Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently announced two grant awards to benefit literacy programs of the Arlington Public Library. The library's adult literacy program will receive $10,000 and the Summer Reading Club will receive $2,000.

"At Dollar General, we are passionate about our mission of Serving Others throughout the communities we serve," said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General's chairman and CEO."It's exciting to see the Dollar General Literacy Foundation's outreach in action as we partner with organizations to further education and literacy and make a real difference in people's lives."

Through the APL Arlington Reads program, hundreds of adults are helped each year to improve basic reading levels, enhance workplace technology skills, learn to read and write in English or achieve GED certification. Arlington Reads is an accredited member of ProLiteracy, an international nonprofit organization that supports literacy programs.

The Summer Reading Club is for all ages. Its goals are to help students avoid the "summer slide" of declining reading skills between school terms, to encourage parents to read with their children, and to help everyone discover and nurture the joy of reading.

"These funds will be a great help in meeting our goals this year," said Cary Siegfried, Director of Libraries for the City of Arlington. "We are grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for recognizing the need for comprehensive literacy services in our community and for recognizing the library's commitment to providing those services. We could not accomplish what we do without the financial support of partners like this."

Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $92 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than five million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.