Dollar General Presents $72,500 in Grants to Charlotte-Area Elementary Schools
Sat, 12 Oct 2013
Major retailer partners with Unilever for the “Reading Puts You on
the Track to Victory” reading program
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Dollar General, in partnership with Unilever, concluded the seventh
annual “Reading Puts You on the Track to Victory” reading program by
presenting grants totaling $72,500 to more than two dozen Charlotte-area
elementary schools. The grants were presented to school leaders during
pre-race ceremonies at the Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor
Speedway on Friday, October 11. Over the past seven years, the program
has awarded more than $350,000 to 40 Charlotte-area schools.
David Tehle, Dollar General's executive vice president and chief financial officer (middle) and Krees Kruythoff, Unilever North America's President (right) present a check for $72,500 to Charlotte-area educators in pre-race ceremonies at the Dollar General 300 as part of the Reading Puts You on the Track to Victory program. (Photo: Business Wire)
The program encourages students to read outside the classroom and
achieve reading goals. The results were remarkable with more than 6,000
students from 28 local schools reading more than 2.8 million minutes.
The participating schools are located in the Iredell-Statesville School
District, Cabarrus County Schools and Ashley Park PreK-8 School in
Mecklenburg County. Each participating school received a $2,500 grant
from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
“This program is an innovative way to encourage young students to
develop a love of reading, which is so important to their success in
school and in life,” said Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO, Dollar
General. “Encouraging children to read and providing literacy grants to
Charlotte-area schools exemplifies our mission of Serving Others.
It’s rewarding to see so many children achieve the high goals they set
for themselves by spending more time reading.”
All participating schools received a collection of favorite childhood
books from Dollar General and Unilever NASCAR drivers and were eligible
for other prizes. By averaging 285 minutes read, Ashley Park PreK-8
School won a driver read-aloud featuring Dollar General NASCAR drivers
Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers. All children that met or exceeded their
grade-level reading goals received a racing-themed prize. Jackson
Kessler, a first-grader at Royal Oaks Elementary School, read more than
1170 minutes and was this year’s grand prize winner earning a special
VIP experience at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300. He
also received a collection of autographed books from Kenseth and
Vickers, as well as Unilever NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and
Regan Smith.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, the Dollar General
Literacy Foundation helps improve the functional literacy of adults and
families by providing grants to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the
advancement of literacy. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation has
awarded more than $85 million to assist over 4.9 million individuals
take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. To learn
more about Dollar General’s literacy initiatives and available grants,
visit www.dgliteracy.org.
For a complete list of participating schools, additional information,
photographs or items to supplement a story, please contact the Media
Relations Department at 1-877-944-DGPR (3477) or via email at pr@dg.com.
About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for
nearly 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money.
Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and
replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning
supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday
prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 11,000
stores in 40 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any
retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar
General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as
Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg's, General Mills,
Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General
at www.dollargeneral.com.
