Bennie J. Swans Jr. Scholarship Fund

Bennie J. Swans Jr. Scholarship Fund

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Educational Foundation, in conjunction with the chamber’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, offers an annual scholarship to Leadership Grand Strand (LGS) to provide full-tuition for one person from an underrepresented or marginalized group.

The Bennie Swans Scholarship is funded by the chamber’s educational foundation which is funded by local business contributions. The foundation will continue to award scholarships to local high school students in addition to the new Bennie Swans Scholarship.

The scholarship will cover the cost of the current LGS program tuition. The recipient must be accepted to the program and come from an underrepresented or marginalized group. The chamber’s DEI Council will form a selection committee to choose the scholarship winner.

The scholarship application will be available when applications for the next leadership class are posted.

About Bennie J. Swans Jr. 

The scholarship is named after Bennie J. Swans Jr., a longtime community and civil rights activist. Swans is best known as the driving force behind the formation of Freedom Week - the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations in Myrtle Beach. He is former chair of the Horry County Democratic Party. Swans was a decorated United States Army veteran who fought during the Vietnam War. He passed in September 2020.

About MBACC Diversity Equity & Inclusion Council

The mission of the MBACC Diversity Equity & Inclusion Council is to promote growth and enhance community awareness about the value and advantages of creating and sustaining diverse and inclusive businesses and workplace environments. Diversity is defined as any respect in which people or groups may differ, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, ability status and veteran status. Our goals are to encourage entrepreneurship, support the growth and development of businesses owned by individuals from underrepresented and marginalized groups, cultivate diversity leadership by providing resources and services for our diverse business community and help the community recognize the importance of all consumers.