Check out this new article by Mike Barnhardt in Davie County Enterprise Record about Mia Clair Myers, the 2019 DRI award recipient, and her ways of implementing her DRI idea. Inspiring!

Inspecting the word “respect”
It may be fun and interesting to consider how the word “respect” is formed. The “spect” part means “seeing,” as in the word “inspect” or “spectacles.” And the “re” part means “again,” as in the words “recalculate” or “relocate.” So, putting the two parts together would result in re-spect, or “see it again,” or “see it anew.”

And that is where the word gets interesting. Because sometimes we may see someone or something, and we don’t see anything positive about them. But the word  respect reminds us to “see it again,” from a more positive point of view. 

Respect is Positively Contagious
When someone does a random good deed for us, we are probably disposed to do the same for others: we let them pull into our traffic lane, or we speak kindly to someone.
The DRI probably works this way as well. Seeing or hearing about our respectful Davie youth can inspire each of us to do the same for others; and those in turn, pass it on, or pay it forward.  Who knows, an entire ripple effect might be in the making, right under our noses.   
 
We may have seen videos, like these, in which this ripple effect is shown.  Enjoy!

​Welcome everyone, to the DRI Blog! We are a few local Davie County volunteers who have been super eager to support this amazing initiative and are inviting y’all along for the ride. Please share your own observations of Respect in your everyday life, as well as thoughts you’ve had about what RESPECT is. This will be fun and inspiring, we believe, for all who visit the website... maybe making more people want to  be respectful to set that example for others. Thanks for being part of making Davie County an awesome place to live! Can’t wait to hear your stories and thoughts. You can even submit an article ~ that would be welcomed.

Some musings from one of DRI friends:
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the second annual Davie Respect Initiative Challenge (DRI) and wondered ‘just how respect could be witnessed in Davie County’? So decided it would be fun to be on the lookout to see what could be observed. These might be little ways that people showed respect in everyday life. Maybe folks do it without even realizing they are, or maybe it’s a conscious act – but could I spot  respect in action?

​The first example blew me away. A substitute postman had delivered a package to our neighbors and found their keys in the front door. He knocked on the door, thinking they might be home, but there was no answer. So, he came to our house and asked if I knew how to contact them, explaining what had happened. First, I sent my neighbors a text, then went next door, removed the keys and locked them in their house. I thought, how beautiful and caring this young man was, showing respect for someone he didn’t even know. When I thanked him for his extra effort – he just simply replied, ‘it was the right thing to do, and I’d want someone to do that for me. Glad I could help.’

Respect is more than a hit song by Aretha Franklin. It’s something we can never have enough of, and our young people are leading the way in showing us ways to respect each other a bit more.
The Davie Respect Initiative held a contest last year in which young people could submit ideas on how to spread respect. Ten of those young people were awarded $1,000 each to carry out their respective project.

​Respect builds​ bridges.
Respect is the fabric that binds us together.  ​
Respect is good for families, schools, business, churches . . . for all relationships.
​​Respectfulness looks for the highest and best in others, opening the way for greater appreciation and positive relationships.

"The initiative fits perfectly into the foundation's goal of supporting things that make the community better. We can't do it without respect." 
Jane Simpson (Davie Community Foundation President)

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​"It's effortless to be an advocate for something that means as much as respect does. My hope is that the respect you give is contagious." 
Caroline Moser ( Davie Chamber of Commerce Executive President)

"Respect is so important to every aspect of our lives, whether it is our personal relationships or business interactions. By shining a spotlight on respect, the DRI reminds us all that we are better people and a better community when we are respectful to one another."
​Carolyn McManamy (of the Davie County Chamber of Commerce)

"Davie County is the perfect size to have this experiment (the Davie Respect Initiative) in that we will experience the results immediately as more respect is practiced. We don’t have to agree, but we can always be respectful towards one another.”
Terry Bralley (President Davie Co. Economic Development Commission)