SARAH CC Being Honored
April 8th, 2008
The Orange County Human Relations Commission will shortly be holding their 37th annual awards ceremony, “Honoring outstanding people for their exemplary contributions to human relations in our schools, community and police departments.” SARAH CC-organizer Sande Harte has been recognized in the category of Community Leaders.
Sande Hart has been volunteering her energy and resources to create a more inclusive Orange County since her involvement in OC Human Relations 2002 Living Room Dialogues. As a member of Temple Beth El, Sande joined a South County dialogue group to get to know and learn about people from the Muslim and Christian faiths. That particular dialogue group decided to take an interfaith trip to Mexico to build a home for a family in need.
Following the Mexican volunteer initiative, Sande spearheaded the foundation of SARAH (Spiritual and Religious Alliance for Hope). Through SARAH, Sande invited women from different faiths to monthly meetings to dialogue, listen, share and learn from each other. At this time there are over 200 women who call themselves SARAH Sisters. By creating a website, www.sarah4hope.org, Sande has spread the spirit of SARAH Sisters throughout Orange County and the world.
In addition to dialogue, SARAH is committed to helping to empower the community. Their projects include Peace Tapestries, which are made at community events by people of all ages, cultures and religions. The intent is to have these creations travel from community to community, spreading a message of peace and love. Sande is also involved in promoting panel discussions to places of worship and universities, youth empowerment programs, and interfaith festivals. By building bridges between communities of faith, Sande is creating harmony and unity in Orange County.