Fueled by deep passion rather than deep pockets, lifelong Santa Maria resident Sara Macdonald has devoted countless hours to volunteering and advocating for her local community.
Macdonald currently serves in several volunteer roles, including president of the Democratic Club of Santa Maria Valley, Central Coast regional representative for the California Poor People’s Campaign, and vice chair of the CenCal Health Community Advisory Board.
She explained that giving back to the community doesn’t require wealth, only dedication to making change.
“What keeps me motivated is that we’re in a world that’s hurting, and for me, if I were to step out of doing that work, I would feel awful,” Macdonald said. “Gee, everybody needs to be willing to roll up their sleeves, tie their shoelaces tighter, get out, and do the work.”
As someone who grew up in Santa Maria and continues to live there, she recognizes the community’s needs.
“It’s as basic as knowing that we have people who are hurting in our community, and they need somebody to be able to use their voices, their hearts, their minds, and their knowledge to make change,” she said.
Macdonald receives CenCal Health insurance and is an active representative for other recipients in the local community. She acknowledged that many people find it intimidating to speak out about health care challenges, making her role as an advocate especially important.
“My voice can carry for the people who aren’t familiar with how to lift up their voices about health care and the challenges,” Macdonald noted.
CenCal Health Strategic Engagement Director Citlaly Santos explained that Macdonald’s voice is “vital” because not only is she a member of CenCal Health but she is also a member of the broader community. Santos said that Macdonald engages with people in the community, learns of their concerns, and relays that information to policymakers at CenCal Health.
“She represents the needs of our neighbors, of the people who live in this community, who care about health care, and who care about the well-being of residents in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County,” Santos said.
Santos laughed when she said that Macdonald must have more than 24 hours in her day because of how many organizations and community endeavors she is involved with.
“I think that her activism knows no bounds,” Santos said. “She’s active locally, but she also uses social media to make sure that she’s able to spread the word even beyond the local communities.”
Macdonald uses platforms like Facebook to spread awareness about upcoming local events and board meetings. She believes that using social media is just one more way for her to motivate others to get involved in volunteer and advocacy efforts.
“If everybody would get involved in something, we’d be able to make changes in our community for education and for people who are having trouble making ends meet,” Macdonald said. “It’s part of what I call our ‘civic engagement.’”
Macdonald noted that her interest in community engagement has been “wide and vast” since the 1990s. She explained how even if she doesn’t have money to give freely, she has time, talent, and treasure to offer.
“I believe it’s part of who I am,” Macdonald said. “It’s not an escape. It’s my work.”
Send tips to Staff Writer Emma Montalbano at emontalbano@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 9-19, 2025.