2023/24 Panelists
These community members volunteered to serve as the selection panel to evaluate all the submissions and award up to three ideas a prize of $1,000 each quarter! They each have contributed in some way to our community and offer a great support in the effort of spreading Respect in Davie County.
Candis Bailey
Candis lives in Mocksville. She has worked in customer service for over 20 years and is currently a Shipping & Receiving Clerk at QST Industries (Mocksville) and Tax Preparer at Jackson Hewitt
She has a BA in Communications and an MA in Adult Education and Training and is an active member of New Jerusalem Apostolic Church in Mocksville, NC.
Candis’s passion is helping people, communicating and crafting and she has a great willingness to continue growing and developing..
Fun fact about Candis - she loves homemade soaps and cheese of all kinds.
“The Davie Respect Initiative gives youth the opportunity to not only exercise their passion, but to realize their passion in the first place. The opportunity puts applicants in touch with people to help, as well as people who can help the applicant.”
Her favorite quote is by Charles Stanley: “It is discipline, not desire, that determines your destiny.”
She has a BA in Communications and an MA in Adult Education and Training and is an active member of New Jerusalem Apostolic Church in Mocksville, NC.
Candis’s passion is helping people, communicating and crafting and she has a great willingness to continue growing and developing..
Fun fact about Candis - she loves homemade soaps and cheese of all kinds.
“The Davie Respect Initiative gives youth the opportunity to not only exercise their passion, but to realize their passion in the first place. The opportunity puts applicants in touch with people to help, as well as people who can help the applicant.”
Her favorite quote is by Charles Stanley: “It is discipline, not desire, that determines your destiny.”
Charles Willard
Charles has been volunteering with the Davie Respect Initiative (DRI) for over a year. He embodies Respect.
Charles has had a very interesting and varied career from working in Lighter than Air (LTA) Aviation with a focus on manufacturing hot air balloons, helium blimps and aerostats to working with firefighting technologies. Recently he has been consulting for a non-profit, PARI – Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, to help establish satellite tracking contracts and relationships!
“I believe the Respect Initiative benefits young people by listening to their ideas and giving them an encouraging & safe opportunity to be caring and creative for the benefit of others. At the same time, hopefully, the DRI experience will benefit the applicant by reinforcing this important value. In the seemingly disrespectful environments we live in today – it is a joy to hear these young men and women share how they want to make a difference in the lives of others!”
Charles hopes to be a positive influence on his family and especially his children and grandchildren. He wants to grow stronger in his faith and enjoys connecting with all kinds of people.
DRI is thankful for his contribution!
Charles has had a very interesting and varied career from working in Lighter than Air (LTA) Aviation with a focus on manufacturing hot air balloons, helium blimps and aerostats to working with firefighting technologies. Recently he has been consulting for a non-profit, PARI – Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, to help establish satellite tracking contracts and relationships!
“I believe the Respect Initiative benefits young people by listening to their ideas and giving them an encouraging & safe opportunity to be caring and creative for the benefit of others. At the same time, hopefully, the DRI experience will benefit the applicant by reinforcing this important value. In the seemingly disrespectful environments we live in today – it is a joy to hear these young men and women share how they want to make a difference in the lives of others!”
Charles hopes to be a positive influence on his family and especially his children and grandchildren. He wants to grow stronger in his faith and enjoys connecting with all kinds of people.
DRI is thankful for his contribution!
Sean Lane
Sean was awarded as an Ambassador of Respect in 2022, and his enthusiasm is welcomed on the panel. He is currently a Junior at Davie High School and also enrolled at DDCC. He is thinking of pursuing a career in business and currently has a job working at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church playing Piano.“Respect is so powerful; it can make someone’s day. One act can create a ripple effect from one person to the next. Respect should always be remembered and applied to all things we do, to make a better world for the people around us.” Besides spreading respect, Sean enjoys playing tennis, participating in the DCHS bands, and crafting!
“I would say my best quality is my determination to be involved. I always try to take advantage of the many wonderful opportunities around me.”
Some fun facts about Sean: He loves Italian food of any kind and is a triplet!!! His favorite quote is by Michael Scott: "You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take."
“I would say my best quality is my determination to be involved. I always try to take advantage of the many wonderful opportunities around me.”
Some fun facts about Sean: He loves Italian food of any kind and is a triplet!!! His favorite quote is by Michael Scott: "You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take."
Sonja Ivey
Sonja brings much experience and wisdom to the team of panelists. She was previously in marketing operations and now is an entrepreneur with a variety of interests. Sonja shares why DRI is important for youth and for the community. “The Respect Initiative benefits young people through a forum designed to expose them to firsthand experience formalizing, presenting, and implementing ideas they develop to positively impact their community. Participants interact with a network of volunteers who review their ideas, provide constructive encouragement, and assist with implementation when needed.
Respect is important because it can improve the quality of life in a community. When a person is respected, they feel valued and are more likely to show respect to others as well."
Sonja enjoys quality time with family, cooking, traveling and volunteering. She is very active in the 4-H program in Davie County.
Sonja spreads kindness and goodwill throughout the community and this is exemplified in her favorite quote by Jane Goodall. "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
For fun she enjoys taking road trips and exploring quirky roadside attractions along the way. Her favorite meal is Ribs, mac & cheese with peach cobbler - Yummm!
Respect is important because it can improve the quality of life in a community. When a person is respected, they feel valued and are more likely to show respect to others as well."
Sonja enjoys quality time with family, cooking, traveling and volunteering. She is very active in the 4-H program in Davie County.
Sonja spreads kindness and goodwill throughout the community and this is exemplified in her favorite quote by Jane Goodall. "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
For fun she enjoys taking road trips and exploring quirky roadside attractions along the way. Her favorite meal is Ribs, mac & cheese with peach cobbler - Yummm!
Sylas Johnson
Sylas was 12 years old when he and Scarlett Brock were awardees for their inclusive idea of creating a Spanish Club at South Middle School to reach out to the Hispanic students and help make them feel more welcome. Now at 14, Sylas is a valuable member of the DRI panelist team.
Sylas is a Renaissance man with a variety of interests and skills: writing, poetry, tennis, oboe and most recently a lead role in “Mean Girls”. In addition to this he has been very active with DRI, caroling at nursing homes and most recently playing Bingo with the residents at Somerset Court.
When asked about his experience with DRI and as a panelist, Sylas shares, “I’ve met new people and gained new experiences that I would never been able to have without DRI. Amazing experiences like the All-America City Awards have changed my life for the better. Being on the panel has been a great experience where I have learned to be a fair judge and have also had the opportunity to see the excellent and creative ideas of my peers who apply.”
“Being in the play, “Mean Girls”, was a great experience and helped diminish any fear of being on stage. Singing, having lots of fun, lots of hard work and dedication was an unforgettable experience and it doubled my confidence.”
Sylas is a Renaissance man with a variety of interests and skills: writing, poetry, tennis, oboe and most recently a lead role in “Mean Girls”. In addition to this he has been very active with DRI, caroling at nursing homes and most recently playing Bingo with the residents at Somerset Court.
When asked about his experience with DRI and as a panelist, Sylas shares, “I’ve met new people and gained new experiences that I would never been able to have without DRI. Amazing experiences like the All-America City Awards have changed my life for the better. Being on the panel has been a great experience where I have learned to be a fair judge and have also had the opportunity to see the excellent and creative ideas of my peers who apply.”
“Being in the play, “Mean Girls”, was a great experience and helped diminish any fear of being on stage. Singing, having lots of fun, lots of hard work and dedication was an unforgettable experience and it doubled my confidence.”
