The Emmanuel Center/Books from Birth

TheEmmanuel Center, founded in Memphis in 1989, serves the 38126 ZIP code, one of the most impoverished in the country, with after-school programs that include tutoring. It serves more than 2,000 individuals each year through programs that inspire spiritual, physical and educational growth. Its mission is to empower at-risk children, youth and adults through ministries designed to help lift them out of poverty.

Books from Birth provides a new age-appropriate book at no cost every month to Shelby County children enrolled in the program from birth until age five. Presently, there are over 47,000 children enrolled in the program. It is the local affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and a partner with the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation. Its vision: For our children, open a book, open a mind, open the door to success.