The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Read To Succeed a $10,000 grant to support Youth & Family Literacy and a $10,000 grant to support Adult Literacy. This local grant is part of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s recent award of $10.5 million donation to support summer, family, and adult literacy programs, representing the organization’s largest one-day grant donation in its 28-year history.
“Read To Succeed is beyond grateful for the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. We both share the same goal which is to change the trajectory of individuals in our community through literacy.”
Read To Succeed’s Family Literacy Program serves the child and family. With two key programs offered in collaboration with Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City, Head Start and support summer Community Summer Camps; Read To Succeed aims to bring the family together to celebrate literacy along with the JOY of reading. Family Literacy Events are conducted throughout the school year in partnership with local universities in our local elementary schools. Imagination Station events are held in collaboration with Community Development Institute Mid-Cumberland Head Start sites in Rutherford County.
The Adult Literacy Program works with adults 18 years of age and older to provide one-on-one tutoring in basic literacy at no cost to the learner. The program provides a free 5-hour training course to teach volunteer tutors how to work with adults. The tutors are then paired, one-on-one with adult learners based on the tutors’ interest (basic, intermediate, advanced reading, math, or English as a Second Language). Throughout the year, in-service training is offered to the tutors at no cost. In addition, the program provides the basic literacy materials needed for the tutoring process.
"For nearly 30 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been proud to invest in literacy and education programs in our hometown communities," said Denine Torr, Executive Director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. "The recent and significant shifts in the educational landscape have made the Foundation’s mission more critically important. As we work to create access to high-quality instruction for all individuals, we share our gratitude for the educators who are working to uplift and empower others. We hope these funds will have a meaningful impact on students and teachers across the country and look forward to seeing the positive impact they have on learners.”
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, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation 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.