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Natchezian Kim Granger organized books with her mom Mary Ann Granger, adopted niece Krista Brengettsy and goddaughter Ma’Kayla Murray on 22 Woodside Court. Close to where the dart landed Friday morning.

“I invited them over for summer work today,” Kim said. “They are helping me organize my Christian books. We do giveaways for children. They can be anywhere from a baby to a teenager. We are hoping to go through the neighborhood later today to give out books.”

Mission Light is the name of her ministry. Giving books to children is a way for her to spread Jesus and his story, she said. A speech pathologist and a member of Parkway Baptist Church, she has a heart for serving people, specifically children, she said.

Books are another love of hers. Mary Ann was a teacher and had her daughter Kim reading by the time she went to Kindergarten. Her collection of books to giveaway has grown to a few hundred, she said.

“This is just my ministry. I have a heart for children,” Kim said. “I give them away. I have had people donate, but I typically find the books myself. I want to be more intentional. I have been thinking of starting a backyard bible club.”

When she was a little girl, she said she had an understanding of Jesus and the Gospel. Her baptism was when she was seven years old, she said. It was not until 2017 that she was truly born again and re-baptized, she said. Since 2017, she said her faith has grown deeper.

“I pray I can make a difference,” she said. “I want my home to be welcome for people to come.”

One way she makes a difference is through mentoring girls in Middle School. The name of the mentor group is Girls of Virtue. She said she enjoys spending time getting to know students personally and being a model for what it means to have a well-developed character.

As a speech pathologist, she is working with kids to correct their speech. “I love children. They make me smile all the time,” Kim said.

At the University of Louisiana Monroe, she studied communicative disorders. Speech pathology was not the first career she had in mind, she said.

“Initially I wanted to be a vet, to have my practice because I love animals,” Kim said. “I wanted my dad to retire and work for me. He had dogs, horses, owls and goats when I was growing up. I discovered it was too math and science-heavy for me.”

Her dad David Granger Sr. always reads the paper in the print or e-edition, she said.

“I always tease my dad, ‘one day the dart is going to hit you,’” She said. “He always said if the dart landed on him, he would not do it.”

Mary Ann is usually working in the background of whatever project she is working on, Kim said. Her dad is also very supportive of her ministry work.

“My mom is my right hand for anything, and so is my dad,” she said. “I am thankful for them because they help out with everything I do. My mom always asks, ‘what do you want me to do.’ If I’m working on something, my mom is usually behind me, and sometimes she is ahead of me.”