In the Running for $25,000 Grant

Pascagoula’s Early Beginnings Resource Center is in the running for a chance to make a big impact on their community.
State Farm took 2,000 submissions this year and now the list has been narrowed down to 200, putting the Aaron Jones Family Interactive Center in the running for a $25,000 grant.
They plan on establishing a bilingual library at the center which will assist Hispanic children entering the school system and will enable young children to explore additional languages. Director of Early Beginnings Kelli McCorkle said, “Approximately 31 percent of the pre-k children I screened this year were Hispanic. Some of those students scored low not due to their ability or their aptitude, but due to a language barrier.”
State Farm Agent Brenda Simkins said, “There’s a $25,000 grant so they issue 40 a year. The real nice thing about the program is the filter of those initial 2,000 applications comes through what is called their youth advisory board. That board is made up of high school and college students across the nation.”
Currently the center is ranked 19th overall. You can cast your vote online at PGSD.MS.