The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded The Arlington Public Library Foundation a $10,000 grant to support adult literacy and a $1,500 grant to support Summer Reading Club.
"Grant funding, like that received from Dollar General, enables the Arlington Public Library to offer programs that impact lives within our community. We are extremely grateful to have received these grants," said Cary Siegfried, Director of Libraries.
The $10,000 grant will support the Arlington Reads adult literacy program, through which helps hundreds of adults improve basic reading levels, enhance workplace technology skills, learn to read and write in English or achieve GED certification.
This year, the Library anticipates serving 550 adult learners - 30 through ABE (Adult Basic Education), 100 through ESL (English as a Second Language), 120 through GED (General Educational Development) programs, and 300 through basic computer classes. The Library relies on grant funding and volunteers to implement these programs. During FY 2014, 115 Arlington Reads volunteers contributed 4,141 hours.
"I just want to read and write," said Kenneth, a member of the Arlington Reads' ABE program. Kenneth dropped out of school in the third grade. Now in his mid-60s, he is learning to read and write for the first time in his life. When he first came to Arlington Reads with his wife, a GED student, he knew about six or seven letters. Now he has learned not only his alphabet, but 207 words, and has been able to construct written sentences in addition to reading stories. He is even able to read short stories to his grandchildren, with a little help, which he was never able to do before.
Kenneth was paired with tutor David and they have been working together for almost three months. David said, "It is so refreshing to see him come early each Wednesday and Friday - a clear indication of his interest and desire to learn. It is a real pleasure to spend time with Kenneth and to see how far he has come."
The $1,500 grant will support the Library's 2015 Summer Reading Club, which will serve approximately 7,000 school-age children. Summer Reading Club is extremely effective in encouraging participants to discover the joys of reading and a sense of personal accomplishment. It is particularly important for K-12 students (especially low-income students who have limited access to summer enrichment opportunities), who can lose a month of learning in math and reading over the summer because it guards against summer slide.
"It is exciting to see the impact grants from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation make throughout the country, especially as we cross the $100 million threshold in overall donations and the difference it has made to nearly six million people," said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General's chairman and CEO. "The Dollar General Literacy Foundation truly embodies the company's mission of Serving Others throughout the communities we serve."
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 $100 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping nearly six million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.
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