When Lucile Hays turned 80 years old, she decided it was time to sell her nine-acre property overlooking the Harbor Creeks to the Land Bank—not for the windfall, but to give something back to the community. That land, which she sold well below market value in 2019, is now considered the “crown jewel” of the Land Bank’s holdings.

Walking around the property, Hays can’t help but marvel at not only the stunning view of the harbor, but the number of kids and families enjoying the park that now sits there. Hays is modest about the sale, but it might just be the most beautiful park on Nantucket. “It’s spectacular,” she said, sitting on an Adirondack chair where her kitchen once stood.

Giving back to the community—and especially to children—is a philosophy that’s been entrenched in Lucile Hays since she was a girl. It’s a story that comes from a place of tragedy. In 1959, Hays lost her younger sister, Louise Francis Walker (“Weezie”), in a tragic accident behind her house in Long Island, New York. Weezie, who had a childhood love of horses, was out feeding the family horse, when she was suddenly struck in the back of the head by another horse kicking at swarming flies around it. She died just hours later, at 10 years old.

The following year, her parents established the Weezie Foundation in her name with a mission of providing funding for children’s organizations. That foundation has left its mark both on Long Island, and on Nantucket, where Hays moved with her late husband years later. For an example of that mark, you don’t have to look any further than the Children’s Library at the Atheneum.

The story goes like this. In 1994, Hays was asked to lead a fundraising effort for a new children’s library, replacing the former children’s library in the basement of the Atheneum, a dark space that smelled of mildew.

“There was a wonderful lady who lived here, Grace Grossman, and she had been involved with the Atheneum for some time and had known about the Weezie Foundation," Hays recalled. “She came to me saying you’re going to be in charge. It was very exciting having the new library there, to have a place where kids could go after school.”

The Weezie Foundation also endowed the children’s librarian position in 2005. According to Atheneum Interim Director Leslie Malcolm, the former children’s librarian: “The Children’s Library has been such a big part of the community, and that’s thanks to Lucile. Having this space here has been absolutely instrumental.”

This year, Hays celebrates another milestone: 50 years on the board of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, another organization she has helped tremendously. “I was supposed to be on for two four-year terms, but they never made me leave,” Hays said with a smile.

One of her proudest accomplishments has been the expansion of the organization’s campus, particularly the 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art clubhouse renovated and expanded in 2015. “The Boys & Girls Club can affect everybody on the island,” she added. “For the working people with children, the Boys & Girls Club is there for them after school, and parents don’t have to worry about their kids.”

Looking back at over 50 years of island philanthropy, Hays thinks back on her sister. She keeps a photo of her on the wall of her new house at Sherburne Commons. Below the photo is a drawing Weezie made shortly before she died, of horses galloping in a field. “Weezie has affected a lot of people,” Hays said. “In 50 years, the money in her name has grown, and it’s phenomenal. It feels special. It’s awesome.”