The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Elgin Partnership for Early Learning a $2,500 grant to support children’s literacy readiness in the neighborhood Learning On the Go programs. This local grant is a part of the Foundation’s largest, one-day literacy donation of more than $13 million throughout the 47 states in which Dollar General operates to support adult, family and summer literacy programs.
EPEL Executive Director, Amber Peters, states, “I am grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s investment in our community’s young children and families. This grant allows EPEL and community partners to engage with families and build needed readiness skills in young children.”
The investment allows EPEL to run nine Learning On the Go sites in neighborhoods this summer to increase awareness and access to early learning opportunities and skills needed for kindergarten readiness. For families to participate in these free opportunities, visit the EPEL website, www.elginpartnership.org, to learn more about where and when the sites are open. Each week every child receives a new book in English and Spanish and school tools to take home to build home libraries and have access to developmentally appropriate literature.
“It is a joy to celebrate this historic grant announcement during our 30th anniversary year,” shared Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “For three decades, DGLF’s investment in community programs has created meaningful access to literacy skills for adults, children and families alike and exemplified Dollar General’s mission of Serving Others. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity and access to a quality education, and we look forward to seeing these literacy grants inspire reading and build brighter futures.”
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports organizations that increase access to educational programming, stimulate and enable innovation in the delivery of educational instruction and inspire a love of reading. Each year, DGLF awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. The Foundation also offers a student referral program for individuals interested in learning how to read, speak English, or prepare for the high school equivalency exam. Referrals to a local organization that provides free literacy services are available online here or through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.