Longtime Island senior care advocate Paddy Moore will receive the Spirit of the Vineyard Award this December, Vineyard Village At Home announced on Wednesday.

The former director and founder of Healthy Aging MV, Ms. Moore has been intimately involved in the Island’s senior care network for decades.

Ms. Moore has volunteered as a member of the Dukes County Health Council and initiated the Rural Scholars’ survey of Island needs which, in partnership with the University of Massachusetts, has brought dozens of student researchers to the Island to study tick-borne illness, drug use and women’s health, among other topics.

Noticing gaps in coverage for seniors, the fastest-growing age group on the Island, Ms. Moore also helped establish a healthy aging task force and, later, the Center for Living, in part to offer programming for elderly Islanders.

More recently, Ms. Moore has been closely involved in the hospital’s Navigator Homes project, as well as a church program called Sacred Ground that seeks to honor Indigenous members of the Island community.

In a press release, Polly Brown, who co-founded the Spirit of the Vineyard Award, said that Ms. Moore’s determination, persistence and hard work have brought numerous organizations into existence, exemplifying the spirit of the Island.

“The name Patricia - known as Paddy to all of us – Moore, has been synonymous for a long while with caring for seniors,” the release stated. “It has been long enough that during that time many of us have become one of them.”

The award recognizes dedicated Island volunteers and has honored more than 20 Vineyard residents since its founding.

The ceremony honoring Ms. Moore will take place on Dec. 3 at the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury from 4 to 6 p.m. The ceremony is open to the public and will include refreshments, according to the press release.