Community celebrated at Haynes Heroes Scholarship event

The Haynes Heroes Scholarship, presented by the Pinellas County Urban League, was created to help remove barriers and create access for minority students pursuing higher education. These individuals have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership skills. 

A Scholarship Awards Brunch was held Saturday to celebrate this year’s cohort of recipients at the Enoch D. Davis Center in St. Petersburg. Additionally, it was an opportunity to honor four Haynes Unsung Heroes who are making a difference in the community and for the next generation of leaders. 

The Urban League focuses on empowering African Americans and other underserved individuals by helping them secure economic self-reliance, power and civil rights, according to the organization’s website. 

Rev. Watson Haynes II is the namesake of the scholarship program. A civil rights activist, he served as the president and CEO of the Urban League from 2012 until his death in 2022. A St. Petersburg native, he grew up in the former Gas Plant district (now the site of Tropicana Field) and graduated from St. Petersburg High School. 

Rev. Watson Haynes II. Photo provided.

Haynes was an associate pastor at New Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. He was also appointed to the Florida Commission on Human Rights by governors Charlie Crist and Rick Scott. 

“I am just touched,” Rev. Haynes’ widow Valerie Pendarvis-Haynes told the Catalyst. “My heart is heavy. To see so many people come out and support his efforts to give back to the community, it means a lot.” 

She explained that the initiative was created based on pillars that were important to Rev. Haynes. He was a “big proponent” of education, ministry, youth programs and drug treatment initiatives. “We just tried to recognize people who are doing the kinds of things he did during his lifetime.” 

The Haynes Heroes Scholarship was given to six students this year: Chase Temple (St. Petersburg Collegiate High School), Damarion Feaster (Shorecrest Preparatory School), Braelyn Brinson (Boca Ciega High School), Amarah Cabassa (Boca Ciega High School), India Graham (Boca Ciega High School) and Jayda Parkes-Quarrie (St. Petersburg Collegiate High School). 

The average weighted GPA for the recipients was a 4.05. Additionally, the young people completed an average of 943 community service hours. 

“This scholarship means a lot to me because it recognizes my hard work throughout high school and my community service,” Temple explained. “It also means a lot that they are choosing to invest in me to support my academic journey as an adult as I transition to my life in college.” 

He plans to study mechanical engineering at Tuskegee University in Alabama and hopes to design prosthetics for people in need. The goal, Temple said, is to make the technology more affordable, accessible and advanced.  

The scholarship program, now in its third year, has supported 23 students since its launch. More than $30,000 has been awarded.

From left, Haynes Heroes Scholarship Committee chairman emeritus Valerie Pendarvis-Haynes, Haynes Unsung Heroes recipients Frank Peterman (representing Gershom Faulkner), Rev. Ellis Hodge, Samantha Richardson-Hardy and Carla Bristol and Pinellas County Urban League president and CEO Nikki Gaskin-Capehart at the Saturday brunch.

Carla Bristol, Gershom Faulkner, Rev. Ellis Hodge and Samantha Richardson-Hardy were the individuals recognized as Haynes Unsung Heroes. 

Bristol is the director of the St. Pete Youth Farm, a nonprofit that focuses on urban agriculture, access to nutritious food and youth development. An arts activist, she has also launched her own podcast, “Connect with Carla B.”

Founder of equity holding firm Gershom Faulkner Enterprises, Faulkner is an advocate for entrepreneurship. He served in the United States Marine Corps and has held multiple political positions including a Florida House of Representatives senior legislative assistant role. 

Hodge is the founder and senior pastor of Word of Life Fellowship Church in St. Petersburg. Before beginning his ministry career, he served in the United States Air Force and worked at telecommunications company GTE (now a part of Verizon) for over 25 years. Hodge would establish his church in 1998. 

Richardson-Hardy co-founded nonprofit The Gathering of Women, Inc., which brings women in the community together to advocate for education, safety, food insecurity and wellness issues in Pinellas County. 

Pinellas County Urban League president and CEO Nikki Gaskin-Capehart explained that the Saturday event brought people of all ages together. This is a key aspect of the organization’s mission. 

“We want to be that connector and make sure that we have that intergenerational love for each other,” she said at the brunch, “and make sure we don’t have gaps in everything we need.” 

Gaskin-Capehart added that the Urban League’s goal is to “diminish barriers” and “knock down some of these systems that need to be changed so that we can have true generational wealth building.” 

The Haynes Heroes Scholarship Awards Brunch was supported by lead sponsor David Mason + Associates.