CONGRATULATIONS to our 2021 Ambassadors of Respect!

Macey Smith (15)

Macey raised $750 for volleyball equipment for Davie Rec and Parks.  “Through this process, I learned the value of giving back to my community.  While growing up, I along with many friends, played volleyball at DCRP; here I gained a passion for volleyball and made many lifelong friends.  I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to see young women benefit from this equipment.”

​Maddie Kulis (17)

Maddie organized the first Davie County Buddy Walk team for raising funds and awareness for Down Syndrome in May 2020.  “We were 1 of the 35 teams for the walk on September 26, 2020.  Our team goal was to raise $500. We raised $945 plus our team won three awards.  I have a passion to learn and embrace my peers who have special needs. Whether that is Down syndrome, autism, handicap or even a learning disability. I learned at a young age that not everyone feels comfortable around people who are different from them. My experience in showing respect to them - is opening your heart to see them as you see yourself. It brings out the absolute best in them. They feel seen and appreciated. My peers with special needs are so pure and full of Grace. It makes me want to be a better person. “

Phillip (PJ) Peck (21)

PJ is putting together “How are You?” Zoom parties where people come together and discuss different topics such as mental health.  People have the opportunity to share in a respectful and safe environment.  The plan is to focus on middle schools, and hopefully the project will “inspire people to start listening and gain an understanding of others.”  
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​Kathryn Anderson (18)

​Kathryn Anderson’s father introduced the family to mountain biking during Kathryn’s freshman year of high school.  The first few races she was very intimidated and then developed a real love for the sport. In her junior year of HS, she really saw a need and recognized that she could help other girls who wanted to participate based on her experiences in what has traditionally been a sport dominated by boys and men.  She set about creating a community of girls by matching an older more experienced rider with younger riders.  “Respect isn't just being kind to others; it’s taking a stand to advocate for something you are passionate about. I show respect by creating a safe space for beginner female riders to grow their skills and character.”

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​Salem Taylor (12)

​Mary Cain (16)

Warm welcome to our newest Ambassador of Respect: Salem Taylor!
On 8/18 at Mocksville town hall,  Salem Taylor was awarded with an Ambassador of Respect Certificate and a $1,000 check for her winning idea. Her Respect project is to set up a website to match young pen pals with older adults.  She came up with the idea after observing that some of her elderly neighbors and her grandmother get lonely.  Salem is a pure, bright light and a real server with a big heart.  Here is a short video for your enjoyment! 

Mary Cain, the newest Ambassador of Respect with her project of building corn hole sets for Family Promise of Davie County. County Manager, David Bone, presented Mary with the check for $1000 and shared part of her application that meant a lot to him. “Respect is something that is said to be earned, but personally I think people forget that it’s also something to be maintained. It doesn’t matter what rank you have in the workplace or in life, if you gain or lose respect, you have to think about WHY you gained or lost it and will you put in the work to maintain that respect.”
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​Journey Bowman (14)

Congratulations to this Ambassador of Respect (AoR) for her second $1,000.00 award from the Davie Respect Initiative for her creative contribution.  “To be on the receiving end of respectfulness is powerful and uplifting.  When you are being shown respect it makes you feel heard.”  Journey is making some older adults in our community both heard and seen.  Her project, “Senior Spotlight,” highlights a variety of seniors in Davie County.  They are interviewed by Journey and then an article and picture of the senior is prepared for publication in the Davie Enterprise.  She discussed her idea with Mike Barnhardt, the editor of the Enterprise before beginning her project.  She hopes her articles will inspire others to visit their older family members and friends as there is so much to be learned from them.

​Hannah Watson (18)

Hannah’s respect initiative idea was to organize a Peer Tutoring Center.  She recognized that with Covid restrictions lightening up and a struggle to find a new normal, that many students have fallen behind in certain areas of their schoolwork or have gaps that might affect them in later classes.  Hannah thought a tutoring center would be especially helpful to the kids who are not as comfortable in a classroom setting.  Her idea is that this could be offered as a club for upperclassmen to join and be certified to tutor other students in classes that they feel confident in.  Next steps for Hannah include talking to the principal, getting in touch with faculty about serving as possible advisors and finding a good space - perhaps the Learning Commons or Guidance Office.  Clearly a very worthwhile and needed project.

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​Amilea Redmon (16)

​Congratulations to Amilea for her contributions to Davie County and in particular to inspiring those people on the autism spectrum.  Amilea and her mother created a small business called Art4Cause.  Amilea has high functioning autism and social anxiety and from an early age she loved to draw.  Her mother, Stephanie, noticed that when Amilea gave her pictures away, it not only gave pleasure to other people, but it made her daughter happy to see other people smile at her artwork.  Her “koopaling” characters would bring a smile to anyone’s face!  “I hope what I do will inspire everyone, especially people on the spectrum like me, to try and don’t give up on what they love to do.”  During the pandemic, Amilea gave her artwork to shut-ins and folks in nursing homes as well as family and friends; her goal is to see her artwork in different locations and to have a store for her art, so she can hire some folks on the spectrum that, like her, have a hard time communicating with and talking to people.  “It’s so important to be kind.” 

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