At the September 19, 2023, the Douglas Mayor’s Youth Council (DMYC) recognized Jr. Commissioner Jeremiah Bazell as the Outstanding Jr. Commissioner and Mrs. Delores McRae as the Outstanding Community Leader for the month of September. Rhianna Lewis, an 11th grader at Coffee High School and advocate for Dyslexia Awareness was the guest speaker for the September meeting.
The Youth Council’s Jr. Commissioner, Jeremiah Bazell, was recognized for this month’s Youth Council spotlight. Jeremiah is the son of Gerald Bazell and Cynthia Lloyd. He attends George Washington Carver Freshman Campus where he is an all “A”s student and has over 100 hrs. of community service. Jeremiah participates in Ambitious Young Men, Mayor’s Youth Council, and Teen Court as well as plays basketball and track. He attends Greater Destiny International Ministries. Jeremiah chose Mrs. Delores McRae as the Outstanding Community Leader Spotlight for September. Mrs. Delores McRae is a very active community member with youth and with Greater Destiny International Ministries.
The special speaker for the month of September was Rhianna Lewis. Rhianna is the daughter of Ron and Julee Brook Lewis. She attends Coffee High School and was diagnosed with dyslexia in the 3rd grade. After her diagnosis and continuously working hard to succeed in her studies, Rhianna has become an advocate for dyslexia awareness in the community. Rhianna has actively spoken to the Mayor and City Commission as well as several local non-profits about dyslexia. To assist with her efforts to spread awareness, Ms. Lewis is selling Dyslexia Awareness shirts through FCCLA at the high school. If you would like to contribute to her awareness campaign, email her at rhiannaelewis@gmail.com.
During the meeting, mentoring program updates were provided by group representatives. Mr. Mike Bazell, founder of the Ambitious Young Men mentoring program, provided an update of their upcoming events. Ambitious Young Men is a non-profit youth organization that was created in 2018 for young men from ages 7 to 18. The mentoring program provides opportunities for reflection and self-examination, teaches practical leadership skills and strives to empower mentees to reach their full potential as successful young men. Over 100 young men have successfully participated in community events and have been awarded multiple scholarships.
Wynetta Bolder spoke on behalf of the Girls Exploring Movements of Success mentoring (GEMS) program which focuses on young women. GEMS mentoring program is designed to enrich lives, instill positive values, and shine a light on each of the gifts young ladies possess. The program allows young girls to analyze their strengths and weaknesses, set personal and vocational goals and have self-confidence and self-esteem to pursue & achieve their goals. The program empowers and transforms young ladies into God-fearing, self-reliant, and independent young women. The program participates in high-quality activities and learning experiences that will help young women achieve social, emotional, spiritual, & physical well-being.
The next Mayor’s Youth Council will be held on October 17, at 6 pm at City Hall in the Commission Chambers. The public is invited to attend Youth Council meetings. For more details on the Youth Council or Teen Court program, 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.