Dollar General donates money to local schools
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Youth Literacy grants totaling $4,750 to two Russellville schools to help children and students who are reading below grade level or who are experiencing reading difficulty.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded a grant of $3,000 to Russellville Middle School for its “Helping Struggling Readers Master the New Standards” program, and a grant of $1,750 to Russellville High School in support of its “Read to Succeed II” program.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s Youth Literacy grants are awarded to assist with implementing new or expanding existing youth literacy programs; to purchase new technology or equipment to support youth literacy initiatives; or to purchase books, materials or software for youth literary programs.
Both RHS and RMS received grants last year as well.
Deborah Nale, media specialist at Russellville High School, said the money she received for the “Read to Succeed II” program would go toward the purchase of books for at-risk students and books for the school’s Accelerated Reader program.
“This money continues the ‘Read to Succeed’ program we began last year,” Nale said.
“With the new core curriculum, there is even more reason for students to become better readers and be able to use higher order thinking skills. Not only does this program allow us to continue to purchase books for struggling readers, it also allows us to continue offering the Accelerated Reader (AR) program.
“The basic cost for providing AR services for the high school now costs almost $1,500 alone just to access the AR tests. This is such a big help for our teachers because students have so many books of varying interests and levels to choose from, and AR is an excellent tool to monitor and most accurately test to see if students are reading.
“Either I or Mrs. Robinson, my aide, monitor student testing, and it is not unusual for us to test 100 students or more on some days, so this grant really is a big help in making sure we can continue these vital programs.”
Nale said she appreciates each person who has donated their change to literacy at their local Dollar General stores.
“A lot of times when we are asked to donate money to something, we wonder if it really goes to support that cause,” Nale said.
“Mrs. Bates and I can both attest that this program uses every penny to advance literacy having received several grants from the Dollar General Foundation. So I ask that everyone who can spare giving their left over change to please do so. It really does make a difference for literacy and for the goals we set for our students.”
This fall, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded more than $2.5 million in youth literacy grants to approximately 650 schools, non-profit organizations, libraries and community groups dedicated to the advancement of literacy.
“Youth literacy grants from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation are awarded at the beginning of the academic year to help make a distinct impact on the communities we serve by supporting programs that improve education and enhance literacy,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO.
“At Dollar General, we are passionate about our mission of serving others and it’s exciting to see the real difference literacy and learning makes in people’s lives.”
Since its founding, Dollar General has been committed to supporting literacy and education. To further this support, the Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $84.9 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 4.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.
For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit www.dgliteracy.org.
