Howard Conyers, along with Sherrod Conyers and Martin White, has launched an effort to fully endow the Micheal Haynes Legacy Scholarship at the Central Carolina Community Foundation. The scholarship aims to provide college assistance to students from Clarendon County, a vision that Conyers and others have been nurturing for nearly two decades.
“We are raising funds to fully endow the scholarship,” said Conyers. “From my research, this is the first time that a teacher at Manning High School has such a thing that could be a reality.”
Conyers, a proud graduate of Manning High School, contributed $1,000 toward the fund, while Backyard Distillery added $100. Their combined donations are a testament to the impact that Coach Micheal Haynes had on their lives and the lives of many young people in Clarendon County.
“Coach Haynes used agriculture, the shop, and BBQs at Ramsey Stadium to change young people’s lives in Clarendon County,” Conyers said. “Every little bit helps.”
The goal is to raise $50,000 to fully endow the scholarship, but Conyers hopes that contributions will surpass that target, allowing the scholarship to provide even more assistance in perpetuity.
“The more we give, the more that can be given in perpetuity to empower more college scholarships,” he said.
Conyers recalled a conversation he had with Coach Haynes nearly 20 years ago about the need for a scholarship to help students from Clarendon County pursue higher education.
“Almost 20 years ago, a small conversation between Coach Haynes and I, and possibly a few others, was the need to create a scholarship to help young people from Clarendon County go to college,” Conyers said. “Every year since that conversation, I gave $100 annually toward that scholarship.”
With contributions from Conyers and others over the years, the scholarship has already provided nearly $2,000 in funds to help men and women pursue higher education. The effort gained additional momentum when Martin White, a 1995 graduate of Manning High School, proposed using the Central Carolina Community Foundation as the platform for the scholarship.
“Brother Martin White leveraged an idea from his college chapter at Theta Nu to use the foundation, and it was a brilliant idea,” Conyers said.
The scholarship is intended to continue Haynes’ legacy of supporting and inspiring students, many of whom benefited from his mentorship through agricultural programs and school events. Conyers’ fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, also played a role in the scholarship’s creation, aligning with the fraternity’s long-standing mission to encourage academic achievement.
“ Alphas lead and Alpha do. First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All,” Conyers said, quoting the fraternity’s motto.
To donate to the Micheal Haynes Legacy Scholarship, visit the Central Carolina Community Foundation’s website.
