The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded The University of New Hampshire (UNH) at Manchester a $7,000 grant to support adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) literacy. This local grant is part of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s recent award of $10.5 million donation to support summer, family, and adult literacy programs, representing the organization’s largest one-day grant donation in its 28-year history.
“We’re thrilled to receive this grant,” said Emily Kerr, Multilingual Learner Support Coordinator at UNH Manchester. “It will not only support our long-standing summer ESOL Summer Program, but it will allow us to expand to offer academic year programs as well. Every summer when our program ends, our students want to continue. Now we can offer additional opportunities.”
The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Summer Program at UNH Manchester has supported over 500 students from more than 65 countries as they embark on new and productive lives in the United States. UNH faculty and staff lead the program, designed for students in the greater Manchester area planning to pursue a college education or improve English skills for career or personal advancement. The program focuses on developing English writing, listening, reading and speaking skills, along with demystifying the college experience.
“It’s wonderful to see students develop their confidence,” said Kerr. “Many of our students have gone on to pursue their higher education or professional goals after participating in our summer program. We hope that our expanded programs in the fall and spring will provide more access for even more students.”
"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 funds 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 online here or through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.
About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $197 million in grants, helping more than 14 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Cal Turner, Jr. founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor his grandfather and Dollar General’s co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate having dropped out of school in the third grade to support his family. The Foundation aims to provide support to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations that seek to improve adult, summer, youth and family literacy initiatives. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.
