AYCC Receives $4,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support Youth Literacy

• September 18, 2024
• News

Waterville, Maine – September 17, 2024 – The Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) recently awarded the Alfond Youth & Community Center (AYCC) a $4,000 grant to support its youth literacy program. This local grant is a part of more than $4 million recently awarded to nonprofit organizations, libraries, and schools in Dollar General’s hometown communities across the country to help extend a brighter future for K-12 students.

Our After School Program has used their grant to purchase iPads for our off-site programs, which will allow youth to access the Epic! Books, allowing kids to read a wide range of digital books despite limited physical collections. Throughout the year, the children will maintain reading logs and participate in a contest to see which location can read the most books. The winning site will earn an ice cream party. The logs will help us track and analyze their reading progress over time. The program will also be integrated into other literacy initiatives at the off-sites, such as group reading sessions and involving community readers.

“We understand investing in youth literacy means investing in the future of students and our collective communities,” shared Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “Through these grants, we hope to enhance the programs’ efforts to foster students’ critical thinking skills, creativity, and confidence so they can unlock their potential and achieve their dreams.”

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, DGLF 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 or through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.

A comprehensive list of grant recipients may be found online.

About the Alfond Youth & Community Center The Alfond Youth & Community Center (AYCC) is the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that operates the nation’s only merged Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCA. Located in Central Maine, the dedicated staff of the 85,000-square-foot facility serves over 9,000 members from throughout the 50 communities of the Greater Waterville area.

A true youth and community center, the AYCC boasts childcare and after-school programs, wellness, fitness, athletics, aquatics, and summer camps.

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 $254 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 21.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit us online.