For the past nearly 10 years, I’ve had the honor to serve on the Lane Meyer Scholarship committee. I never knew Lane, whose life was tragically cut short on June 5, 2011 in a car wreck. But, through my involvement on the committee, I’ve gotten to know who Lane was and all that he exemplified through his parents (Bob and Lynn), other committee members, and meeting scholarship applicants each year who reflect the traits that made Lane such a special young man – academic excellence, athletics, friendships, and service. 

After Lane’s death, Bob and Lynn were committed to keeping Lane’s memory alive so the Lane Meyer Scholarship was born. Each year, two NCFC Youth players (one boy and one girl) are eligible to each earn a $2,500 scholarship to support their plans at college. The Fund is supported through donations and an annual golf tournament held at Heritage Golf Club in Wake Forest. 

This year, the worthy recipients of the NCFC Youth (CASL) Scholarship in memory of Lane Meyer are Hailey Baldwin and Austin Williams. 

Meet Hailey Baldwin
NCFC Youth team: 03 NCFC Express FC (Challenge Girls)
College: UNC Chapel Hill
About Hailey: Hailey has played for the NCFC Challenge league for most of her soccer career, with a few rec seasons in between, and played 4 years of high school varsity soccer at Cary High School, serving as team captain last year. She started playing with NCFC when she was 6 and has loved all of her teams and coaches! At Cary High School, Hailey was on the leadership team of IDEA Club, a student led activism club, President of American Sign Language Club, a member of the National Art Honor Society, and a Student Ambassador. She started a nonprofit website to help students with autism find jobs her sophomore year and volunteered throughout high school for Cary Teen council. Hailey will be attending UNC Chapel Hill to study Psychology and Spanish, and she plans to obtain a Physician’s Assistant degree in Psychology to eventually open her own practice. 

Meet Austin Williams
NCFC Youth team: 04 NCFC Storm (Challenge Boys)
College: UNC Chapel Hill
About Austin: Austin played soccer for Sanderson High School for all 4 years. He played NCFC Challenge soccer with the 04 NCFC Storm for 9 years where he met some of his best friends. He graduated summa cum laude from Sanderson High School where in addition to varsity Soccer, he was involved in student council, National Honor Society, Academy of Finance and DECA. In addition to his love for playing soccer, he loves fishing, and hanging out with friends. He is an active member of Midtown Community Church where he volunteers in the children’s ministry.

Congratulations to both Hailey and Austin – much deserved. Our future is bright with these two leading the way and the many other outstanding applicants who submitted applications for the Lane Meyer Scholarship. The Scholarship will re-open through the North Carolina Community Foundation next Spring for Fall 2023 college-bound seniors.