are curious about my likes and dislikes.

Last, but certainly not least, is our fearless leader, Kim Gaffett. Kim has been with the Ocean View Foundation since it's beginnings in 2000. Her favorite colors are a toss-up between yellow and blue. She grew up on Block Island and has lived here for most of her life. She attended Franklin-Pierce University and then transferred to the University of Puget Sound. Her favorite subjects while in school were Biology and, of course, Ornithology.  After school, she lived in Seattle for a time, before returning to Block Island. Her favorite season is Fall. She has four siblings, one brother and three sisters. As for pets she has a few. She has a pair of chickens named Jupiter and Juno, and they recently had two chicks Mars and Minerva. Her favorite read is Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee. Her favorite programs are "Bird Banding" and the "Andy's Way Bird Walk" on Fridays.

So now that you know us, we want to get to know you! Please stop by at one of our weekly or special programs and introduce yourself: maybe your favorite color is blue, or you like Chicken Marbella. Whatever the case maybe, we would love to hear about it!

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