POTTSTOWN PA – An $8,000 grant given to the YWCA Tri-County Area will support the local non-profit’s adult literacy education program, it reported Thursday (July 11, 2024).
The grant benefits curriculum, supplemental reading materials, student workbooks and texts, and instruction at the YWCA’s Pottstown center, 724 N. Adams St. It was offered by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, a charitable arm of the nationally known retailer.
Dollar General operates locally in Pottstown, Lower Pottsgrove, Stowe, Boyertown, Royersford, Douglassville, and Birdsboro. The foundation provides financial support to schools, non-profit organizations, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers.
The YWCA operates a similar center in Norristown. About 160 adults are annually served by the two classrooms, it said.
The centers provide adult learners with opportunities to enhance foundational academic skills. Learners also can earn a high school diploma, master English as a second language, and add to their digital literacy, career planning, and job readiness.
A profound impact on the program
“This funding will have a profound impact on our program,” according to Lori DeVore, the YWCA’s senior director of adult education. She thanked the foundation, and said the grant allows the YWCA, “to expand our services and reach more individuals in need.”
The agency has received other foundation grants in years past.
The foundation indicated the YWCA grant was part of “more than $10.6 million donated to support adult education in communities with local Dollar Generals.” As a result, since its inception in 1993, the foundation has now surpassed “helping more than 20 million individuals achieve their educational dreams.”
“We believe individuals of all ages deserve access to a quality education,” foundation Executive Director Denine Torr explained. It “is thrilled to support thousands of learners across the country as they enrich their lives with literacy and education,” she said.
Photos provided to Travels With The Post by the YWCA Tri-County Area