Harper Randleman

Harper was awarded $1,000.00 by the Davie Respect Initiative for her “Cheer to Read with Me!!” project. Her project will raise money to buy and present graphic novels and books to every teacher’s class in Davie County.  Graphic novels help students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties learn to read faster. Harper is getting an amazing response from her project and she is “so grateful for everyone that has helped and supported her so far!!!  I am happy to help others and encourage them.”  In just one short month Harper has:

• Collected 128 Graphic Books and counting!
• Collected $350 for buying more books
• She shopped for books at Ellis and Cornatzer Book Fairs
• In April she will present to the teachers at her former elementary school about the Davie Respect Initiative (DRI) and her project.
• In April she also plans to present books to other teachers in the county!

Harper thinks respect is important because “it helps others feel more valuable and creates a more accepting community.”  She thinks working with other Ambassadors in the community is important as well as encouraging others to become a part of the DRI.

Blake Moore

Blake began volunteering for Serving Our Neighbors when he was just 10 years old. He accompanied his parents, Shana and Richard on the grocery pick-ups to Lowe’s Foods and Publix.  They would collect food donations and bring them back to a refrigerated trailer where they would later be distributed to food insecure areas in Davie County.  Blake saw the need for more organization in the trailers so his winning project was to come up with an idea to store and stack grocery items for easier access.  He is in the process of buying/collecting stackable and collapsible bins to help this non-profit.

Blake thinks respect is important because it makes other people feel valued.  In his spare time, Blake enjoys playing soccer and baseball.  Blake loves playing centerfield and he has learned a lot about being part of a team and playing together to accomplish a goal.

​Blake joined the Ambassadors of Respect  recently for a Valentine’s Bingo at Somerset Place Rest Home.  He is already doing a lot to add Respect to Davie County.  Thank You, Blake!

Tabitha Harry

Davie Respect Initiative would like to congratulate Tabitha Harry for her thoughtful and creative idea, “Power to the Pastors.”  Tabitha is also our first awardee from Cooleemee, where her father is a pastor.  In this project, different church congregations will be contacted and given the opportunity to write cards of appreciation for their pastors.  Pastors do so much for our community and can sometimes go unnoticed and under appreciated and this is a way to show respect and gratitude to those Pastors who serve all year long.

Tabitha thinks Respect is important “because when we are respectful it brings joy and shows appreciation to others. Respect and kindness go hand in hand, and they can make a real difference in our communities if we let them.”

In her spare time, which is not much since she is going to school and working, Tabitha enjoys playing board games with her boyfriend and spending time with her Golden Retrievers, Sugar and Krypto.  She also is the music director at her church and loves playing instruments. 

If she could make a wish for tomorrow, she would like to be zapped to London to go on a tour of all the Harry Potter filming locations!  We hope that wish comes true one day in the future!  Meanwhile we wish Tabitha the best of luck finishing up her Associates Degree in May.  From there she plans on finding full time work while working on her Doctorate.  One day she would like to become an Event Planner.  Tabitha would love to see the Ambassadors get together and put on a little concert for a local nursing home because she thinks that is a great way to bring Joy to people and we agree!!!

Kaylee Lewis

​Fifteen year old, Kaylee Lewis is a second time winner.  “When we show others respect, we are telling them that they are enough and they deserve as much as anyone else.”  Interestingly, Kaylee’s idea is a combination of the other two winning ideas.  Her project idea, not yet implemented, is to have a donation drive and create care packages to give to local communities in need.  She hopes to collect donations of “essential items”, including hygiene products and food, and separate these donations into various groups including children, men, and women so everyone will receive “customized care packages.”  Kaylee plans to take these care packages to churches and low income apartments. 

Camryn Bullard

“By showing up and talking to members of the community that are in need, you are showing empathy and respect to those that may not see that a lot,” shared Camryn Bullard, volunteer with Serving Our Neighbors (SoN) Food Ministry at the William R. Davie location.  Camryn, who has been volunteering with her family since August of 2022, recognized that the food that is offered from week to week can fluctuate greatly and her winning idea for the DRI was to come up with a way to offer regular, shelf stable items that families could count on from week to week, significantly expanding on the original project.  

