REM Award Honorees (2019) — Sandy Myers and Jonathan Rogers (Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services)

When Sandy Myers was 10, her parents moved the family, two dogs, a station wagon with only $1000 back to their home state of Maine. If it were not for the love and support of her uncle, her family would have been homeless! Sandy has always seen the needs of others and felt deeply to do something about it.

She graduated from Nokomis Regional High School and pursued a career in physical therapy, graduating from the University of New England with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and later in 1994 with a doctorate in physical therapy. Her career journey led her to many settings from private practice, to schools, to industries, to skilled nursing care centers, and home health. Twenty years ago, she landed at Northern Light Inland Hospital where she has served as the Director for their Rehabilitation services.

In 2009, Sandy became involved with the Waterville Area Homeless Action Group working to meet the needs of the homeless in Waterville. In 2011, she was asked to join the Board of Directors at MMHS&S. Later, she became chair of the management committee and, in 2017, chair of the Board of Directors.

Sandy has led the Shelter through a new era of significant growth. Last year, we changed our name to the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services to reflect not only the warm bed and meal but also the hand up for permanent housing, job training, accessing health services, education and more.

Sandy and her husband Rick live in Gardiner. They have five children, four sons-in-law, and nine grandchildren — soon to be 10! Sandy enjoys spending time with her family, and giving back to her community.

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Jonathan Rogers was born in Portland and grew up in Freeport. He attended school in Freeport until leaving at age 16 to attend Pinehenge School, a progressive experimental school that operated in Waterford from 1968 to 1973. Jon took the 10-year-college plan to see the country, work at interesting, labor-intensive jobs, and sample several colleges before graduating from the University of Maine in Orono in 1979.

While at Orono Jon worked for a student-government-funded law firm called Student Legal Services. He developed an interest in the law and attended Franklin Pierce Law Center, now the University of New Hampshire Law School. He graduated in 1986 and came to work in Waterville where he practiced law for over 30 years at Weeks & Hutchins, LLC.

Jon had the good fortune to meet and become partners in marriage with Kathleen McKay, an educator. Jon’s blessings continued as he and Kathleen parented two sons, Jonathan and Michael. Young Jonathan is a Unitarian-Universalist minister in Atlanta, GA, while Michael is the data manager for the Maine Democratic Party. Now old Jonathan loves to sail, ski, and stare blankly at the birds in his bird feeder. He also reads a lot of poetry and plays a little harmonica.

Jon has been a dedicated volunteer at the MMHS&S for many years. He volunteers not only as the clerk for the board of directors, but also in the kitchen monthly and at the front desk greeting donors and visitors weekly.

To learn more about Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter and Services, please visit its website.

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