The Adult Literacy Center at Drake University recently received a grant of $10,000 from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The grant will allow the program to continue making improvements and help more adults reach their literacy goals.
Since 1976, the Adult Literacy Center at Drake University, housed in the School of Education, has enlisted the help of volunteers to tutor adults who are interested in improving their literacy skills. Adults with low literacy skills is a hidden issue that affects all aspects of community life including health, employment, social services, mental health, and children’s education. Adult learners enroll because they desire the skills, confidence and independence that result from improved literacy skills.
Currently, 63 volunteers work with 69 adults who are striving to improve their lives through literacy. The $10,000 grant will allow the program to continue influencing the lives of adult learners in the Des Moines area.
“For 38 years volunteers from the Drake and surrounding area have reached out to invest in the community, one life at a time,” says Murr. “We are successful because of the volunteers who have tirelessly dedicated their time as tutors, and the generous funding we’ve received through grants like the Dollar General. We are so grateful we can help adult learners who are determined to improve their lives through literacy.”
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded more than $6 million in grants to support adult, family and summer literacy programs this year. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $92 million in grants to nonprofit organizations.
For more information, contact Anne Murr at anne.murr@drake.edu or 515-271-3982.