CHICAGO — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded a Youth Literacy grant in the amount of $226,876 to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
ALSC and YALSA will use the grant to support two important initiatives, El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), Teen Read Week™ and summer reading for teens.
“As one of the most important celebrations in children’s librarianship, we’re very excited to have Dollar General Literacy Foundation continue its support of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day),” said ALSC President Carolyn Brodie. “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s strong commitment to multiculturalism in children’s library services is highly admirable.”
“Summer reading and Teen Read Week™ are valuable tools used by libraries all over the country to support teen literacy efforts,” said YALSA President Jack Martin. “YALSA is thrilled to have the Dollar General Literacy Foundation continuing to support these important efforts.”
“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is pleased to support El día de los Niños and Teen Read Week™,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “By engaging children and teens in reading, a foundation for future success is built. We applaud the life enriching work of ALSC and YALSA and value our partnership.”
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s Youth Literacy grants are awarded to assist with implementing new or expanding existing youth literacy programs; to purchase new technology or equipment to support youth literacy initiatives; or to purchase books, materials or software for youth literary programs.
In August, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to 564 non-profit organizations, community groups, schools and libraries throughout the United States. It is estimated that approximately 315,000 youth will be served as a result of these grants.
Since its founding, Dollar General has been committed to supporting literacy and education. To further this support, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in 1993 to improve the functional literacy of adults and families by providing grants to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the advancement of literacy.
For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit www.dgliteracy.org.
About Dollar General
Dollar General is a leading discount retailer with 10,000 stores in 40 states. Dollar General stores provide convenience and value to customers by offering consumable basic items such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids and cleaning supplies, as well as basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at everyday low prices. The company has a longstanding tradition of supporting literacy and education. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $74 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 4.4 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. To learn more about Dollar General, visit www.dollargeneral.com.
About YALSA
For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.
About ALSC
ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC visit www.ala.org/alsc.
Source: American Library Association
