Behind the Scenes with Madison Visionary Partners

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August 15, 2022

In May 2022, local resident Melanie Thornton took on a new job with a new mission to serve her community in lively new ways. Thorton has an impressive background serving in a number of professional positions that situated her just right to take over as the new Executive Director of one of the area’s most premiere non-profit organizations, Madison Visionary Partnerships (MVP).

Though still fairly new on the scene in the last three years, MVP has begun to transition out of its “start-up” state and really hit the pavement by spearheading projects around Madison that make a lasting difference.

Madison Visionary Partners, a Non-Profit in Madison, Alabama

“We are dedicated to enriching the lives of people in Madison,” Thornton shares. “We inspire giving and bringing people together.”

Recent projects that Madison Visionary Partners has partnered with include Home Place Park, the upcoming Kids Kingdom rebuild, and Snacks for Success.

“We like to think about the things this city is passionate about and help make them happen financially if the city may not be able to bring it to life otherwise.”

Thornton shares that MVP is especially excited for what is just around the corner with Kids Kingdom, Madison’s flagship playground at Dublin Park. The entire structure will be demolished this fall and reopened in the spring of 2023 as a modern, inclusive play space for children of differing abilities.

Playground concepts include sensory elements, face-to-face swings, a car or rover that allows for wheelchair access (but is fun for all), wide stairways and low angles, as well as many elements for those that have various mobility impairments. Click here to read more about the Kid’s Kingdom project.

“We’ve been heavily involved in this project’s fundraising, with over $550k raised out of the $750k needed.”

Snacks for Success is another project that MVP is collaborating on with The Madison Chamber of Commerce. This project is designed to raise money for Madison City Schools that will then be used to purchase snacks for students who show up at school without one to enjoy during snack time with their peers. To learn more about and donate to this campaign, click here.

Thornton’s most recent job prior to accepting the role as Executive Director of Madison Visionary Partnerships was the Director of Public Relations for the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library system, and she says that she is asked often why she transitioned away from a role that she loved.

“I was looking for a new challenge,” she shares. “I saw a new challenge with MVP and the great potential that it has to impact the city of Madison.”

She says that she is excited by how young the non-profit is and that she has a long wishlist of projects she’d love to tackle down the road.

In order to tackle that list of projects though, Melanie says that having partners and volunteers on her side is key and that having a conducive, comfortable location to frequently meet with them is an absolutely necessity. She says that her location of choice for these frequent gatherings of all sizes is MVP’s virtual tenant status at The Offices at Spenryn.

The Offices at Spenryn in Madison

The Offices at Spenryn is located just east of Sullivan Street about one mile south of downtown Madison. Thornton says that whenever she needs a conference table for board meetings or presentations, she immediately logs into her account on The Office at Spenryn’s website and reserves the day and time she’d like to use the space.

“I like to say that the community is my office,” jokes Thornton, “but there are times when a coffee shop just won’t work for the types of people I’m meeting with or tasks we’re working on.”

Thornton elaborates and says that not only does MVP use The Offices at Spenryn as their physical address (one of several perks of being a virtual tenant) but she also appreciates the technical connection options that are available when AV equipment is required for various meetings.

“I also really love that you can reserve everything online,” she says. “I’m an online user and like the simplicity of reserving everything that way.”

Thornton also says that it gives her peace of mind to know that if her home’s internet service goes down, she has a handful of private office spaces at Spenryn that she could reserve on a moment’s notice to go work in.

“I love that I have the option to go spend the day there!”

Finally, Thornton says that part of being a non-profit is being continually responsible financially, and she says that the incredibly low cost of being a virtual tenant is a gift to MVP’s budget.

As for the near future of MVP, Thornton says that she’s ready to put her blinders on and tackle her many goals as MVP Director.

“One of my first goals is to build a wider audience on social media and with our newsletter. We have some big community projects in the pipeline that I’d like to keep everyone looped in on.”

She is also excited about the opportunity to bring some arts and culture to the community via Opera in the Park and to host fun events, such as the first annual Witches Ride that will be held on October 23rd, 2022 at Dublin Park.