Wallace State Community College Receives $10,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support Family Literacy

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) recently awarded Wallace State Community College a $10,000 grant to support family literacy.  The funds contribute to a record‑setting, single‑day total of nearly $16 million in grants nationwide—supporting adult, family and summer literacy programs in the 48 states where Dollar General operates. The milestone surpasses the Foundation’s previous record of more than $13.2 million granted in May 2025.

“Wallace State’s Families Learning Together initiative helps adult learners improve basic literacy skills by becoming their children’s first teachers,” Patti Wilkins, Director of Adult Education.

Wallace State’s Adult Education program offers the Families Learning Together initiative annually.  This program features adult learners and their children participating together in all learning activities. Library workshops, shared reading sessions, take-home literacy kits, and the Adult Education Fall Family Literacy Festival engage parents and children simultaneously, reinforcing literacy skills across generation.

A young boy has a heart painted on his face during the 2025 Adult Fall Family Literacy Festival at the Oneotna Academic Center.

“Since the Foundation’s inception in 1993, our focus has remained on making meaningful investments in students, teachers, and the organizations that support literacy and learning at every stage of life,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “We are grateful for the impact teachers and educators make every day and are excited to have another record setting year of helping expand literacy access for learners of all ages. These funds will help educators enhance their instruction and create opportunities that help empower students to reach their full potential.”

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, DGLF 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.

The DGLF Foundation plans to launch its seventh annual https://www.dgliteracy.org/yellowglasses/campaign on July 20, 2026, in which customers can purchase yellow sunglasses at Dollar General stores for $2 each to benefit the DGLF. 

For more information about Wallace State’s Adult Education program, visit www.wallacestate.edu/adulted or call 256.352.7859.

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About Wallace State

Wallace State Community College (Ala.), a member of the Alabama Community College System, is a comprehensive community college in north central Alabama offering more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study leading to an associate degree, certificate or transfer, as well as workforce-credit training and adult education. An Achieving the Dream Leader College, nationally recognized by the Aspen Institute as a Rising Star for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, ranked by Southern Business and Development among the Top 3 institutions in the South for workforce development, named a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and the National Security Administration, rated the Top Online Community College in Alabama, a Military Friendly Institution and an All-Steinway School, Wallace State is an outstanding place for students to pursue their education and career goals. Classes are offered online and on campus, day, evening and on weekends, with numerous start dates each year. Visit Wallace State’s beautiful main campus located on 300-acres in Hanceville, Ala., our satellite location in downtown Oneonta, Ala., find us online at www.wallacestate.edu, or call 256.352.8000.

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 $292 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 25 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit www.dgliteracy.org.