LEFT Michael with his mother Barbara Haynes.
OPPOSITE PAGE Michael is the assistant
principal at Sally D. Meadows Elementary
School in Vidalia.
In the summer of 2019,
Michael completed his Educational Leadership/
Administration degree from the University of West
Georgia. That fall, he took a position as an Assistant
Principal at Sally D. Meadows Elementary School in
Vidalia. In January (2020), he became president of
the community service organization “Community
Men in Action” (CMIA), which was a position held
by his uncle, Councilman Greg Johnson, when the
organization was first founded in 2014.
“The focus of CMIA,” said Michael, “has always
been on mentoring young men and partnering with
organizations to meet needs in the community. We
work in conjunction with organizations like United
Way, the Boys and Girls Club, the Paul Anderson
Youth Home, and many others.” Whether delivering
Thanksgiving meals across the city in collaboration
with St. Paul A.M.E. Church or helping a family
after a house fire, CMIA works to fulfill their motto:
“Seeing the need; Serving the need.”
Over the past year, Michael has led the
organization in registration drives, a school supply
giveaway and census drive and hosted Covid-19
discussions for youth and the community at large.
“We’ve had over six virtual sessions via Zoom and
Facebook to inform the community on safe practices
and information concerning the pandemic,” said
Michael. Participants included members from the
faith community, health community, Chamber
of Commerce, city government, and education
community. His first segment engaged over 800
viewers from all over Southeast Georgia.
“One of the things we’re especially proud of is
bringing back the MLK Day parade,” said Michael.
“This past January made our fifth annual event. We
had about fifty floats participate.” In conjunction
with the event, “We also had an essay contest for
students with a cash award for the winner.”
Another favorite CMIA event for Michael is the
annual Man-Up Summit, which is held around the
third week of August in partnership with Becoming
S.H.A.R.P.E. Inc., an organization founded by
Danielle Williams. The multiracial event is hosted
by J. R. Trippe Middle School and open to all middle
and high school aged boys in Toombs County and
the surrounding areas. (Due to Covid-19, this year’s
Man-Up event has been postponed).
It was not high self-esteem, but an
understanding of his own self-value that shaped
Michael’s sense of value for others in the
community. Steven Stosny, Ph.D., clarifies the grave
74 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE