I have spent my whole life thinking that after someone did something for you, donated to your cause or in some way made your day better, you say, “Thank you.”

I have recently discovered that “thank you” doesn’t come close to expressing how I felt after a recent phone call.

I was at home one day last week when I received a phone call from an angel in her own right – Mrs. Susan Short – who told me that she had just received word that the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation had just granted (the Covington County Imagination Library) $13,500 to use to buy books for every child born in Covington County for the entire year of 2012.

I have got to tell you – after the day-to-day struggle with trying to bring about a dream, fighting through the negativity and even some confrontation, to receive a phone call like that, it will make a grown man hang up the phone and weep.

I know that the people I am about to mention do not do what they do for the recognition, but I feel that I must recognize them. These people take the time out of their busy lives to research and discuss the things that they can do to make Andalusia a better place to live and to raise children. In my book, they are saints, and I will always be grateful for what they have done for my organization and for the children of Covington County.

First and foremost, I want to thank Mrs. Martha Dixon. Without her and Solon, this would have never happened. The board members that met and decided to give all our newborns a leg up on education are as follows: Mrs. Doris Tyler, Judge Trippy McGuire, Mr. Phillip Jones and Mrs. Louisa Baker. These people will always hold a special place in my heart, and I would like to ask that everyone reading this open letter today say a prayer to help guide the wonderful people in their endeavors toward helping Andalusia grow and prosper.

Curtis Simpson

Imagination Library