Manos de Cristo Receives $10,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support Adult Literacy
[Austin, TX] – [June 2022] – The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Manos de Cristo 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 29-year history.
The Manos de Cristo Education Program predominantly serves Spanish-speaking individuals who seek to improve their life-skills and employability by learning and refining English as a Second Language (ESL). The funds awarded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation allow Manos de Cristo to maintain staff and teachers who continue supporting English language learners on their journey with English. When asked about her experience at Manos de Cristo, student Abilianny said, "It's a really beautiful experience... I know I don't speak perfect(ly), but I feel better. Its good when you feel like you can call somebody (and) you can talk in English. You can go to a movie theatre. You can go to a restaurant. And I can do it now." The Manos de Cristo Education program empowers individuals to reach their goals and positively impacts their life.
"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.
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About Manos de Cristo
Manos de Cristo, founded in 1988, meets essential needs by providing adults and children with low-cost dental care, educational opportunities, and a back-to-school program to prepare elementary students for school with new clothing and school supplies, and emergency food and clothing relief. The Manos de Cristo Dental Center is one of the few not-for-profit dental facilities in Austin. Our life changing services empower people of all backgrounds to build self-esteem, self-confidence and the ability to participate fully in the life of our community. All are welcome. Visit www.manosdecristo.org to learn more.
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 $216 million in grants, helping more than 15.4 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.