Donation Aims to Support the Calcasieu Parish School District’s Library and Literacy Initiatives Following Hurricane Laura
Picture above: Calcasieu Parish School District representatives and students show their appreciation for Dollar General’s $100,000 Reading Revolution donation aimed at supporting the community’s recovery from Hurricane Laura. DG representatives surprised the District’s Superintendent with the donation in late January.
In keeping with the company’s mission of Serving Others, Dollar General representatives recently surprised students, teachers and administrators at J.I. Watson Elementary School in Iowa, Louisiana (east of Lake Charles) with something BIG.
On Friday, January 29, 2021, Calcasieu Parish School District Superintendent Karl Bruchhaus opened a black and yellow gift box, he was elated to find a $100,000 check! Dollar General hopes the funds, which are part of the Company’s Reading Revolution program, will provide additional support to the school district as it continues to recover from Hurricane Laura devastation in 2020 so the District can purchase books, computers and other educational supplies to enhance their reading and literacy programs.
According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, the Calcasieu Parish School District’s schools and campuses sustained $300 million in damages across more than 70 buildings following Hurricane Laura. Additionally, the Daily Advertiser reported that 97% of school sites in the Parish received “substantial damage.”
“We hope today’s donation has a lasting, positive impact on the Calcasieu Parish community that continues to rebuild following Hurricane Laura’s devastation,” said Kaushik Paul, Dollar General’s region director. “In line with our mission and community outreach centered on literacy and education, we hope these funds equally support the community’s recovery efforts from the storm, as well as students’ education progression and love for reading they usually acquire from their local school libraries.”
“Our faculty, staff, and students have faced a tremendous amount of adversity over the last several months,” said Calcasieu Parish School District Superintendent Karl Bruchhaus. “While we are still facing challenges as we rebuild foundations for the future, community partners like Dollar General make that journey a little easier. We are grateful for both the generosity and the compassion shown through this donation, and we know it will greatly enhance the learning happening in our classrooms.”
Administrators may use the Reading Revolution funds at their discretion for purchasing books, technology programs, computers and/or other education supplies or resources to support literacy initiatives in their schools. Since its inception in 2013, the program has provided more than $3.6 million to schools.