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Families in two parishes will have the opportunity to experience a Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ Prime Time reading program thanks to a donation from Union Pacific.

Union Pacific recently donated $10,000 to make the programs possible in Caddo and Calcasieu Parishes, bringing its total support to the LEH and Prime Time to more than $128,000.

“We are deeply grateful to Union Pacific for its ongoing support of education programming from LEH,” said Shelley Stocker, vice president of education programs. “Its dedication allows us to deepen our connections and sustainability in parishes across Louisiana.”

Programs coming to Caddo and Calcasieu, and to parishes throughout Louisiana, in Spring 2022 are Prime Time Family Reading and Prime Time Preschool Reading. During the six-week-long programs, a storyteller reads a carefully selected children’s book and families are then lead through a discussion of the themes found in the books. The programs are designed to promote literacy, critical thinking and family bonding.

“The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities has been a long-time partner of the Union Pacific Foundation,” said Drew Tessier, senior director public affairs for Union Pacific Railroad. “We are proud of the small part we play in bringing the Prime Time program to the communities in which our employees live and work.”

Prime Time reading programs are hosted by local community organizations that are supported by Prime Time and grants made possible by donors such as Union Pacific.

“We can only bring Prime Time reading programs to parishes across the state through support from organizations such as Union Pacific that recognize the importance of literacy and family engagement and make the commitment to bring those programs to their communities,” said Miranda Restovic, president and executive director of the LEH and Prime Time, Inc.

Spring 2022 program sites are currently being finalized. Families can find their program site once they are finalized.