AMERICUS — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) recently awarded Sumter County Elementary School a $2,700 grant to support youth literacy. This grant is part of more than $3.4 million the organization awarded to 915 recipients on Aug. 28. Awarded annually at the beginning of the academic school year inception, youth literacy grants help support teachers, schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the 44 states that Dollar General serves.
The funds from DGLF will supplement the purchase of Reading Eggs software. The software will provide struggling readers with computer-based reading intervention instruction. A certified teacher with a Reading Endorsement will oversee the implementation of this program, provide direct instruction to all students, and provide professional development with classroom teachers.
“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to be an ardent supporter of schools, libraries and nonprofit literacy organizations,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s chief executive officer. “Dollar General’s mission is Serving Others, and this commitment comes to life through Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants that will impact thousands of students across the country. Since its inception 25 years ago, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has partnered with thousands of organizations focused on advancing the goals of literacy and education.”
To date, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $159 million in grants to schools, libraries and literacy organizations as part of its commitment to increase literacy skills for individuals of all ages.
Dollar General’s co-founder, J.L. Turner, was functionally illiterate and never completed a formal education. In 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in his honor and has since helped more than 10 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation also supports customers interested in learning how to read, speak English or prepare for the high school equivalency test. Customers may receive a referral to a local organization that offers free literacy services by visiting https://www.dgliteracy.org/ or by picking up a brochure with a postage-paid reply card available at the cash register of every Dollar General store, which can be mailed in for information.