The Lafayette County Literacy Council received a grant for $441 from the Northeast Mississippi Youth Foundation (NEMYF) as one of the nine nonprofit organizations awarded at the CREATE Foundation recently.

“We are honored to be one of the Northeast Mississippi Youth Foundation’s grant recipients,” said Sarah McLellan, executive director of the Lafayette County Literacy Council. “We plan to use the grant money for our Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. This program delivers a free, age-appropriate book to more than 850 children between birth and five in Lafayette County.”

The NEMYF Board is made up of 50 11th- and 12th-grade students from 11 different counties in Northeast Mississippi. For eight months, they worked within the region with businesses and individuals to raise money to donate to deserving organizations. Members individually selected each organization that would receive a grant.

This year, the NEMYF Board awarded $3,974 in the form of nine grants. Each organization, including the Lafayette County Literacy Council, received $441 to use toward ongoing projects.

The other recipients included Oasis Medical Center of Alcorn County, Houston Free Medical of Chickasaw County, Sally Kate Winters Family Services of Clay County, Kidney Head of Lee County, Aberdeen Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry of Monroe County, Pontotoc Food Pantry, First Center for Women of Union County and Together for Tippah County.