UNION CO., S.C. (WSPA) – In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday and National Read Across America Day, Dollar General surprised a local school with a very big gift.
“We are very, very surprised,” Principal of Jonesville Elementary/Middle School Kathy Taylor said.
Those at Jonesville Elementary/Middle School weren’t expecting a visit from one of their neighbors on Tuesday.
“Dollar General is very big on not only providing quality product, but also just very big on serving the communities that we live in and that we work in; and it works out well here in Jonesville, South Carolina, with us being right down the road,” Terry Rivers, with Dollar General, said.
Folks from the Dollar General Distribution Center presented a $50,000 check to the school as part of the company’s “Reading Revolution” program.
“The founder of our company couldn’t read, so donating to the literacy foundation and presenting that check here today means a lot to the company,” Rivers said.
The principal of the school told 7 News that Dollar General has helped them before with school supplies and monetary donations, but nothing ever as big as this.
She said they’re extremely grateful and excited about what this means for their students, as they’ll be able to do a lot with $50,000.
“It means the world to us,” Taylor said. “It makes a difference when you have a community that supports you.”
Principal Taylor said the money will go towards making their students better readers.
“Books. Lots of books. Books, books, and more books, because we firmly believe that we’ve got to get books in children’s hands in order for them to read them, and we want to instill that love for learning in our students,” she said.
And those with Dollar General said they’d like to see those readers become community leaders.
“I hope that it helps produce better leaders coming out of Jonesville, because this is home for us,” Rivers said.
Along with books, the money can be used for technology programs, computers, and other educational supplies and resources.
Dollar General has awarded more than $3.8 million to schools since 2013.
