This week, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded YMCA of Coastal Georgia a $2,000 grant to support summer literacy.  This local grant award is part of more than $7.5 million in grants awarded to nearly 900 schools, nonprofits and organizations across the 44 states that Dollar General serves.
 
“Power Scholars Academy works to eliminate the educational disparities these students face and inspires and encourages them to dream beyond their reality”, says Rachel Bowman, Chief Advancement Officer at the YMCA of Coastal Georgia. “We are grateful for the generous support from our community partners like the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Their commitment to literacy is providing crucial programming for the success of our local students.”
 
Grant funds from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation will directly support the Power Scholars Academy program beginning in Chatham County this summer. Power Scholars Academy is a five-week, full day, summer learning loss prevention program designed to tackle summer learning loss while supporting the academic, physical and emotional development of youth. Through the generous support of our partners, rising sixth, seventh and eighth grade students can participate in this program for free. The Y saw great success in our pilot program in Effingham County last summer; students demonstrated an average 1.5 month gain in math skill and an average 2 month gain in reading skill in just five weeks.
 
“Dollar General is excited to provide these organizations with funding to support literacy and education throughout the 44 states we serve,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO.  “Providing these grants and supporting the communities we call home reflects our mission of Serving Others and it’s rewarding to see the impact these funds have.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $135 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 8.6 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.