EDUCATION

Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi’s Power Hour program provides homework and tutoring assistance to Lafayette-Oxford-University (LOU) Barksdale Club members in first through third grade in order to improve reading proficiency and on-time grade progression.

Gordon Community & Cultural Center, Inc. seeks to prevent summer learning loss among rising first through sixth graders through its Abbeville School Educational Summer Enrichment Camp. Curriculum includes language, reading comprehension, math, physical education, nutrition, and financial literacy.

Lafayette County Literacy Council’s Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) program offers a strategic approach to increase local literacy levels by increasing the number of community members who have a high school equivalency certificate through one-on-one coaching by trained volunteers.

Lafayette County Literacy Council’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library program provides a quality, age-appropriate book on a monthly basis to registered Lafayette County children between the ages of birth to five years. The program seeks to ensure all children have books at home, regardless of the environment in which they live.

LOU Reads Coalition is a group of local organizations and community leaders dedicated to ensuring that all children in our community can read proficiently by the end of the third grade. Coalition members focus their collective energy and expertise on school readiness, attendance, out-of-school time opportunities, and targeted efforts to promote grade-level reading.

The Leap Frog Program is an after-school tutoring and enrichment program that provides a nurturing environment in which “at-risk” first-, second-, and third-grade students can develop and enhance necessary skills for academic success, build productive, ongoing relationships with adults, and improve their self-esteem.

HEALTH

Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi’s Victim Services program seeks to reduce the trauma of violence by providing immediate and long-term support to victims and survivors of sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, and homicide.

Girl Scouts Heart of the South’s Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader (GIRL) on the Go program teaches girls how to make positive choices for physical and emotional health while also helping them develop a strong sense of self, positive values, healthy relationships, and problem-solving skills.

Junior Auxiliary of Oxford’s Focusing Resources of Effective Student Hygiene (FRESH) Project aims to provide children with the items that are most needed to promote good personal hygiene as well as promote its five founding principles: respect, physical and emotional wellbeing, confidentiality, honesty and responsibility, and determination.

North Mississippi Exchange Family Center’s Stop The Abuse Now (STAN) program aims to educate children about abuse and neglect in a friendly, safe environment. The program teaches children skills to know what abuse is, who they can trust in an abusive situation, and how to communicate that they or a friend is in danger.

Oxford Community Market’s Market Fresh Food for Everyone program provides multi-faceted direct services to reduce food insecurity by improving access to fresh, healthy, local food by mitigating barriers and increasing consumption of fresh, local produce through the farmers market.

Special Olympics Mississippi (Area 4) provides year-round sports training and athletic competition opportunities, health programming, and community inclusion activities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

FINANCIAL STABILITY

Doors of Hope Transition Ministries’ Self-sufficiency Transition Empowerment Program (STEP) guides homeless families and at-risk homeless families toward self-reliance as well as stability through a holistic, individualistic approach that includes life-skills training, mentoring, and supportive housing.

North Mississippi Kidney Foundation’s Patient Assistance program provides individuals on life-saving dialysis with need-based assistance for expenses related to medications, transportation, and emergency financial needs.

BASIC NEEDS

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Lafayette County’s programming provides trained volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the youth court system, with a primary focus on providing every vulnerable child a CASA volunteer to stand by his/her side.

Interfaith Compassion Ministry’s Homeless Client Assistance program provides for the basic needs of local homeless individuals, including but not limited to counseling, food, temporary housing, and ultimately, safe, affordable residences.

Interfaith Compassion Ministry’s Indigent Client Assistance program seeks to assist local families with basic needs (rent, utilities, food, medical care, transportation to jobs, etc.), help stabilize them, prevent homelessness, and provide counseling, which may include prioritizing financial decisions.

The Salvation Army’s Emergency Assistance program seeks to provide basic necessities such as clothing, household goods, utility assistance, etc. to individuals and families with emergency needs.

Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging (AAA) provides senior citizens nutritional meals five days a week, keeps senior citizens in their home environment for as long as possible, and provides socialization as well as financial stability through the Meals on Wheels program.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY IMPACT WORK

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic assists low- and moderate-income residents of Lafayette County with free tax return preparation twice a week at the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library during tax season. Students in the University of Mississippi School of Law’s tax practicum clinical program manage and staff the clinic.