Couple Honored for Decades of Service

Powhatan Today August 10, 2026 By Roslyn Ryan Managing Editor

All good things, as they say, must come to an end.

But even as long-time Powhatan residents Don and Terry Sanders prepare to

leave the County for their new home in South Carolina this month, they will be

leaving behind a legacy that will continue to enrich the lives of Powhatan

residents for years to come.

For decades, the Sanders have played a key role in the County’s efforts to

ensure residents’ access to housing and healthcare, contributing generously to

both Habitat for Humanity Powhatan and the Powhatan Free Clinic.

The needs have always been there, says Don, a family physician who retired

last year after a 50-year career spent serving patients in and around

Powhatan, a role that allowed him to see first-hand how working families

often struggle with the cost of basic needs.

What he and his wife hoped they could do, he says, was help local

organizations in their mission to meet those needs.

To that end, the Sanders have donated three lots to Powhatan Habitat for

Humanity in recent years, gifts that allowed the organization to provide a path

to homeownership for local families who might otherwise be unable to achieve

that goal. Terry also served for many years on the Board for Powhatan

Habitat, contributing greatly to the organization’s growth and outreach

efforts.

“Terry was the first board president with whom I worked to co-pilot the

affiliate, and I so appreciated her dedication to Habitat’s mission and

support,” said Susan Winiecki, Habitat’s executive director since summer

2020. “Though Terry rolled off the board in June 2022, she continued to serve

as co-chair of the gala committee through 2024 and lent support to all our

events. The Sanders’ civic leadership will be sorely missed.”

In addition to their work with Habitat, the couple also donated countless

hours of service to the Powhatan Free Clinic, with both serving on the board

and Don volunteering both as a physician and as the clinic’s Medical Director.

Powhatan Free Clinic executive director Elizabeth Ream noted last week that

the couple was willing and eager to help support the clinic in any way they

could, and that their combined experience in the nonprofit sector allowed

them to have an even greater impact.

“It really doesn’t get any better than that,” Ream said.

In honor of the Sanders’ many contributions to the County--including, as a

demonstration of their commitment to public safety, the donation of land for

the County’s Company 5 fire station--the Powhatan County Board of

Supervisors last month issued a proclamation thanking the couple for their

unwavering support and dedication to the community.

“Dr. and Mrs. Sanders have exemplified the highest ideals of civic engagement

and philanthropy through decades of service to the citizens of Powhatan

County, giving freely of their time, talents, and resources for the betterment of

the community,” stated the proclamation, which went on to extend the board’s

appreciation and encourage “all citizens to join in recognizing their

outstanding example of community leadership and selfless service.”

As the Sanders prepared last week to depart for South Carolina, both noted

that the feeling is bittersweet. The move will allow them to be closer to family,

but they are also leaving behind many deep friendships and a community that

has become as much a part of them as they have become of it.

To be sure, they will be missed. But, as so many have noted, their impact will

certainly live on.

Ream pointed out that both Don and Terry have long served as role models for

those seeking to lift up their community.

“They live their lives in a way that is remarkable,” Ream said. “And I think that

is something we all want to emulate.”