Clarendon County Adult Education receives grant from Dollar General Literacy Foundation

STAFF REPORT

MANNING - Clarendon County Adult Education was recently awarded a $7,500 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support adult literacy, according to a news release. This local grant is part of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation's $10.5 million donation to support summer, family and adult literacy programs, representing the organization's largest one-day grant donation in its 29-year history.

"We are very excited to partner with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation again to engage our students in Adult Education and the community of Clarendon County," said Lara Kolb, director of Clarendon County Adult Education. "If you ever wonder about that extra $1 or $2 they ask you about at checkout, well, it stays here." Clarendon County Adult Education is one of only 12 other programs in S.C. and 398 programs across the nation to receive the award, according to Kolb.

According to Kolb, money will be used to provide instruction for students working toward a high school or career-readiness credential. "During our 2022-23 school-year, we continued operation of federal legislation, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which requires adult education to provide both academic and career guidance for our students. With these funds, we will continue our partnerships with local agencies and service providers to identify goals and career pathways for enrollees in our program. We are happy that we can work with Dollar General to make a difference in the future in our community," Kolb said.

"For nearly 30 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been proud to invest in literacy and education programs in our hometown communities," said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. "The recent and significant shifts in the educational landscape have made the foundation's mission more critically important. As we work to create access to high-quality instruction for all individuals, we share our gratitude for the educators who are working to uplift and empower others. We hope these funds will have a meaningful impact on students and teachers across the country and look forward to seeing the positive impact they have on learners."

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, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards money 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 through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.