Sandidge Humanitarian of the Year

The Crowley Chamber of Commerce has announced that Mrs. Margaret L. ‘Peggy’ Sandidge has been named Crowley’s Humanitarian of the Year for 2014.

Sandidge was born in Franklin. She graduated from Franklin High School at age 16 and continued on to Louisiana State University to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. 

She was married to Travis for 59 years and lived in various locations due to his employment in the oil industry. This led Peggy to have numerous jobs, including assistant at a lawyer’s office, clerk at insurance agency and secretary at Louisiana Unemployment Office. She worked in real estate and taught kindergarten, first and third grade.

Sandidge worked for H&R Block for 30 years and in 1984, moved to Crowley to operate the local H & R Block, which she and her husband owned.

She and Travis raised three children, Lenore Anderson of Denville, N.J., Carl Sandidge of Abita Springs and Tom Sandidge of Lynchburg, Va. They have four grandchildren, Elliot and Grady Sandidge and Paige and Ashley Anderson. 

Sandidge devotes most of her time to prayer ministry. She has been the program chair for the National Day of Prayer, served at Ms. Helen’s Soup Kitchen and KAJN’s Upper Room Prayer Ministry. She is a member of First Baptist Church, a Sunday school director, adult Bible teacher, a prayer coordinator, serves in jail ministry and nursing home ministry, and is on the Benevolence Committee.

She has been a member of the Rotary Club of Crowley for four years and served on the board of directors for the last two years. She was named the Rotary Club of Crowley’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2013.

Through the Rotary Club, Sandidge was able to organize a Youth Act Club at Armstrong Middle School in Rayne, establish a library at a local parish prison, coordinate Soup Kitchen volunteers, deliver Christmas Baskets, send out cards to Rotary members and their family in times of need, and she currently serves on the Membership Committee and the Human and Community Service Committee.

Sandidge is also an active member of the Crowley Chamber of Commerce. She served as coordinator for the Leadership EXCEL program for eight years and has been part of the Food Committee for the Acadia Parish Career Expo for the last five years.

She has volunteered her time to Chamber by attending grand openings and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, as well as assisting with numerous Chamber events.

Sandidge serves her community, church and club and exemplifies the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self,” in everything that she does.

All are invited to join the Chamber at the Annual Banquet Thursday, May 8, at the Grand Opera House of the South where Sandidge will be honored as the 2014 Humanitarian of the Year.

The Chamber will also recognize its board of directors, the Business Person of the Year and Outstanding Young Citizens.

Dinner, catered by Fezzo’s, will begin with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at 6 p.m with service at 7 p.m.

During the cocktail hour, the crowd will have the opportunity to bid on items in a silent auction.

Advance tickets may be purchased by calling the Chamber office, at 788-0177. Individual tickets are $40; a table for eight may be reserved for $300.