The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Mission: Border Hope a $4000 grant to support youth literacy. This local grant is part of $4.5 million in youth literacy grants awarded to approximately 1,000 organizations across the 43 states that Dollar General serves. Given at the beginning of the academic school year, these grants are aimed at supporting teachers, schools and organizations with resources to strengthen and enhance literacy instruction.

“We are so proud and thankful to receive this grant that will be used to fund technology and books for the Mission: Border Hope Loma Bonita Kidz Klub Literacy Program,” said Becky Ballou, Executive Director of Mission: Border Hope. The mission: Border Hope Kidz Klub was developed in March 2016  in partnership with Commissioner Robert Ruiz in Loma Bonita, focusing on strengthening children’s reading abilities as well as their love for education by building a positive sense of community through tutoring and mentoring relationships. Staff and volunteers support students through homework help, one-on-one reading, and educationally enriching games, activities, and field trips. 

“By awarding these grants, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is committed to making a meaningful impact in our local communities,” said Todd Vases, Dollar General’s chief executive officer. “These grants provide funds to support youth literacy initiatives and educational programs throughout the communities we serve to ensure a successful academic year for students.”

Committed to helping increase the literacy skills of individuals of all ages, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $127 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping nearly 7.9 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education since its inception in 1993. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards grants each year to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 20-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. 

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation also supports customers interested in learning how to read, speak English or prepare for the high school equivalency test. At the cash register of every Dollar General store, customers may pick up a brochure with a postage-paid reply card that can emailed in for a referral to a local organization that offers free literacy services. 

For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.dgliteracy.org.