January 26, 2023

IGNITE DAVIE Adds Short-term Training Programs for Fall 2023

Beginning in Fall 2023, the IGNITE DAVIE College Promise program will include four short-term training programs at Davidson-Davie Community College.  Previously, IGNITE DAVIE paid for tuition and fees with a stipend for books for graduates to attend DDCC full-time in a certificate, diploma, or associate/transfer program at either campus.  Now IGNITE DAVIE students will have the option to enroll in a 16-week program for Electrical, HVAC, Nursing Assistant 1, or Phlebotomy, which will allow them to quickly start a career in an in-demand field or complete the first step of a certification program.    “This is a new, expanding opportunity that […]
January 10, 2023

IGNITE DAVIE is Helping Davie County Students Achieve Their Dreams

Merritt Killian decided early on that he wanted a career helping people, and IGNITE DAVIE has helped him take the first step toward making that dream a reality.  Growing up, his dad was often on deployment with the Air Force, so he and his siblings sometimes went to work with their mother who was a nursing supervisor at a nursing home. He remembers spending time talking with the residents who became like second grandmas and grandpas. “It was really my first experience being surrounded by people who needed care, and it planted the seed that I wanted to help people […]
November 29, 2022

IGNITE DAVIE College Promise Attracts Statewide Attention 

IGNITE DAVIE College Promise is changing the trajectory for Davie County students by offering them the opportunity to continue their education and training at Davidson-Davie Community College (DDCC) without incurring debt. That inspiring commitment is attracting statewide attention. IGNITE DAVIE was recently detailed in an article by EdNC and will be featured on an episode of PBS North Carolina’s program ncIMPACT sometime early next year.  “IGNITE DAVIE is impacting the lives of our students and their families.  We are impacting the vitality of our community, the success of our employers, and the prosperity of our future generations!” said Carolyn McManamy, […]
November 2, 2021

Things You May Not Know About the Davie Community Foundation

Did you know… The Davie Community Foundation has invested in the post-secondary education of Davie students for the last nineteen years. The Foundation has invested more than $2 Million in scholarships to more than 1,360 students! Most of the investments have been made for students attending four-year colleges and universities both in and outside of North Carolina.  After reviewing a 2018 White Paper on strategic scholarship investments, the Foundation board began discussing the most strategic use of its scholarship investments. Should we make a more significant investment in Davie County students who would fill positions in local companies, thus helping […]
October 29, 2021

IGNITE DAVIE Student Highlight: Desiree Johnson

Born and raised in Davie County, Desiree Johnson is taking advantage of the educational opportunities close to home. As a graduate of Davie High’s Class of 2021, she is in her first semester of college at Davidson-Davie Community College as a member of the IGNITE DAVIE College Promise Program. Thanks to the opportunities offered by Davie County High School, IGNITE DAVIE and Davidson-Davie Community College, she hopes to one day have a career in human services. Last year, as Desiree was beginning to think about college and the next steps in her academic career, she began to consider IGNITE DAVIE […]
October 25, 2021

IGNITE DAVIE Student Highlight: David Bates

David Bates— a graduate of Davie High Class of 2021, IGNITE DAVIE student, and proud member of the Davie County community. Many know David Bates as a hard worker, an achiever and a student who knows what he wants to do, where he wants to go and what he needs to do to get there. And at this point in time, IGNITE DAVIE is one of the resources he is using to advance his academic and professional goals. He first found out about IGNITE DAVIE as he was taking dual enrollment classes with Davidson-Davie Community College and Davie High School. […]
October 20, 2021

IGNITE DAVIE Student Profile: Josh Pilcher

By Jordan Bolch IGNITE DAVIE is a place-based last dollar scholarship for students in Davie County and through the opportunities it provides, it is making a difference in the lives of the students in our community. IGNITE DAVIE will pay tuition, required fees and a stipend for books for students to attend Davidson-Davie Community College full-time. In 2021, over 80 students joined the IGNITE DAVIE program and are benefiting from the opportunities it provides— students like Josh Pilcher. Josh was born and raised in Davie County, graduated from Davie High in 2021 and is attending Davidson-Davie Community College through the […]
October 6, 2021

IGNITE DAVIE Launches Inve$t in our Kids Capital Campaign!

The signs tell the story. Gildan is hiring, Comfort Built is hiring, Ashley Furniture is hiring… and the list goes on.  Over the past several years, business and industry have struggled to find a skilled workforce to meet their needs. The 2020 pandemic only worsened the challenges, and the lack of skilled workers to fill open positions is even greater today. Estimates for residents 25-years-old and older in 2019 showed that 42.2% have a high school diploma or less and 21.3% have some college but no degree. In total, 63.5% do not have an Associate or higher degree. We can […]
September 20, 2021

IGNITE DAVIE Student Profile: Nathan Andrews

Nathan Andrews wants to be a law enforcement officer.  The 2020 Davie High graduate is pursuing an Associates’s degree in criminal justice at Davidson-Davie Community College and plans to complete the college’s Basic Law Enforcement Training program as soon as he meets the age requirement.  Thanks to IGNITE DAVIE, Andrews will be able to complete his Associate’s degree free of charge.  IGNITE DAVIE is a college promise program that pays tuition and fees with a stipend for books for graduates to attend Davidson-Davie Community College full time in a certificate, diploma, or associate/transfer program at either campus. IGNITE DAVIE is […]