Western Piedmont Community College Receives $7,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support Adult Literacy

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) recently awarded Western Piedmont Community College’s College and Career Readiness program a $7,000 grant to support adult literacy. This local grant is a part of the Foundation’s largest, one-day literacy donation of more than $13 million throughout the 47 states in which Dollar General operates to support adult, family and summer literacy programs.

“It is an honor to receive our first grant from Dollar General. The funds will enable us to enhance and grow our distance learning literacy program by providing access to students in need,” said Patsy Miller, Coordinator, College and Career Readiness.

WPCC’s College and Career Readiness Programs serves over 200 students in its Distance Education Program which includes Adult Basic Education (ABE), English as a Second Language (ESL), and High School Equivalency (HSE). To meet our students’ needs, grant funds, along with a match from WPCC, will support students’ free access to educational software packages designed to increase students’ attendance and measurably improve their literacy.

“It is a joy to celebrate this historic grant announcement during our 30th anniversary year,” shared Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “For three decades, DGLF’s investment in community programs has created meaningful access to literacy skills for adults, children and families alike and exemplified Dollar General’s mission of Serving Others. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity and access to a quality education, and we look forward to seeing these literacy grants inspire reading and build brighter futures.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports organizations that increase access to educational programming, stimulate and enable innovation in the delivery of educational instruction and inspire a love of reading. Each year, DGLF awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. The Foundation also offers a student referral program for individuals interested in learning how to read, speak English, or prepare for the high school equivalency exam. Referrals to a local organization that provides free literacy services are available online or through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.