A Healthy Lynnfield, also known as the Lynnfield Substance Misuse Prevention Committee, said goodbye to longtime Program Coordinator Peg Sallade at its Monday meeting.
Sallade is retiring at the end of September after serving in the role for six years.
“I want to thank Peg for everything she’s done. It’s hard to believe it’s been six years,” AHL Chair and Select Board Vice Chair Phil Crawford said. “Everything that’s happened the last six years is really Peg.”
“We work to make the issue better and to make resources more accessible. But it doesn’t mean that journey ends,” Sallade said. “I’m gonna rely on all of you to keep that moving forward in the future, and I know that you’re in good hands.”
After the meeting, AHL Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator Diana DeLeo said she is happy for Sallade.
“She’s done a lot of great work since she’s been here,” she said. “I wish her the best and I’m very happy for her and I’m excited for the coalition.”
DeLeo, who is taking over in Sallade’s position, said she has learned a lot from her predecessor.
“I’m happy that she’s close by… and we can call on her when we need her,” DeLeo said. “The organization is in a good place right now, and I think that she’s really set it up for success, which I think makes the rest of our jobs easy.”
She said her background in nonprofit work differs from Sallade’s background in the substance-prevention field. DeLeo said Sallade taught her grant writing, which provides funding for AHL.
“Her approach to things was a little bit different than mine, so her always teaching me how to work with the community when I live there has been an important piece,” DeLeo said. “Our whole role as a coalition is to convene and connect the community… She really took the time to explain to me how that worked and why we did it that way, and how we could be more impactful by doing it that way.”
After the meeting, Sallade said retiring is “bittersweet” for her.
“I’m really a true believer that the heart of the coalition is the people that live in the community — local problems, local solutions,” she said. “The great work is really the accomplishment of the people in the community… It’s hard to leave.”
She said the coalition grew from an informal group to having “every sector of the community represented” during her six years.
Sallade specifically thanked the youth who are involved with AHL.
“That is perhaps the most grasping piece,” she said. “Young people carry the solution for the future, and that if the community pays attention, we’ll change the world for better.”
