Marblehead Counseling Center Awards First Amy Saltz Champions Award

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead resident Anne Tassel-Todisco has been named the recipient of the inaugural Amy Saltz Community Champions Award in memory of the patron and former Marblehead Counseling Center patient who spent her life volunteering in the community.

MCC Board of Directors President Ruth Ferguson said Tassel-Todisco was honored along with Essex Tech senior Camila Ferrer Gomez, a Danvers student who earned the MCC Community Service Scholarship.

"These are two really, really special people. We’re so proud to be able to honor them," Ferguson said.

The Amy Saltz Community Champions Award recognizes the significant, ongoing contributions of an area resident with a passion for helping others.

"Amy personified giving, generosity of spirit and a genuine care for others," said Rabbi David Meyer, Rabbi Emeritus at Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead, a friend of Saltz's for 30 years.

The MCC said Tassel-Todisco embodies that same spirit — she is a whirlwind of philanthropic activity. Tassel-Todisco sits on multiple local boards. She is a member of the Board of TRIAD, which was developed to reduce criminal victimization and enhance the delivery of law enforcement services to area seniors.

She is the Secretary on the Board of the Gut ‘n Feathers Badminton Club, and a Board member of Marblehead Pickleball. She is a regular volunteer, including Life Bridge, Spur at the Salem Pantry/Market, and the Marblehead Arts Festival, where she works at the merchandise booth and delivers artworks to area businesses.

Tassel-Todisco is also a precinct warden for national, state and town elections. For the past two years, she has volunteered at local blood drives around town. Starting in 2021 shortly after the pandemic began, she joined Massachusetts Volunteer Program for Public Health, where she does registration for Covid-19 and Influenza vaccinations.

Myra Sussman nominated Tassel-Todisco for the award and said that Tassel-Todisco recently organized weeks of food preparation and delivery for a friend whose child had undergone open heart surgery.

When she isn't volunteering officially, she is often found with a hot glue gun, a hammer and some handy zip ties fixing up the pickleball courts at the JCC.

"Anne is so positive and supportive – she makes everyone in her orbit feel her unbound love," Sussman said.

For more than 55 years, the Marblehead Counseling Center has provided social and mental health services to families and individuals.

"Recognizing the many ways our community supports one another when in need is critical," Ferguson explains. "There are countless individuals who step in to lend a hand, and they are all champions."

For tickets to the Community Champions Celebration on May 1 at The Beacon Restaurant, go here.

"It's so nice to have something really positive and exciting on the calendar,” Ferguson said, pointing to the live music, signature cocktails, raffles, prizes, and of course, the Award presentation.

Tickets to the event help support the ongoing work of MCC and its mission to provide affordable, quality mental health care and social services to Marblehead and surrounding towns.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)