A recently established Hattiesburg bank announced its support of the Hattiesburg Public School District’s early age literacy programming with a significant donation.
Representatives of Merchants & Marine (M&M) Bank – including Greg Hodges, market president, and his colleagues, Brad Cornett and Jonathan Shows – presented a check for $75,000 to the district for its Early Learning Collaborative.
“We hope this gift helps you with the wonderful things you’re already doing as we continue to invest in Hattiesburg,” Hodges said during the presentation.
One of only 18 of its kind in Mississippi, the HPSD Early Learning Collaborative prepares children to be kindergarten-ready and beyond with literacy programming before they enter school.
Hope Mikell, director of curriculum for Pre-K through grade 5 for the district and lead for the Early Learning Collaborative, said the donation was just further evidence of the outstanding support the Hattiesburg community has shown not just for the program but for HPSD.
The Early Learning Collaborative has received more than $600,000 in donations over the last year.
“It’s a wonderful feeling knowing how much people in the community care about and want to support what we’re doing,” Mikell said. “We’ll use these funds to help get our children kindergarten-ready so that they can be successful not only in kindergarten but beyond.”
