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Bonnie and Marco Anasetti: Why We’re Committed to Education and Youth in the Virgin Islands
Q: You’re involved in helping support several impactful organizations in the Virgin Islands, Bonnie and Marco. Let’s begin with what brought you to the Virgin Islands Montessori School & Peter Gruber International Academy?
Bonnie:
We didn’t get involved with VIMSIA because we were in search of a good school. We were attracted to a place with a heart in everything it does. VIMSIA is more than just a campus — it’s a community dedicated to curiosity, care, and genuine commitment to facilitating children’s growth into kind, confident, and thoughtful human beings.
Marco’s mom is a Montessori teacher, so we were both already big fans of the method. To see that same philosophy alive here, instilling in children both curiosity and independence, just felt like a perfect fit.
Q: Bonnie, you have sat on the VIMSIA Board of Trustees. What was that experience like?
Bonnie:
It was a privilege to serve on the board and then as Treasurer and head of the endowment. Our job is to aid the administration and make certain that the school is healthy in the long term. We don’t have anything to do with day-to-day affairs — that task is left to VIMSIA’s outstanding administrators and teachers — but we focus on financial stewardship, strategic decisions, and safeguarding the mission of the school for generations to come.
Every post on the board is thoughtful and mission-oriented. Whether it is about raising funds for capital improvements or planning the budget, our goal is the same: to ensure that every child who comes to VIMSIA receives the education they deserve in an environment that gives them the support they need.
Q: What do you love about working at VIMSIA?
Bonnie:
The students. You see them around campus — engaged, self-assured, creative. They’re supposed to ask hard questions, to experiment and to care about the world around them. That doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of a culture that emphasizes academic rigor alongside social-emotional learning and thinking globally.
Q: Tell us about My Brother’s Workshop. How did that journey start for the two of you?
Marco:
When Bonnie and I first heard about MBW, we really weren’t in the market for a cause. But this one was different from the beginning. It wasn’t about handouts or about looks — it was about true, day-in, day-out change. The commitment of the team, never giving up on these kids, that really resonated with us.
Bonnie:
We saw one of their workshops in the beginning, and we were just blown away. These were students who were doing the work — not just talking about change, but making it. There was an energy in that room, a pride, a hope — it was infectious. That was when we realized we weren’t just donating — we were supporting a proven way forward.
Q: What makes MBW's approach unique in your view?
Marco:
MBW is building from the ground up. It’s not a short-term fix. Students get real-world experience — woodworking, marine services, welding, culinary arts. But it goes beyond trades. They complete high school, they receive therapy, mentorship, structure. And not least, they get belief — belief from the staff, the volunteers and eventually from themselves.
Koppel:
There are so many programs out there and things that want to help, but MBW gets that deep change doesn’t come from easy answers. They stay with students through the tough parts. They don’t walk out when it’s messy — they walk in. That is the power of commitment.
Q: You mentioned mentorship. What have you noticed about how MBW is taking care of its students?
Marco:
The mentorship is very goal-directed and has a hands-on approach. It’s not somebody who appears once a month for a photo op. The staff is there every day. They nudge students to grow, keep them on task and show empathy. The support it provides is the kind that makes a difference in the real world.
Bonnie:
It’s holistic. It’s not just trades that students are learning — how to back up colleagues, how to be reliable, how to handle emotions, how to set goals. They are being prepared not simply for jobs, but for a life of independence and meaning.
Q: What has drawn you both to put so much time and resources into MBW?
Marco:
Because we’ve now seen it work. We’ve heard the stories — stories of trauma and chaos — and then seen those kids walk across the stage with diplomas or go to their first job. You can’t see that kind of transformation and not want to be a part of it. And MBW runs lean. There’s no fluff. Every dollar makes a difference.
Bonnie:
It’s more than money. It’s about being engaged in an evolution. When you witness someone stand a little taller, speak with confidence, find purpose — that’s when you understand how life-altering these services can be.
Q: You’re also patrons of Nana Baby Home. You focused on that organization — what was it that brought you to the organization?
Marco:
Certain causes are always with you. For me, Nana Baby Home is one of them. There’s a personal angle — my great-grandfather was adopted, and that story has been with me from the get-go in terms of how I perceive home, safety and the people who show up when nobody else will. When we found out about Nana Baby Home, we knew we had to be a part of it.
Bonnie:
Once we found out what it is that they do to help provide emergency shelter for children in crisis, we knew that it wasn’t like every other nonprofit. They are there for kids at the most vulnerable times, and that level of devotion is rare. It is that kind of care that changes lives.
Q: If someone had never heard of Nana Baby Home how would you describe it?
Marco:
It’s a home. It’s not only a shelter. They care for children 24 hours a day, from birth to age 12. When it’s a matter of life and death — like when a newborn requires emergency placement or a 9-year-old is arriving from a domestic crisis — they accept without delay, without hesitation.
Bonnie:
And they don’t just provide shelter. These kids are getting meals, clothes, medical care, tutoring — and, most important, a sense of stability. It’s a safe, loving place. You can hear laughter, watch kids playing, celebrating birthdays. They are fostering routine amid chaos.
Q: What long-lasting effect have you seen from Nana Baby Home?
Marco:
Absolutely. What is unusual is the number of former residents who stay in touch. You don’t get that if you’re a shelter. It’s what happens when you’ve been a real solid rock during the lowest points in somebody’s life.
Bonnie:
These kids take that love with them. And when they do well, it ripples outwards — to their families, schools and communities. Nana Baby Home not only provides comfort for children — it molds their future.
Q: Last thoughts—what motivates you to continue this work after all these years?
Marco:
For us, it’s simple. These are institutions that come to life. They stay the course. They create results. And they do it with heart, integrity and grit. We’ll stand by them as long as they do this incredible work.
We’re behind what they represent — education, empowerment, healing and hope.
Bonnie:
This is the foundation of a strong community. And we are privileged that our role in helping to build that future is to be a part, however small it may be.
— Bonnie and Marco Anasetti
by FG Media on 2025-07-30 02:20:33
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