Working for Members

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative's (WEC) Newest Board Member Sees Serving As Another Way To Help Others

Sandy Wright Morris rattles off the list of her hobbies without hesitation.

“I like to work, love to go to church, love to be with my family, and, really, I love to help people,” Morris says.

Morris’ daughter, Cassie Lynn Copeland, says her mother has always helped others, whether it was simply taking time to visit with them or taking them a meal. Copeland says her mother never meets a stranger, and Morris just connects with people who don’t have families or anyone to take care of them.

“Mom ends up being that person for them,” Copeland says. “That’s her calling.”

At her church, Hacoda Baptist, Morris’ favorite activity is the annual fundraiser for Jeep Sullivan’s Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventures, a program based in Bonifay, Florida, which connects veterans and soldiers injured in combat with hunting and fishing activities.

As the newest member of the Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s Board of Trustees, Morris sees serving on the board as another way to help people.

“It’s just more people for me to get to meet,” Morris says, adding that she attends as many cooperative functions as she can to get to know employees and members. “There are so many people there that I don’t know. I want to get out and mingle with people and let people know me and who I am personally. They can read about you or see you, but to me, until somebody actually gets to meet you personally, I think, that’s where it makes a difference.”

Morris owns and operates Sandy’s on Main Beauty Shop, located across from the Samson Feed and Seed store. She’s been in business in the same location for 25 years. When she was younger, she worked in her family’s restaurant, The Wright Place, where she met her husband, Jim.

A Samson native, her family has been in the Geneva County town for more than a century.

For years, Morris says she considered ways to help people outside of what she has always done. The right opportunity presented itself when she decided to seek nomination to the WEC board. She made the decision while on a drive back to Samson after 1 of her father’s chemotherapy treatments.

Her father, Forrest Wright, vowed to be her biggest supporter. He saw her win the seat on the board but passed away before her term began.

In deciding to seek a seat on the WEC board, Morris committed to keeping members’ rates low while ensuring reliable energy for the future and prioritizing safety for employees and members.

Morris says she loves getting out and talking to other WEC members.

“I prayed about it,” she says of seeking nomination to the WEC board. “To me, that was another way of being able to help people.”

Morris describes herself as a happy person who, while not perfect, works hard in everything she does. She focuses on her faith in God in her daily life, no matter what she is facing — it’s a focus that Morris says has always come easily for her.

“My thing is, we are here on this earth to uplift people, and I have been blessed to do this,” she says.

So far, serving on the cooperative board has exceeded her expectations.

“I’ve got a lot to learn,” Morris says. “I’m not going to sit here and say I know everything. In fact, I don’t. But I’m willing to learn, and I’m excited to get that opportunity to be with Wiregrass and work for our members.”

Meet Sandy Wright Morris

• 

  Hometown: Samson

• Family: husband, Jim Morris; parents, Forrest (deceased) and Charlotte Wright; children, Mary Katherine Morris, Jay Morris, Cassie Lynn Copeland; grandchildren, Ty and Haizlie Grace.
• Hobbies: Being at her hair salon. Serving her church, Hacoda Baptist. Spending time with family and friends. Volunteering.
• WEC Membership: When she was growing up, her family belonged to WEC. Morris and her husband have been members for 23 years.