That’s what Dollar General delivered to three school principals over the past week in Alabama and Nebraska as part of its Reading Revolution program and its ongoing commitment to literacy and education through its mission of Serving Others.
Talladega, Alabama
In partnership with Unilever® on Friday, October 21, Dollar General Corporation representatives and Dale Earnhardt Jr. met with students at Stemley Road Elementary School in Talladega, Alabama. After reading to the students, Earnhardt and Dollar General presented Stemley Road Elementary School Principal’s Michelle Barker with a yellow and black box with a very special gift inside. When she opened the box in front of a classroom of curious students, she was surprised and elated to find a check for $50,000!
“I am an advocate of providing students with the all of the tools necessary to improve their education and helping them become more confident,” said Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s 13-time Most Popular Driver and owner of JR Motorsports. “It is an honor to be part of the celebration today with the students and staff at Stemley Road Elementary School thanks to Unilever and their partnership with Dollar General.”
Tecumseh, Nebraska
Dollar General Corporation representatives arrived at Johnson County Central Elementary School on Wednesday, October 26 ready to start a revolution. After meeting with school administrators who weren’t quite sure why Dollar General was at the school, Dollar General’s region director Kris Wold and district manager Sandy Anno presented the principal with a gift. Inside, principal John Rother found a check for $25,000!
Kris and Sandy had so much fun presenting the check that they walked across campus to Johnson County Central High School and did it all over again, providing Johnson County Central High School principal Rick Lester with another check for $25,000!
“Dollar General is very passionate about its mission of Serving Others, and we are all excited to surprise these schools with a financial donation to further their reading and literacy programs,” said Denine Torr, Dollar General’s senior director of community initiatives. “We hope these donations will help equip the schools with the tools and resources it needs to improve the learning experience for students. By supporting schools with these gifts, we hope to help students become better readers, more successful students and lifelong learners.”
These donations are part of Dollar General’s Reading Revolution program, which aims to enhance students’ reading and literacy programs. School administrators may use the Reading Revolution funds at their discretion to best achieve this goal by purchasing books, technology programs, computers and/or other educational supplies or resources.
Since its inception in 2013, the program has provided more than $2.2 million to more than 50 schools. Schools were chosen because of strong community contributions to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation through the Cash Cube program available in Dollar General stores. Dollar General plans to make donations to additional schools through its Reading Revolution program in various locations where it has a strong presence.
Dollar General’s commitment to literacy and education is rooted through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the company’s co-founder, J.L. Turner. Turner had a third-grade education and was functionally illiterate after dropping out of school to support his family. His grandson and former CEO, Cal Turner, Jr., founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation in 1993. Since its inception 23 years ago, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $127 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 7.9 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.