"Mother" Emanuel AME Church Endowed/Annual Scholarship

The fund is intended to provide scholarships for students who are members of the “Mother” Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and are from Peninsular Charleston. If no candidates meet the above criteria, the scholarship shall be made available to any student from Peninsular Charleston, with a preference for minority students. All qualified candidates must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.75 and qualify for financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Assistance and Veterans Affairs.

In Memoriam of the tragedy that happened in the summer of 2015, with the shooting death of 9 innocent church members, Michael R. Bennett wishes to support his community. He wishes to give a chance to students of Peninsular Charleston. Growing up in Charleston, Mr. Bennett worked hard to become the successful businessman he is today. Michael R. Bennett is the founder and owner of Bennett Hospitality. His start in the hospitality business began in 1977-79 when he opened “Free Wheelin” bicycles and moped rentals when he was a junior in college. From that start he developed a hospitality company that owns 16 hotels and 8 restaurants in four states; South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Montana. He has an additional eight hotels in development and more than six restaurants in the pipeline.