This summer, Education Matters Tutoring (EMT) continued its work providing academic resources to underserved youth across Mississippi. The student-led nonprofit partnered with 12 local restaurants and JA benefactors to raise funds for Talk From the Start and provide books for youth across the state.
The 501(c)(3) organization raised more than $3,400, enough to supply approximately 2,000 books to be distributed by a pediatric clinic. Combined with last summer’s fundraising, EMT has now donated more than $6,800 to the Mississippi Children’s Museum to help address declining literacy rates among Mississippi youth.
EMT will continue offering free tutoring to Jackson Public Schools students throughout the school year under a new board of directors led by JA senior Hazel Ginn, who took over as executive director from founder Shelby Grant, now a freshman and Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia.
Last year, EMT leaders recruited 55 volunteer tutors. Working at Stewpot’s after-school program and Willie Morris Library, tutors accumulated a total of 1,052 hours between the organization’s launch in 2024 to the end of the 2025–2026 academic year. The work in the 2025–2026 academic year alone impacted 140 youth!
Outside of the Jackson area, EMT donated more than 250 books to MadCAAP, an after-school program for Canton public school students. Additionally, EMT’s services have gained wider recognition within the state, including a surprise visit from DNA4Kids’s CEO and Founder, DeNai Ringo, who gifted EMT’s students at the library with goody bags to help prepare them for state testing. EMT also received the prestigious “Generation Next” award at the annual Stewpot Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast Ceremony in celebration of their meaningful dedication to Stewpot.
To volunteer or learn more, visit educationmatterstutoring.org.
