The Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council (DMYC) recognized outstanding youth and citizens in the community at its most recent. The youth council also heard city updates from Mayor Tony Paulk and COVID-19 updates from Dr. Lydia Tanner.
For the month of March 2021, Addy Harris was the youth council member that was spotlighted. Addy is a freshman at Citizens Christian Academy and an active member of The Sanctuary Church. She is a team member on CCA’s basketball and softball teams, as well as a member of Key Club, Leo Club, GGA and the Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council. After graduating, Addy plans to attend Mercer University, major in Biology and attend the School of Medicine to become an anesthesiologist.
Each month, the youth council member that is spotlighted for the month choses the youth community members to spotlight. For the month of March, two outstanding community youth were chosen, Blake Martin and Arlis Sutton. Blake Martin was one of the youth chosen as an Outstanding Community Youth. Blake is a freelance videographer and media marketer, who is heavily involved within the Douglas community, filming for various businesses and events. He has helped create videos for the Coffee County Board of Education, Citizens Christian Academy, The Sanctuary Church, as well as playing a major role in “Know Your Worth” campaign. Blake is a senior this year and has approximately 600 hours of community service, he hopes to continue reaching out and helping his community in many more ways, in the future.
Another outstanding community youth recognized at the meeting was Arlis Sutton. Arlis Sutton is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman (Ardrelle) Sutton of Douglas, Georgia. He is a senior at Coffee High School in Douglas, Georgia. Arlis has been a leader among his peers both in the classroom and in the sports arena. He has a 3.3 cumulative GPA and is working hard to receive the Hope Scholarship. Arlis loves school and is close to achieving 13 years of perfect attendance. He has been a member of FCCLA, FCA, and a participant of CCCUP’s “Young Men of Distinction”. Arlis is a CHS Trojan football team member and plays defensive end. He was recognized as 6A All-Region 1 Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and received the Captain Award for his leadership ability. He has participated in “Adopt A Trojan”, where he goes back to his Elementary School (Satilla) to give back to the youth as a mentor. Arlis is also a shotput thrower with the CHS Track and Field and the Olympic Weightlifting team. He was awarded a bronze medal in wrestling from the Youth National Championship in his weight class. Arlis shares his knowledge of sports with youth as a coaching assistant with the Little Trojan Lifters. Outside of school, he is extremely active in community service by volunteering with the Kiwanis Club, 100 Black Men of Southeast Georgia Inc, and Master Builder’s Ministry where he serves as an Usher and Youth Leader. He also assists with the W.A. and Earnestine Myles Scholarship fund.
The guest presenters for the meeting were Mayor Tony Paulk and Dr. Lydia Tanner. Mayor Paulk spoke to the group about economic development projects in the city. Mayor Paulk also stressed the importance of leaders accomplishing goals and being accountable for actions. Dr. Lydia Tanner spoke to the group about the medical field’s role with coping with COVID-19.
Youth applications are now being accepted for the 2021-2022 school year to serve on the Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council or Douglas-Coffee County Teen Court. For more details, please contact Dinitra Williams, Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council & Teen Court Coordinator, at (912)331-9398 or call the City Clerk’s office at (912) 389-3405.