Mississippi Power Foundation partners with United Way to celebrate Read Across America Day

Gulfport, Miss. – Mississippi Power employee volunteers spent Read Across America Day powering students’ excitement for reading in elementary school classrooms across the company’s service territory.

Volunteers with Mississippi Power’s Community Connection chapters visited several schools to read to children and deliver books in hopes of creating avid readers across southeast Mississippi.

“Mississippi Power and the Mississippi Power Foundation are grounded in service to our communities. We know that by investing in organizations like United Way, we are positively impacting the lives of local families all around us,” said Mississippi Power Foundation Executive Director Steven Dick. “Strengthening educational opportunities for our children means we’re strengthening the future of Southeast Mississippi.”

Mississippi Power President and CEO Pedro Cherry and several Mississippi Power volunteers read to pre-K4 and kindergarten classes at North Gulfport Elementary and Middle School. Additionally, each student received a new book to add to their home library.

In 2025, the Mississippi Power Foundation continued its longstanding partnership with United Way of South Mississippi by funding its waitlist for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Because of this investment, nearly 400 local children were enrolled in the program and will receive a free book once a month until they are five years old.

“The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a wonderful resource that boosts literacy rates of children across the country, and we are proud to stand up this program locally,” said United Way of South Mississippi CEO Kathy Springer. “We would not be able to fund this initiative without community support, which is why the Mississippi Power Foundation is an outstanding partner. They invested in this program during a time of need, and now children across the coast will have access to age-appropriate reading materials.”

The United Way of South Mississippi has distributed nearly 180,000 books via Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

“When we create a generation of readers, we’re creating the next generation of successful engineers, accountants, linemen, technicians and technology experts,” continued Dick. “It’s rewarding to see these children excited about reading and to watch their imaginations flourish. I’m proud of our team’s commitment to education and proud to partner with United Way.”

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for nearly 194,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power has served its communities for more than a century and is an industry leader in safety, reliability and economic development. The Southeastern Electric Exchange recognized the company for Top Safety Performance in its generation category, and Site Selection named Mississippi Power a top utility driving economic development in the United States. For reliability, The Edison Electric Institute has recognized Mississippi Power with multiple Emergency Response Awards for outstanding storm response. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube for company updates.

###