Skowhegan: Amanda May Sandford, 40, of Skowhegan, Maine, passed away peacefully after a brief battle with cancer on September 15, 2024. Born in Skowhegan on June 22, 1984, she was the daughter of Barry and Rebecca Sandford. Amanda grew up in Athens, where she attended Athens Elementary School through the 8th grade and later graduated from Madison Area Memorial High School. She earned an associate's degree as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant from Kennebec Valley Community College. Amanda had an immense love for children and dedicated her whole career serving them in many ways. Her journey began as a certified occupational therapy assistant where she worked with children with special needs or those who were recovering from an injury. Amanda then worked as a 1:1 support for many special needs children in her community, helping them develop independence, social skills, and offered much-needed respite for their parents. She also advocated tirelessly for them for better services at the state, local, and school levels. In 2021, Amanda took on the role of a STEM teacher at the Margret Chase Smith School REACH program where she stayed until her passing. This is where she found her passion. She poured her heart out by learning all she could about STEM and sharing her knowledge in a fun and engaging way with her students. Her enthusiasm and commitment were evident to her peers and, most importantly, to the children she taught. Amanda seized every opportunity for professional development to further her skills as a STEM teacher and always spoke with great pride about the REACH program. Amanda was recently honored with an award recognizing her excellence in STEM instruction by the Maine Afterschool Network. In Amanda's spare time, her lifelong passion for horses shaped much of her time and energy. Over the years, she dedicated herself to riding, caring for, and even showing horses. Her mini mare, Cotton, was especially dear to her, and together they won numerous awards and formed lasting friendships within the horse community. Amanda even shared her love for horses with her students in the REACH program by creating a "horse club," where she introduced them to Cotton and another mini mare named Toby, giving the kids hands-on experiences. She also brought Cotton to a local church event, allowing children to pet Cotton and walk her around, spreading the joy of her passion even further. Amanda always lived with unwavering determination. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 15 and Crohn's disease at 16. However, she quickly learned to navigate the physical, emotional, and social challenges of managing two lifelong conditions while striving to experience a normal life. She did that with a fulfilling career, close friendships, spending time with family, and caring for her beloved horse, Cotton, and her dog, Pepper. Despite facing her own health challenges, she remained unwavering. Her strength and resilience were an inspiration to all who knew her. Amanda was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, niece, friend, teacher, and worker. She poured her heart into caring for the people she loved and everything she pursued. She was a passionate advocate for children and was determined to ensure that every child in her care received the support and resources they needed to thrive. Amanda was also well known for her grateful heart, always expressing appreciation for those around her and for the opportunities life brought her way. Her strength, perseverance, and sense of purpose inspired everyone who knew her. And with Amanda, you always knew where you stood—her fierce love for you and others was undeniable. She always wanted the best for those she cared about, and even when it was difficult to hear, it came from a place of deep love and a desire to help everyone grow and improve. She will be deeply missed by her parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and her entire extended family. Amanda wasn't just cherished by her family; she was deeply loved by her closest friends as well. Her passing has left a profound void in their hearts, a testament to the impact she had. Her absence will also be felt by coworkers and the community she touched so profoundly. Amanda's influence clearly reached far beyond her immediate circle, and her kindness, dedication, and passion for helping others will continue to resonate in the lives of those she impacted. Though she is no longer with us, her legacy of love and service will live on, inspiring all who knew her. Amanda is survived by her parents, Rebecca and Barry Sandford; her sister Jennifer Bishop and husband Terry, and their children Hayden and McKenna; her brother Chad Grignon and his wife Veronique, and their children Antoine, Isabelle, Chloee, and Adele. A graveside service will be held at 3pm on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Mount Rest Cemetery, Athens ME. There will also be a celebration of life immediately following at Chad and Veronique's home, 181 Fox Hill Rd, Athens. Amanda's family would like to invite those who knew and loved her to join them for the graveside service and celebration of life. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a scholarship set up in Amanda's memory called "Miss Amanda's REACH for the Stars Scholarship." The REACH Afterschool Program and the Maine Afterschool Network are creating this scholarship that will support graduating seniors from Skowhegan who attended the REACH program and are pursuing a degree in a STEM-related field. Donations can be sent to MSAD 54, 196 West Front St, Skowhegan, Maine 04976, in care of "The Amanda Sandford Scholarship Fund." You can also donate online https://gofund.me/fcdf4adb. Mizzon Education, a platform Amanda frequently used for her STEM lessons, has pledged to make an annual contribution to the fund in her honor.