Sandy Pimentel knows it can take awhile for newcomers to get involved on the Island.

“It was five years before I really felt like I was a part of things,” the author and Community Services board member said.

That’s part of the reason Mrs. Pimentel, Bruce Eckman, Sandy Grymes and others associated with Community Services have formed a group for welcoming new Vineyard residents. They call it Connecting the Dots, a “social integration project on the Island.” An inaugural brunch was held last month at the Pimentel house.

The Island needs to attract and retain new longtime residents in order to support the community and the economy, Mrs. Pimentel said. And the group hopes to help facilitate that.

“People who work in hotels, hospitals and businesses who are here all winter end up in some remote place, and they have no way to connect,” she said.

The Facebook group for Connecting the Dots describes the mission: “ . . . to facilitate meaningful connections between newcomers, families, the young, the elderly and all those who seek fun and meaning to their lives on Martha’s Vineyard, while assuring that those who come to serve our community, will feel part of it, and choose to remain here.”

The web page lists links to other community organizations on the Island, including Pathways Arts, the Rod and Gun Club, the Community Horse Center and others. There’s also a survey that invites people to provide information about themselves and volunteer to mentor a new Islander, or be mentored by one.

Mrs. Pimentel said 17 people attended the brunch, ranging in age from three to 70. People who included members of the Coast Guard, teachers, actors and artists.

“It was very successful I thought,” she said. “Everyone seemed interested in coming back to participate.”

The group plans to offer a series of workshops this spring to continue to foster connections.

More information on the group is available on its Facebook page.