Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards Youth Literacy grant to ALSC, YALSA

CHICAGO — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded a Youth Literacy grant in the amount of ­­$246,806 to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

ALSC and YALSA will use the grant to support three important initiatives, El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), Teen Read Week™ and summer reading for teens.

“The El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day) initiative is committed to introduce families to community resources that provide opportunities for learning through multiple literacies,” said Starr Latronica, ALSC president.  “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s continued support of this initiative is invaluable to libraries across the country.”

 “Summer reading and Teen Read Week™ are valuable tools used by libraries all over the country to support teen literacy efforts,” said YALSA President Shannon Peterson. “YALSA is thrilled to have the Dollar General Literacy Foundation continuing to support these important efforts.”

“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is pleased to continue our support for El día de los Niños and Teen Read Week™,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “By engaging children and teens in reading, a foundation for future success is built. We applaud the life enriching work of ALSC and YALSA and value our partnership.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s Youth Literacy grants are awarded to public libraries, schools and nonprofit organizations to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. 

Since its founding, Dollar General has been committed to supporting literacy and education. To further this support, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in 1993 to improve the functional literacy of adults and families by providing grants to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the advancement of literacy.

For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for nearly 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 11,000 stores in 40 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg's, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.

About YALSA
For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.

About ALSC
ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at http://www.ala.org/alsc.

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Surgeon general says obesity crisis should be addressed together

Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled in adults and more than tripled in children. The problem is even worse among black, Hispanic and Native American children. Nationwide, more than two-thirds of adults and more than one in three children are overweight or obese.

We see the sobering impact of these numbers in the high rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses that are starting to affect our children. A study from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine reported that obese children as young as age 3 show signs of an inflammatory response that has been linked to heart disease later in life.

Everyone has a role to play in the prevention and control of obesity. Mothers, fathers, teachers, business executives, child-care professionals, clinicians, politicians and government and community leaders: we must all commit to changes that promote the health and wellness of our families and our communities.

Change starts with the choices we make each day for ourselves and those around us. At the same time, there is a growing consensus that we, as a nation, need to create communities and environments where the healthy choices are the easy choices and the affordable choices.

"The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation" is an attempt to change the national conversation from a negative one about obesity and illness to a positive one about being healthy and being fit. We need to stop bombarding Americans with what they can't do and what they can't eat. We need to begin to talk about what they can do to become healthy and fit.

For years now, we have encouraged Americans to eat more nutritiously, exercise regularly and maintain healthier lifestyles. But for people to do these things, Americans need to live and work in environments that support their efforts.

For example, children should be playing and having fun. However, we have to provide safe environments for them, such as clean and well-lighted parks, recreational facilities, community centers, and walking and bike paths. Healthy foods should be affordable and accessible. Increased consumer knowledge and awareness about healthy nutrition and physical activity will foster a growing demand for healthy food products and exercise options, dramatically influencing marketing trends.

We should remember that individuals are more likely to change their behavior if they have a meaningful reward - something more than reaching a certain weight or dress size. The reward has to be something that each person can feel, can enjoy and can celebrate.

The real reward is optimal health, which allows people to embrace each day and live their lives to the fullest - without disease, disability or lost productivity.

We have an opportunity to make a difference in this public-health crisis of obesity and overweight. Working together, we can become a healthy and fit nation. Today I would like to ask for your help.

Benjamin, a family physician, is the surgeon general of the United States.

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