thirty-seven, she graduated from
Georgia Southern with her bachelor’s
degree in Business Administration with
a concentration in Economics. From
2002-2008, Sonja worked at Trane as a
Technical Trainer and HR Assistant. In
2009, she took an HR assistant position
at Chicken of the Sea and later worked
as a Training Specialist. After four years
at Chicken of the Sea, Sonja transferred
to U.S. Pet Nutrition and worked as
an HR Manager. While at U.S. Pet,
a board member from Action Pact
(formerly known as Concerted Services)
asked if she would consider applying
for a position with them as a Human
Resources Director.
That was almost eight years ago.
At Action Pact, Sonja helps provide
services that bring people out of
poverty. As a non-profit, the company
provides many beneficial services
including housing assistance, career
planning, and financial literacy, just
to name a few. Sometimes it means
helping a young mother access
childcare, helping someone further
his or her education, and/or job
opportunities. “We work with many
other agencies and utilize government
grants to help those in need,” said
Sonja. “We have case management
services to help determine services
needed and access those services.”
Sonja has a personal understanding
of the power of mercy and grace.
When help in the community is
needed, she has been the first to step
forward with her hand raised. Sonja
has served on the Boys and Girls Club
Board of Directors, the Lyons’ Housing
Authority board, and a part on a Mock
Interview Team with local high schools.
She graduated from the Economic
Leadership and Development Class of
Toombs County in 2010 and served
as a CASA (Court Appointed Special
Advocate) volunteer from 2019-March
2021. In this capacity, she worked
with DFCS and the Courts to ensure
children in foster care find stable and
loving homes. She also founded a
scholarship fund called SCOPE (Serving
Communities with Opportunities
for Personal Excellence) that assists
students with college expenses.
As chaos and fear swept the nation
in 2020, Sonja was more grateful than
ever to live in Lyons. “When I saw
all that was happening in places like
Atlanta, I was so grateful I live here,”
she said. “I know that certain races are
treated differently in some areas of
the country, but I personally have not
experienced that here.”
In December of 2019, Ben Mitchell,
the Lyons City Councilman in Sonja’s
district of Ward 2, passed away while
in office. He had faithfully served Ward
2 for over 30 years. When a special
election was scheduled for March 4,
2020, Sonja’s sister asked if she might
be interested in filling the vacancy.
Sonja might never have considered
running if it hadn’t been for an event
that occurred a few months earlier.
“A minister from Vidalia wanted
to open a counseling center in our
neighborhood,” she said. “It was in a
residential area right across the road
from my sister, who also has a deaf
child. I started going to the meetings
to find out what it was about. He said
that he wanted to help those who had
just gotten out of prison get on their
feet again. The entire community came
together and said, ‘We don’t want
this in our neighborhood.’ We kindly
suggested that he go uptown and rent
one of those buildings if he wanted to
open a counseling center.”
When it came time to qualify for
the city council seat in Ward 2, Sonja
added her name to the ballot. When the
results were in, Sonja had won by one
vote. Her opponent requested a recount
and a second count showed she had
actually won by two votes. Sonja had
now made history as the first African
American woman to serve on the Lyons
City Council.
Sonja spent the first few months
as a councilwoman learning about
processes and procedures. “I get a few
calls now and then from people in the
district who want me to do something
right away. I’ve learned that it’s not that
simple,” she smiled. “But I can promise
to look into the situation right away.”
Before Mr. Mitchell passed away,
he had obtained some grants for
projects in his ward. One of those
projects was for work on Hallmark
Park, which is now Vincent Faison Park.
As Sonja stepped into her new role,
she was excited to be a part of some
of those changes the grant provided.
“We were able to pave the street all
the way through from Hilton Drive
to Cobbtown Highway. We’ve put in
new basketball courts, playground
equipment, and built a pavilion. There’s
a lot more work needed, but it’s a start.”
It’s not just Sonja’s service but the
testimony of her life that is important
to this community. From the day she
moved back to Lyons with a sevenweek
old baby, she has worked to care
for her family. When an unplanned
pregnancy delayed her hopes of a
college career, she revised her story and
made it a part of the plan. Dreams take
more than opportunity. They take the
kind of courage and perseverance that
Sonja showed by continuing to pursue
her degree. And today, that beautiful,
unexpected part of Sonja’s story named
Yanee’ has a master’s degree in Criminal
Justice and is preparing to enroll in law
school.
There’s no time for judgment and
critics. Only the courts of heaven
matter, and the court we’re all invited
to enter is one of mercy and grace. And
grace, that God-given power to do the
things we can’t do in our strength, was
not wasted on Sonja Eason. When she
visited her sick father in New Jersey
recently, she could still feel how proud
he was of her. How proud he has always
been of her. For the mother and father
who were not allowed to finish high
school, Sonja was a gift.
The revision is always better than
our carefully planned outline for the
future. This isn’t justification for
anything. It’s about appreciation for
everything. Revision is God’s gift. Like
Moses who turned to look again at the
burning bush, the Voice that speaks in
the desert restores our dreams. And in
so doing, we become a way-maker. Like
Sonja, the first at whatever the Voice
from the burning bush has called us to
be.
64 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE