The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded Lee University’s Center for English Language & Literacy an $8,000 grant to support family literacy.
“What we do would not be possible without the generous funding from Dollar General,” said Dr. Christopher Blake, director of CELL and professor of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and linguistics. “They have helped CELL become a stepping stone for English language learners in our community who are looking to progress further down the road of English literacy.”
CELL has served the immigrant population in the Greater Cleveland Community since 2011. The money provided through the DGLF will fund staff support, as well as the purchase of curriculum materials, refreshments for students, and other resources to further the development of the program. Additionally, this project will provide future educators with training in literacy instruction, as well as valuable experience working with the growing population of English language learners in public schools.
This local grant is 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 a joy to celebrate this historic grant announcement during our 30th anniversary year,” shared Denine Torr, executive director of the DGLF. “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.”
DGLF 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.
Since 1993, DGLF has awarded more than $233 million in grants, helping more than 19.3 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma, or English proficiency. Cal Turner Jr. founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor his grandfather and Dollar General’s co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate having dropped out of school in third grade to support his family.
To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit dgliteracy.org.
For more information on CELL or to get involved, visit leecell.org, email Dr. Blake at cblake@leeuniversity.edu, or call 614-8223.