Sandra Rooney - Connector, Scheduler
June 11, 2015 By Jo Youngren
Sandra Rooney came to Samaritans by a circuitous route. For 16 years she was on the staff of the National United Church of Christ. She came to Green Valley in 2005 from Cleveland, Ohio, and soon decided she needed to learn about two things, water and the border.
So, in 2006, Sandra went to a Border Issues Coalition meeting, which, as she remembers it, included representatives from the Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritans, Border Links, Just Coffee and No More Deaths. She soon joined in planning the next Border Issues Fair, since promotion and writing were her strong suits, honed from her time with the national UCC. It wasn’t long before she was writing the news releases and doing other promotion for the annual event.
At this point, Sandra still hadn’t been to a Samaritans meeting, though she was aware of the group. Then, in 2008, through her youngest daughter’s connection with the Institute for Critical Languages at Arizona State University, Sandra was asked to arrange a visit to the border for a group from Kosovo in January 2009. They were in Arizona to explore the role of faith communities in secular society. Sandra turned to Randy Mayer, pastor of Good Shepherd UCC, and the Samaritans to provide the group with an introduction to how humanitarian groups are working to prevent migrant deaths in the desert. As a result of that experience, Sandra was invited to be part of a group travelling from Arizona to Kosovo that May, where they continued the conversation regarding faith communities and social justice issues.
Sandra became a regular at Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritan meetings, with her first involvement as part of its Writers Group. In 2010, she remembers sending a "letter to the editor" at the Washington Post, in response to a column she had seen. Her letter, written to "set a few things straight," was published. "My one claim to fame," she says with a wry smile.
Sandra Rooney continues on with the Samaritan Writers Group, goes on Searches and helps promote the Border Issues Fair. She's an advocate for justice wherever the need may be.
So, in 2006, Sandra went to a Border Issues Coalition meeting, which, as she remembers it, included representatives from the Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritans, Border Links, Just Coffee and No More Deaths. She soon joined in planning the next Border Issues Fair, since promotion and writing were her strong suits, honed from her time with the national UCC. It wasn’t long before she was writing the news releases and doing other promotion for the annual event.
At this point, Sandra still hadn’t been to a Samaritans meeting, though she was aware of the group. Then, in 2008, through her youngest daughter’s connection with the Institute for Critical Languages at Arizona State University, Sandra was asked to arrange a visit to the border for a group from Kosovo in January 2009. They were in Arizona to explore the role of faith communities in secular society. Sandra turned to Randy Mayer, pastor of Good Shepherd UCC, and the Samaritans to provide the group with an introduction to how humanitarian groups are working to prevent migrant deaths in the desert. As a result of that experience, Sandra was invited to be part of a group travelling from Arizona to Kosovo that May, where they continued the conversation regarding faith communities and social justice issues.
Sandra became a regular at Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritan meetings, with her first involvement as part of its Writers Group. In 2010, she remembers sending a "letter to the editor" at the Washington Post, in response to a column she had seen. Her letter, written to "set a few things straight," was published. "My one claim to fame," she says with a wry smile.
Sandra Rooney continues on with the Samaritan Writers Group, goes on Searches and helps promote the Border Issues Fair. She's an advocate for justice wherever the need may be.