Home Page | Rotary Club of Marblehead

Welcome to Marblehead Rotary

Left: President 2025-26 Aviv Hod

Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

What we do
Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Our 35,000+ clubs work together to:

Rotary Flag Exchange with a Twist of History

Posted by Rosie Segil on Aug 25, 2026

A Rotary Flag Exchange with a Twist of History

A fun tradition gaining momentum with our newer members is collecting and exchanging Rotary club flags during their travels.

More than just a souvenir, exchanging banner flags is a tangible reminder of Rotary’s global network—a shared commitment to service across more than 45,000 clubs worldwide. No matter where you travel, you’re never more than a degree or two away from a friend.

Case in point: our new member Anne Stevenson recently visited the Rotary Club of Boston St. Botolph in Lincolnshire, England! Pictured here is the club President Kathleen Bryant (left) exchanging flags with Anne. The connection runs deep: most of the Puritans who founded Boston, Massachusetts, hailed from Boston, Lincolnshire, and attended St. Botolph’s Church. Among them was Anne’s 10th great-grandfather, Rev. John Cotton, who served as Vicar there before emigrating to New England.

Of course, exchanging flags across the Atlantic came with a little historical irony—handing over our local club flag depicting American revolutionaries to our British counterparts was quite the moment!

Helping With Food Insecurity

Posted by Rosie Segil on Aug 13, 2026

Every August, Marblehead Rotary mobilizes for a great cause—and we’re getting to work!

Food insecurity is a hidden crisis even in our own backyard. Between high living costs and the summer pause on school meal programs, local families are struggling—and our Food Pantry is feeling the strain. Hunger knows no zip code, and it never takes a vacation.

That’s why Marblehead Rotarians are leading the charge with our August Food Pantry Drive, raising funds, shopping, and stocking shelves with the essential food and household supplies our neighbors need most.

How You Can Help

Make a Monetary Donation—the easiest way to support!

The Food Pantry’s list of high-need items is long and very specific. If you’re short on time, please consider making a monetary donation instead. Your contribution allows our volunteers to purchase exactly what the Pantry needs most—and every dollar makes a difference.

Donate or view current needs: https://marbleheadfoodpantry.org/#donations

Together, we can make sure no family in our community goes without. Thank you for standing with our neighbors!

Major August Heat?

Posted by Rosie Segil on Aug 10, 2026

Major August heat? We’re keeping cool with a great Rotary lunch!

We had a fantastic turnout last week, where we:

Inducted John Godfrey, our newest member, who has come full circle back to Rotary. When asked why he decided to rejoin, John shared that he wanted to dedicate his time to Rotary because “it is a force for good.”

Connected with sister club: Swapped inspiring ideas with Harbor Rotary President Marguerite Frank-Peper.

Shared insights into what makes Robert Zazzara's home club thrive, highlighting their creative new programs to attract new members and ways for driving community impact. Roberto's from the 50-member-strong Rotary Club of Korneuburg, Austria (located just along the Danube River, northwest of Vienna!).

Pictured (L to R): President Aviv, Marguerite Frank-Peper, John Godfrey, and Robert Zazzara.

Lobster Raffle Wrap

Posted by Rosie Segil on Aug 03, 2026

And that’s a wrap on another incredible summer fundraiser!

Drawing the winners of our Annual Lobster Raffle—where four lucky winners each take home a 20-lb share of fresh local lobsters—is always a highlight of the season for our club. It’s the ultimate victory lap celebrating weeks of hard work, community support, and local spirit.

We were thrilled to celebrate with our lucky winners, including Mike V. and Cameron B. (pictured here with his wife!), along with our crew over a luncheon at our club.

An event like this doesn’t happen without a powerhouse behind the scenes. Swipe through to see our amazing Lobster Raffle Chair, Iana Plum, receiving her well-deserved “Rotary Oscar” for leading this year’s effort to victory.

Every ticket purchased goes directly back into funding our local community initiatives, scholarships, and camperships. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, spread the word, and supported our mission this summer!

See our Facebook post for more photos…

Join us for our weekly lunches

Posted by Rosie Segil on Jul 17, 2026

This picture captures exactly what makes our weekly lunches so special. Between the picturesque harbor view at the Boston Yacht Club and the great local speakers who teach us something new every week, it’s just a wonderful place to connect. We love seeing new faces join us—from the next generation starting out to long-time local business folks who care about what’s happening right here in town.

From right to left, we have:

- Andrea Lacroix (our District Environmental and RLI Chair), who gave us a fantastic, eye-opening talk on how we can all start “living beyond plastics.”

- Aviv, our Rotary Club President.

- Ava Pessadente, a recent engineering grad who is jumping right in to make a difference early in her career.

- Alfred Wilson, the familiar face behind our favorite morning spot, The Muffin Shop!

The Marblehead Rotary meets every Thursday at noon at the BYC. If you’re curious about what we do or just want to connect with some great neighbors, we’d love to have you drop by!

