The children at Charles Young Head Start Center in Meridian were surprised Tuesday morning when some visitors dropped by with a special gift.

Jeffery Wilson, local State Farm agent, along with Susan Whitehead presented Journey Bags to all the children. Each backpack was filled with toys, a snack box with peaches and juice, toiletries and a bib. Wilson said it’s a way of giving back to the community.

“We like to help the kids out – it’s summertime and they need a few essentials,” Wilson said. “Once they take everything out of the backpack it can be worn and they can use it for other things.”

Rep. Charles L. Young Jr. was also on hand to help give out the Journey Bags.

“It is great to see Jeffery and State Farm contribute toward helping the children of Meridian,” Young said. “The center provides early education opportunities – something that is greatly needed here in the state and locally for our children. We thank State Farm for thinking about the children of Meridian.”

Charles Young Head Start Center is named after the late State Representative Charles Young Sr., who was a Founding Father of Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc. Head Start. Charles Young Head Start Center is located at 2211-11th Avenue-Meridian. Geneva Burton is the Regional 3 Head Start director and Christopher Thames is the center administrator.

New pharmacy school graduates

Two Meridian natives recently graduated from Auburn University’s James I. Harrison School of Pharmacy.

The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) graduates were Lindsey Nicklas Brown and Matthew Munn, both 2010 graduates of West Lauderdale High School.

Brown is the daughter of Debbie and Bobby Fason and Chester and Gloria Nicklas, and wife of Tyler Brown. Before coming to Auburn, she completed her prerequisites for pharmacy school at the University of West Alabama. She has accepted a full-time pharmacist position with Walgreens Pharmacy.

Munn is the son of Michael and Ann Marie Munn, husband of Candace Munn and father to Madison Munn. He earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Mississippi in 2015. He has accepted a full-time pharmacist position at North Hills Street CVS in Meridian.

Families First Honors Fathers

Families First For Mississippi, the Meridian staff, has been hard at work honoring fathers this month. Donald Fitzgerald recently finished the parenting class. He is applying for the online high school diploma program. He came by June 17, 2019, for his reading assessment and Families First was able to give him a little belated Father’s Day present. Families First looks forward to helping Donald make sure he is successful. 

Cheryl Owens writes the Neighbors column for The Meridian Star. Submit items to cowens@themeridianstar.com.