The woman who keeps on giving

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Sandy Meadows knows what it means to have something

snatched away in the blink of an eye. She has seen it happen far too

often as an emergency room nurse, a position she held for nine years.

“Life is so precious, and it can end in the cease of a heartbeat,”

said the 43-year-old Newport Beach resident. “I’ve seen so much taken

away. I think I understand the value of giving.”

And so Meadows gives what’s invaluable to most -- time. For her,

volunteering is not just a way to pass time, and it’s more than a

full-time job.

About 50 to 60 hours a week, she helps out at the Newport Beach Police

Department and raises funds for the Waldorf School of Orange County, a

private Costa Mesa school her three children attend.

Over the two years she has volunteered at the Police Department,

Meadows has performed a variety of duties ranging from data entry and

conducting tours, to working foot patrols and assisting detectives with

sting operations. She was a graduate of the city’s first Citizens Police

Academy in September 1998.

“It’s been a great experience for me,” said Meadows, whose father

retired as a commander at the South Pasadena Police Department.

“I’ve never seen such fantastic morale. The officers are just so glad

to be there doing what they do -- making our city a safer place.”

The Police Department recently declared Meadows Volunteer of the Year.

“I was totally surprised and honored,” she said. “I was in tears. It

motivates me to do that much more.”

While the Police Department appreciates her time, officials at Waldorf

call Meadows their savior.

Meadows started volunteering there three years ago when she took

charge of the Scrip Program. This involves parents buying gift

certificates to a number of stores and restaurants from the school. The

school buys these certificates in bulk at a discounted price and makes a

percentage profit by selling them.

The program was in place before Meadows got there, but it was she who

catapulted profits to new levels, said school Administrator Justine

Howard. Last year, she sold certificates worth $100,000, raising more

than $30,000 for the school. This year, with seven months to spare, the

profits have climbed up to $26,000.

“Sandy’s a very committed person,” said Howard, “not just to the

school and her family, but to the community at large.” “It’s easy to

write a check but hard to give yourself to a cause.”

This year, the school, recognizing the amount of time Meadows puts

into the Scrip program, decided to give her a salary, said Howard.

“It’s minuscule,” she said. “It’s minimum pay per hour for 20 hours a

week. But she works way more than that.”

Meadows says she does it with a lot of help and support from her

family.

“They understand why I have to do this,” she said. “My husband knows

it’s important to me, that I can’t sit at home all day watching soaps and

eating bonbons.”

A career in the emergency room was challenging and fun, but this is

profound and fulfilling, she says.

“The difference is I’m not here because I have to be,” Meadows said.

“I’m here because I can’t wait to get here everyday. I’m here because I

believe in what I’m doing here.”

BIO BOX

SANDY MEADOWS

Age: 43

Residence: Newport Beach

Family: Husband Rob Meadows, married 10 years; daughters Alexis, 8 and

Chandler 5; son Grant, 7.

Hometown: South Pasadena

Education: Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Chapman

University, degree in Nursing from Pasadena City College.

Prior work experience: Worked as a nurse in the emergency room,

operating room and jail ward; as a flight attendant with Delta Airlines.