Lobster Raffle 2026 Recap

Posted by Rosie Segil

What a week! Here’s a quick look back at one of the most rewarding—and outright memorable—fundraisers our club has ever pulled off!

It wasn’t just about the incredible ticket sales; it was about the community connection, the shared laughs, and the unexpected way a few lobster accessories can bring a whole town together. Beyond the camaraderie, it’s a brilliant reminder of how service inspires and unites us all for good.

A massive shout-out to our fearless Chair, Iana Plum, and Co-Chair, Peter Speziale, for steering the ship. And our many sponsors! Of course, to the many hardworking Rotarians who proudly donned the weekend’s signature red, blue, and lobster fashion!

For more photos, check out our Facebook post by clicking here.

New Officers and Board Members Installed

Posted by Alexander Falk on Jun 20, 2026

At last Thursday’s luncheon, the Rotary Club of Marblehead officially installed its officers and board members.
This year’s leadership focuses on continuity, ensuring a consistent direction to seamlessly move our ongoing community work forward. Aviv Hod (far right) returns for a second consecutive term as President, providing a stable foundation while guiding the path for Vice President Peter Speziale (fourth from left).
Pictured from left to right are: Secretary Brian Snell (first), Laney Dowling (second), Christiana Plum (third), Vice President Peter Speziale (fourth), Treasurer Nancy Gwin (fifth), Jack Attridge (sixth), and President Aviv Hod (far right). Not pictured but completing the team are Marsha Christensen and Andrew Gillis.
With this steady transition and a shared vision, the board is ready to sustain our momentum in the year ahead.

Rotary Partners with the Marblehead Food Pantry

Posted by Rosie Segil on Jun 08, 2026

Rotarians are dedicated to meeting the real, everyday needs of our community. While scholarships are vital, current economic realities mean basic needs like food security require urgent, hands-on support. Food insecurity is a quiet challenge that affects every community—big or small—and we are committed to making a direct impact where it matters most.

Rotary Club President Aviv Hod (L) and Rotarian Linda Sullivan (R), a longtime champion for local elder care and food security, recently met with Marcy Schwam (C), the new leader of the Marblehead Food Pantry. Marcy has stepped in following the retirement of founder Janet Parker, who gave decades of extraordinary service to our town since 1991. To support their daily operations, the Rotary Club was delighted to check off two practical items on the pantry’s wish list: a refrigerator to safely store fresh produce and eggs, and a large wagon to transport supplies at Masonic Hall. We are incredibly grateful for the vital work Marcy and her volunteers do every day, and proud to partner with the Marblehead Food Pantry to ensure no neighbor goes unsupported!

Local action and regional fellowship

Posted by Rosie Segil on Jun 04, 2026

Our weekly luncheons are always a lively mix of local action and regional fellowship. You never quite know who you’ll meet at the table, but you can always count on a great conversation about making a difference.

At one table, the focus was right in our own backyard with Tracy Darrin from the Friends of Marblehead Public Schools. Tracy shared the vital grassroots work they do to bring enrichment programs to our students and provide the crucial educational support that is so often lacking in the school system today. Because our club deeply believes in its mission to lift up local students, we are proud to share that we officially pledged our financial support to the Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools.

At another table, we leaned into regional fellowship by welcoming Seán C. Kennedy, the current President of the Rotary Club of Framingham. His visit was a great reminder of a major perk of being a Rotarian: you are part of a massive global network of over 45,000 clubs worldwide. In that same spirit of swapping inspiration, our own Alison Richards has been on a mission to visit other Rotary clubs, picking up new ideas to bring back home to Marblehead, just as Sean did by visiting.

From Doctors Without Borders to Our Local Bakery

Posted by Rosie Segil on Jun 01, 2026

From Doctors Without Borders to Our Local Bakery!

At Rotary, disease prevention isn’t just a talking point—it’s one of our core areas of focus. We’ve been in the trenches fighting to end polio for decades, so when the recent news of Ebola came to light, we were all ears to learn more about how these kinds of global health challenges are managed.

As it turns out, we didn’t have to look very far to find someone who has actually been on the front lines.

We had the pleasure of hearing from our fellow Marblehead resident, Katherine Dedieu. Today, you might know her and her husband as the talented folks behind Farine, baking incredible treats for our town. But Katherine has a remarkable history in global health logistics. Her journey started way back in 2003, when she worked on the front lines during the SARS outbreak. Years later, when the Ebola crisis hit Africa, she was right back out there with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). She was tasked with the incredibly intense, vital job of setting up protocols for the safe handling of the disease to keep both patients and medical workers safe.

Hearing Katherine speak was a powerful reminder that while we enjoy the quiet comfort of our community, organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières are out there every day safeguarding the world’s most vulnerable.

For us, her story hits home. Whether it’s Rotary working to end polio or Doctors Without Borders fighting Ebola, it’s all about people helping people, no matter how far away they are. We are so grateful to Katherine for sharing her journey with us—and for keeping our community both inspired and well fed!