Tom McMahon Will Support Marblehead Community with His Heart

It is my pleasure to write this letter in reference to Thomas McMahon. I met Tom at the Marblehead YMCA barely two years after arriving in the United States from Colombia. Living in the US was never easy, especially at the beginning, because I did not have family/friends living here, and I did not speak the language. On top of that, finding affordable living, attending school in Salem, working in Boston, and without a car, everything was more complicated. I came to this country with a dream: to get my master's degree in the US. To enter the university, I had to pass several exams, which I failed a couple of times. There were days when I did not want to continue living in this country, far from my family, but Tom always saw something in me. He has always supported me in different ways not to give up. For example, he drives me to places I cannot go with my bike or offers me a unit in one of his multi-family homes in Salem. He also was the best support during the pandemic. I didn't feel emotionally sound because of everything that was going on. I had lost my job due to the pandemic, yet Tom was always in this process, supporting me emotionally. Tom became the family that I don't have in this country. Nowadays, I will finish my master's degree in City Planning at Boston University this year. I am working for the city of Salem as an Energy Manager, and I can say that I couldn't accomplish all of these goals without his help and support. I have no words to thank him for so many things he has done for me that I cannot list them all. However, I am sure he will support the Marblehead community with his heart.

Vanessa Pineda

School Street, Salem

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