The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded White County Public Libraries Friends Foundation, Inc. a $2,000 grant to support youth literacy. This grant is part of more than $3.4 million the organization awarded to 915 recipients on August 28, 2018. Awarded annually at the beginning of the academic school year inception, youth literacy grants help support teachers, schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the 44 states that Dollar General serves.
“We are excited for the opportunity that this grant brings to help us start more children’s book clubs. It is difficult to gather enough copies of any one particular title of a book to have it available for a book club. With these funds, we will be able to purchase 18 or more sets that we can rotate between the eight libraries in the system.”
The Book Club program will benefit participants ages 12-18 by engaging them with books and reading in a fun, interactive setting with their peers. Students will participate in facilitated discussions as well as crafts, journaling and games designed to engage them more deeply with the books and encourage the enjoyment of reading. As of February 2019, Book Club programs benefiting from this grant have started at the El Paso Community Library, Searcy Public Library (2 programs), Baldwin Memorial Library, Goff Public Library, and Pangburn Public Library.
To date, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $159 million in grants to schools, libraries and literacy organizations as part of its commitment to increase literacy skills for individuals of all ages.
The White County Public Library Friends Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization established in February 2014 as a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting and enriching the capabilities, resources, and services of the White County Regional Library System.
