The Boys and Girls Club of Seymour is more than just a place for kids to go and hang out after school.
It’s a safe place for children of all ages to grow, learn and play together with positive adult supervision and guidance.
On Monday, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced the Seymour club is one of 23 Hoosier recipients of grants to support youth literacy programs.
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Lara Wheeler, resource development and marketing director for the club, said the $3,000 grant will support its existing Indiana Kids program, which provides tutoring and services to promote growth and mastery of language arts skills.
The Indiana Kids program is a statewide after-school tutoring program aimed at helping children increase the quality and quantity of homework they complete and help improve student behavior and attitudes about school and learning.
In Seymour, the program served 241 youth in 2019.
The program has made a difference in club members’ academic performance, increasing reading fluency scores by 56% and match competency scores by 60%
In addition to reading and math instruction, children also learn about college, career and job readiness, workforce skills development, leadership development and volunteerism.
A total of $71,000 was distributed by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation in Hoosier communities served by Dollar General stores. Other recipients included schools, libraries and other nonprofit organizations.
Seymour has three Dollar General stores, Brownstown has two, Crothersville has one and Freetown has one. The company also is looking to build one in Medora.
This is the first time the club has received the literacy grant.
Wheeler said to be eligible for the money, applicants have to provide programming to help students who are below grade level in reading or have trouble reading.
Funds can be used to implement or expand existing literacy programs, purchase new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives or to purchase books, materials or software for literacy programs.
Since the grants are awarded annually, Wheeler said the club plans to apply for it each year.
Applications for the 2021 Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant cycle will be available online at dgliteracy.org on Jan. 4, 2021.
Grants are an important source of revenue to help the club meet the needs of youth and the community.
Besides its regular programming to help kids succeed in school, develop leadership skills and maintain healthy lifestyles, the club has provided child care and food for kids during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are always researching various funding streams,” Wheeler said. “The challenge right now is that our mission has stayed the same, but companies and foundations have shifted their funding scope in response to COVID-19.”
The Boys and Girls Club of Seymour has served youth and families in the community for more than 73 years.
“It takes individual donors, business support and grants all to support our robust programming,” Wheeler said.
Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s chief executive officer and a Dollar General Literacy Foundation board member, said this year, many teachers, libraries and literacy organizations are facing new challenges as a result of the pandemic.
“Despite the unprecedented obstacles, we admire the tremendous efforts and commitments from educators as they work to provide students with the tools they need to develop their literacy skills,” Vasos said. “We hope these funds will help support their plans to advance learning and deliver quality instruction in our hometown communities.”
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Applications for the 2021 Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant cycle will be available online at dgliteracy.org on Jan. 4, 2021.
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