Last year, after the cancellation of conferences on Star Island, the committee organized a well-received and well attended Virtual IA, where we shared community but could not be physically on island.  This year, we are able to be physically on Star but with fewer people to achieve reduced density and maintain physical distancing guidelines.  Some of us will be able to share community on Island and some of us will not be able to do so, but there will be live streaming of some activities planned. 

A smaller conference means fewer people paying conference fees to support activities during the week, so some of our usual programming will not be possible.  This means Star may seem more like an individual retreat with fewer people, but we will maintain as much as possible. Yoga, arts, and choir will occur in modified forms.  We will have morning speakers, timely topics and will be looking for individuals to volunteer and organize various ad hoc programs like the senior woman’s group. There will be a youth program but it will be limited to 50 children.   

Overall, this will be the year of transition from virtual to modified and, hopefully next year, back to our usual robust programming.  So, if you ever wondered how it would feel to have more free time to wander the island with fewer people, this is the year to find out. We do still have room to accommodate a few more Shoalers.  Please keep in mind that if we exceed our registration limit of 170 before May 1, we will implement a lottery and you will be notified of your registration status as soon as possible after that date.

As Spring arrives and vaccination rates continue to increase, we strongly believe Star will open this year.  Here is the link to the Star Island Corp website for FAQs related to COVID-19. Updates are being made daily.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions.

Your IA Committee

Iyabo Obasanjo, IA 2021 Committee Chair
Laura Jaffe Espinosa 
Greg Dixon
Gretchen Donehower
Dan Hotchkiss, Chair Emeritus                
Kristin Laverty, Registrar/Treasurer
Katie Bender, Youth Program Director