Charlotte Samples, Bradley County adult education director; Bonnie Whitmire, Dollar General district manager; Andrew Hunt, Cleveland Public Library director; and Keisha Parks, Cleveland Public Library children’s librarian.
The grants will support literacy and education initiatives at the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library and Bradley County Adult Education Center.
In recognition of the Dollar General Literacy Champions in Cleveland and the generous support of local customers, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded the grants to help improve literacy in the local community.
Customers can support the mission work of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation by donating their spare change in donation containers located near the cash registers. Funds collected are distributed through a formal grant process to nonprofit literacy providers across the country.
“Thank you to our customers for their generous support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation,” said Donna Harris, Dollar General store manager. “Your donations fund programs that are changing lives one word at a time.”
Harris and her store team presented the grants during a ceremony at the Dollar General store.
“This grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation will supplement the GED testing fee for many of our students,” said Charlotte Samples, Bradley County Adult Education testing coordinator.
“This allows more Bradley County residents to achieve their GED diploma and be contributing members to our community.”
“We are thankful and grateful to Dollar General for their support of literacy and our library,” said Keisha Parks, Cleveland Public Library children's librarian. “We have great things in store for our young patrons including an author visit, poetry workshops, and other youth literacy programs.”
Dollar General’s commitment to literacy is an integral part of the company’s culture. Co-founder J.L. Turner was functionally illiterate with only a third grade education. Through hard work and perseverance, J.L. was able to overcome tremendous odds and launch a successful business.
In honor of his legacy, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in 1993. The Foundation provides funding to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries that are dedicated to the advancement of literacy for adults, families and youth.
If someone you know needs a referral to a program in your local community that can help them learn to read, prepare for the GED or learn the English language, please complete one of our Learn to Read brochures located near the cash registers in your local Dollar General stores or call 1-877-389-6874.
To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, please visit www.DGLiteracy.org.
Charlotte Samples, Bradley County adult education director; Bonnie Whitmire, Dollar General district manager; Andrew Hunt, Cleveland Public Library director; and Keisha Parks, Cleveland Public Library children’s librarian.
