Thomasville, GA – May 26, 2021 – The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) a $10,000 grant to support adult 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.
“I am truly at a loss of words at how much this grant will impact the literacy rates of our communities,” said Southern Regional Technical College’s Director of Adult Education Andy Semones. “This grant will provide funding for High School Equivalency testing scholarships and Integrated Education Training Programs. These students will be given an opportunity to completely change their future. We are honored to partner with Dollar General to not only enrich the lives of our students, but positively impact the literacy rates of our communities.”
The Adult Education Program at Southern Regional Technical College was designed to meet the needs of individuals who require assistance with basic academic skills. Flexible programs with non-traditional classroom hours include instruction in basic skills, GED® and HiSET® preparation and testing, and English language acquisition. The services are free and available at various locations in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties.
"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 Southern Regional Technoical College and The SRTC Foundation
Southern Regional Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, is a public two-year college that provides access to learner-centered high-quality services; academic and occupational credit courses; associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs; continuing education opportunities; business and industry training; and adult education programs. Through traditional and distance delivery methods at multiple instructional sites, the College supports workforce development serving primarily the citizens of Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties.
The mission of the Southern Regional Technical College Foundation is to encourage, receive, and administer financial gifts that benefit the College or college activities, with its first priority being to provide support that enhances student learning.
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.