Liz Tyndorf
Sandpiper of the Year
I’m proud to serve as the 2024-25 Sandpiper of the Year, elected by our membership in recognition of my contributions to Sandpipers in my Associate years, beyond my Active years when I joined in 2006. It’s a great honor and I hope to continue to serve with the dignity that this position deserves.
I joined Sandpipers the week that I came back from my honeymoon so these women have been through many big life events with me, and the friendships I’ve made have been so important in my life. As a Chicago transplant to the South Bay in 2002, living away from family and raising my children here, I looked for a way to contribute to our community and put down roots in Hermosa Beach. Sandpipers has been a touchstone for me, spending ⅓ of my life as a Sandpiper. Over my life, the most meaningful relationships have been with the people I’ve volunteered with and I will always hold a special place in my heart for the agencies that we serve.
During my active years, I was Co-Chair of the Holiday Homes Tour which is the event that drew me to joining Sandpipers. I was pregnant with my twins that year so everyone remembers my baby belly in those planning meetings and waddling through the homes. Those boys are now 16 years old, driving around town and 11th graders at Mira Costa High School! My husband Tim always jokes that at 5’8” I’m the shortest person in the family!
I stayed involved with Holiday Homes Tour through my Associate years, and worked on facilitated homes on committees and as a co-chair in 2020. Besides the tour, my favorite committee has been the Scholarship Committee where we award 4-year gap scholarships to up to 15 local high school seniors every year. Staying in touch with these scholarship recipients has been so rewarding and watching the next chapters of their lives unfold has been a gift! After my “SOY” year responsibilities taper off, I hope to rejoin the Scholarship Committee.
As an Associate, I have been involved in our Social Committee where we host events for our group. I’ve become friends with many women who I didn’t know as an Active and have seen these events as a great way to welcome in new Associate members. Inclusion is important to me, so I hope to continue to provide meetings and events that are interesting and amusing and that feel like a group of old friends getting together. I’m thankful to the many Associates who still contribute to our various committees including our annual Founders Day event in November.
Some of the world’s greatest teachers have quotes on the qualities of giving. I believe that having a generous spirit is selfish because the act of giving is so rewarding and makes you feel so good. Giving is more than writing a check or contributing volunteer hours - it’s being open and willing to help others who need us. My lifetime devotion to Sandpipers puts me in membership with other women who have the same life philosophy. Here’s to 2024-25 which will be one of the most memorable and rewarding years of my life!
