Inspiring Rancho Cordovan

Madelaine Sanderson

Each year we take a look around our community for somebody who stands out and leaves us inspired. This year, we drew inspiration from a Rancho Cordova native and mother of four, an active citizen, who decided to do more than complain, more than volunteer – she made the audacious decision to put herself out to be judged and run for public office.

Spoiler alert: She didn’t win. She was defeated by the most slender of margins – a mere 29 votes. But we were inspired nonetheless and were reminded that “A cowboy knows that the journey is just as important as the destination.”

Madelaine Sanderson is a great example of a mother and citizen working hard on so many fronts to improve the lives of others, she puts the rest of us to shame.

Her service to others is seen every day in her work on the staff of the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership, an established not-for-profit organization dedicated

to empowering the children, youth and families of the community.

Madelaine is the lead home visitor within their Home Visitation Department. Part of the Sacramento Birth & Beyond Collaborative, her role includes family support services which help to stabilize families.

For most of us, that would be enough. But Madelaine was just getting started.

Over at Rancho Cordova Elementary School, you will find her serving on the School Site Council and the Positive Behavior Interventions Support Committee. She advocates for kids on the District Advisory Committee for Rancho Cordova Elementary and Music Boosters at Mitchell Middle School.

Over at Cordova High School, she is vice president of the board of the Rancho Cordova Student Athletic Coalition. RC-SAC added new wayfinding signage across the campus, helps with coaching stipends, athlete uniforms, transportation costs, security and more. But she is also where the rubber meets the road, hustling in the snack bar or at the California Capital Airshow and beyond to help raise money to support the Cordova High football Lancers.

Through her church, she has served a wide array of projects ranging from kitchen staff at a girls camp to youth activity leader and more.

If we were to stop here, Madelaine would certainly be considered an inspirational person. But it was what she did next that put her over the top in our book.

Deciding that all that she does was not enough, she made the brave decision very few of us do – to put herself in front of her community and ask for votes.

In a year of national political upheaval, Madelaine was all-in for her community. Matched against a long serving incumbent, she fiercely campaigned for kids, taking what she has been doing onto the campaign trail. When the votes were counted, the tally was 4,830 to 4,801 – just 29 votes short.

Just to be clear, this award is not about campaigns or elections, or who won or who lost in a Rancho Cordova school board election. Rather, it is about how an individual Rancho Cordova citizen prioritizes service to others in a way that knows no bounds – and never gives up.

Madelaine, you are an incredible example of leadership, hard work and dedication to your community. You are a true inspiration to many who may not have recognized that they, like you, have nothing to lose and everything to gain by reaching into your soul and believing “I can do it!”

Madelaine Sanderson, you are an Inspiring Rancho Cordovan. Keep your eyes on the horizon and your heart on the trail. Ride your trail, no matter where it leads. We will be watching.