Celebrating Pine Islanders: Grayce Smith
Grayce Smith has grown up on Pine Island. In fact, she said her whole family is a family of islanders. In her particular family, she said, she is the oldest, wearing the banner of daughter, granddaughter, niece and older sister and older cousin, making a path for the younger ones.
“I’m the first one to leave the island to go to school. It definitely felt a little weird to be the first to experience leaving home,” Smith said.
Smith is a third generation islander, with her maternal grandparents, Scott and Elsie Stearns, paving the way on Pine Island back in the 1970s. Even her father, Mark Smith, came to the island when he was only in the fourth grade. Now a sophomore at Southeastern University in Lakeland, she finds she’s gained the physical distance to appreciate both the beauty and unique qualities offered by the island.
“I grew up on Pine Island and went to Pine Island Elementary. Starting in middle school I began to think, even though I only live 40 minutes away, the island a special place where everybody knows everybody and you can knock on somebody’s door if you need something,” Smith said.
She admits many of her friends, being from other cities, don’t share the same small-town experiences to which she’s become accustomed. Growing up on a small island with a small-town feel has brought her a sense of peace, as she said, the feeling that it is a special place simply grew with her as she got older.
‘It’s more than just special — it’s one of a kind. Not everyone gets the opportunity to live in a place as beautiful as it is — where it’s a 5-minute boat ride to the nearest beach. I cherish the moments that I’m here, especially because I’m not here full-time anymore, “Smith said.
She credits coming from a family of Pine Islanders largely to feeling the desire to help those in need, saying she learned young to truly desire a servant’s heart.
“I grew up learning that it’s best to put other people before yourself,” Smith said.
Growing up in a family so close to the Beacon of HOPE, she said she has often found herself taking volunteer jobs in an effort to make sure folks are getting what they need, citing the phone calls she took after the last hurricane hit the island.
“I find peace in things like talking to people who I might be able to help. After Hurricane Milton, I was on the phone with people needing tarps around their houses. They needed numbers or names and contacts to take the next steps in restoration,” Smith said.
After being raised here with a family that is rooted on Pine Island, she said she has become familiar with the tenets usually included in the native island events, such as MangoMania or the Mullet Toss.
“Pine Island events have a community touch like I haven’t seen anywhere else,” Smith said.
If she had a wish for Pine Island, Smith said she would love for more people to be witnesses to things that make Pine Islanders the dear souls for which they’re known.
“What makes Pine Island, Pine Island, is really the people and truly the heart of the people. They’ve been here for years and years and they’ve seen the growth and the rebuilding and the restoration that’s gone on. We’ve been through so much and I want people to see that while we are restoring the island, it’s about the heart that goes into it,” Smith said.
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