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CHICAGO — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded a Youth Literacy grant in the amount of ­­$246,806 to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The Everyone Reads @ your Library grant allows ALSC and YALSA to support important literacy programs across the country.

With the grant, YALSA will continue with its mission to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens through its , , and initiatives. “We are extremely thrilled and appreciative of Dollar General’s continued support towards our literacy initiatives,” said YALSA President Christopher Shoemaker. “Summer reading and learning, Teen Read Week™, and the Teens’ Top Ten are pertinent programs for our teens to further develop their literacy skills and enhance their futures.”

The Everyone Reads @ your library grant will assist ALSC in emphasizing the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds through the (Children's Day/Book Day) initiative. This year’s grant will also allow ALSC to host a national diversity forum, bringing together experts from across several industries. “There has never been a more important time to ensure that our libraries are full of diverse materials and are able to have programs available for all children,” said Ellen Riordan, ALSC president. “We are extremely grateful to Dollar General for their ongoing support that allows libraries across the country to host the El día de los niños/El día de los libros programs.”

“Youth literacy grants from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation make a distinct impact on the communities we serve by supporting programs that improve education and enhance literacy,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “At Dollar General, we are passionate about our mission of Serving Others and it’s exciting to see the real difference literacy and learning make in people’s lives.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s Youth Literacy grants are awarded to public libraries, schools and nonprofit organizations to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading.

Since its founding, Dollar General has been committed to supporting literacy and education. To further this support, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in 1993 to improve the functional literacy of adults and families by providing grants to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the advancement of literacy.

For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit .

About Dollar General Stores

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for 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 11,500 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 Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo. For more information on Dollar General, please visit .

About ALSC

ALSC, a division of the 91´«Ã½, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at .

About YALSA

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to , or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.