For 37 years, the late Donna Hayes gave students in the Richards R-V School District the educational tools they needed to learn and grow.
She and her late husband, Michael, have now given the school’s graduates the financial support they need to pursue a college education at Missouri State University-West Plains or Missouri State University in Springfield.
The Missouri State University Foundation recently received a $500,000 gift from the estate of Michael D. Hayes to establish the Donna S. and Michael D. Hayes Scholarship Fund.
All money from the fund will be used to award scholarships to Richards R-V School District graduates who are seeking an undergraduate degree or certificate at either campus.
The scholarship is open to either traditional or nontraditional students.
“The legacy the Michael and Donna Hayes estate has created at Missouri State is incredible,” said Brent Dunn, vice president for university advancement at MSU. “It is scholarships like this that remind us of how a passion for good and the generosity of others changes the future of many.”
About Michael and Donna Hayes
The scholarship fund honors a very special couple from West Plains.
Not only was Donna Hayes a long-time educator at Richards, but she was also a graduate of the school herself.
“She committed her life to reaching out and helping her pupils learn and succeed in their education, both at Richards and beyond,” said a spokesman for the estate.
“Her pride and joy were when a former student greeted her, sharing news of their success and plans for the future. There are so many people whose lives were touched by both Donna and Mike. For this reason, it is fitting that this program has been created by the estate of Michael D. Hayes to honor Donna’s life as a teacher and friend to Richards R-V students and families.”
Richards R-V School Superintendent Dr. Melonie Bunn agreed. “Donna was Richards School. Everybody knew Donna. She was a fabulous employee and an amazing teacher. It was her gift. Her classroom was like a perfectly choreographed dance routine. She didn’t have children of her own, so we were her children.”
Reaction at Richards R-V School
Bunn said school officials were “blown away” when they first heard about the gift, explaining it will be “life-changing” for the graduates who receive it.
“For a K-8 district, this is a huge gift,” Bunn said. “We’ve talked with administrators at other school districts, and normally this is the type of gift a larger district would receive, not a K-8. There will be students who would not have the means to go to the university, or if they did, they would have had to take out loans. With this scholarship, they will be able to get their education without any debt at the end. And there will be people who have not had the ability to go to college who will apply for this. I’ve already had calls from people who’ve heard about it.”
Leave a Reply