Girl Scout Troop 2560

Girl Scout Troop 2560 had the winning idea of working with elementary and middle schools around the county to provide feminine hygiene supplies to all of the girls at the school.  The project started by posting inspirational posters in the school girl’s bathrooms and supplying boxes of hygiene supplies to trusted teachers, which they can keep in their classroom.  The kits that the eight girls have created include: a pamphlet written by them, pads, deodorant and hair ties.  
After holding two successful fundraisers in January, the scouts were able to purchase enough supplies to make kits for every girl at South Davie! Teachers and recipients have been very enthusiastic about this project - not only the kits, but the encouraging posters in the bathrooms.
Congratulations to the Scouts involved: Addy Buchanan, Lake Carver, Evie Conlin, Kiahna Groff, Lena Parsley, Katie Pitts, Salem Taylor and Sophie Treier. 

Nick Ruff

​“Start with respect; the rest will follow.”

​"Hi, my name is Nick Ruff.  I’m currently a freshman at UNC Charlotte studying computer science. My project, Cyber Safe Seniors, piggy backs on my knowledge of the online world and partners with local law enforcement to protect senior citizens from participating in financially manipulative scams.
My project is called Cyber Safe Seniors. I’ve built a presentation, along with an interactive Bingo game and handouts. The presentation is full of information to share and discuss with seniors at living facilities and other places. The information on the slides consists of ways to prevent general types of scams focused on senior citizens, along with information on the specific types of scams that are current in today's world. Each slide is full of information to help them understand and remember the real danger of different types of scams. I use the presentation, handouts, and the Bingo Game to get them interested in being safe online and not losing their hard-earned money. I would have the help of a local law enforcement officer at these presentations to help give more information.'

​Josiah Warren and Reece Harris

Macey Smith

Josiah Warren and Reece Harris teamed up to collect supplies for Family Promise.  Family Promise of Davie County (FPDC) serves families with minor children that are at risk of or already experiencing homelessness.   Josiah and his family received services from FPDC and he wanted to give back to the organization that had helped and continues to assist his family.  Reece was so inspired by Josiah’s story and wanted to team up with him.  They contacted Lisa Reynolds, the Executive Director of FP, and she was so excited that Josiah and Reece wanted to help.  
Reece and Josiah learned about DRI from Christy Ruff, the Junior Civitan Advisor.  
Reece’s hobbies are horseback riding, painting, playing basketball and collecting shark’s teeth at the beach.  She loves taking care of her new chickens.  Art is her favorite subject followed by Math!!  
Josiah also has a lot of hobbies!  His favorite sports are football, wrestling, and basketball  Josiah also knows his way around the kitchen and enjoys baking. 
These are two amazing young people with big hearts.  Congratulations, Josiah and Reece for this great idea that will benefit our community!!!

Meet the Ambassador Macey Smith is an exemplary Ambassador of Respect.  She has been involved with DRI for almost 4 years, when as a freshman she won for her creative idea of buying volleyball equipment for Davie County Rec and Parks.  Volleyball has played such a big part in her life that she wanted others to benefit from this awesome team sport.  Since then Macey has been involved with DRI’s Social Media and for a little over a year she has served as a volunteer panelist and has taken this position very seriously.  Macey was a representative at the All America Event in Denver. She is continuing her journey of demonstrating and spreading respect with her latest project: renovating and remodeling the courtyard at the County Courthouse, which is currently empty and drab.  After Macey and team are finished, newlyweds who have a civil ceremony will have a beautiful spot to celebrate and take photos.  Some of her plans include flower boxes and a sitting area complete with a lattice arch. Macey will present this to the Davie County Board of Commissioners at a monthly meeting, but so far she has gotten very positive responses from both the city and the county.  Stay tuned for the ribbon cutting!!