The Dogwood Literacy Council won an $8,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
Charlie Muessemeyer, the executive director of the Dogwood Literacy Council, said she was notified May 11 and will receive a final letter from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation the first full week in June.
Funds from the grant will be used for Dogwood's health literacy programs, Muessemeyer said. These programs show people how to use coupons and healthy items they can get with coupons along with field trips to dentists, pharmacies and the Panther Wellness Clinic for kids, Muessemeyer said.
"This is quite a lot of money," Muessemeyer said. "It will be wonderful to help cover bills and have field trips. Thank you to Dollar General for having boxes for collection out and thank you to the foundation for helping with literacy."
Muessemeyer said 13 literacy councils in Arkansas had received grants from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
Another victory came when the state announced an increase in its funding for literacy councils to $1 million.
In February Muessemeyer issued a plea to state legislatures to increase the amount of funding, according to an article in the Herald-Leader on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
The Dogwood Literacy Council, like many other literacy councils in Arkansas, relies on state funding which is given through the Adult Learning Alliance, a statewide nonprofit that provides structure and funds to county-level literacy councils, the article states.
Funding for the state previously capped at $487,000, the article states.
"There are 23 literacy councils in Arkansas and they will have spendable money," Muessemeyer said.