Volunteering for the island life

June Casagrande

After 19 years of living on Balboa Island, Peggy Marotta is

practically a newcomer -- so many of her neighbors can trace back

their island roots for generations.

But no one could be more excited to be here or more eager to get

involved in the community.

“I’ve always loved Balboa Island, there’s just something about

it,” she said. “Being near the ocean is so therapeutic. And

everything you could want is right here: We have a market and ATMs

and a dentist. There’s almost no reason to ever leave.”

Now, thanks to a volunteer job at the Balboa Island Museum and

Historical Society, she finds new reasons to love the island with

each passing week. Marotta is one of about a dozen volunteer docents

at the museum, which holds an ever-growing collection of island

memorabilia.

“I get to look at the old pictures, read about the history,” said

Marotta, who moved to the Island from Whittier in 1985. “There’s so

much to learn.”

Marotta’s job is to greet visitors and help them navigate the

offerings of the tiny upstart museum, which right now is open only on

Wednesdays and Saturdays.

But though she’s modest about her role there, Marotta is actually

a big part of the reason the museum exists at all, said Craig Page,

museum director.

“When we were just starting up, Peggy was very instrumental in

getting the word out to the community of what we were trying to do

and working to find a location for the museum,” Page said. “She’s

tireless. I can’t say enough good things about her.”

Marotta has also long been active in the island’s Beautification

Committee, where oversaw a program to receive donations of benches

that now circle the island and bear commemorative plaques of their

donors.

Marotta will also be a docent for the historical society’s first

historic home tour, scheduled for May 2.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Marotta said.