Cook Memorial Public Library District receives $1,000 grant from Dollar General

The Cook Memorial Public Library District received a YALSA/Dollar General Summer Teen Internship Program Grant for $1,000.

Offered by the Young Adult Library Services Association and funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the grant was used to support the hiring and training of two teen interns for the summer.

Hannah Travers and Sara Gil, two Spanish-speaking teens, supported the library’s Outreach Program by assisting staff on the Bookmobile. Their knowledge of Spanish was very helpful with the library’s many Hispanic patrons, officials said.

“Hannah and Sara encouraged participation in the summer reading club among all ages of our bookmobile patrons and engaged the children with fun games and crafts each week,” Outreach Manager Julie Abbott said. “They also attracted more adult and teen participation this year, making this year’s summer program a rousing success.”

YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand and strengthen library services for teens aged 12-18. It offers more than $90,000 in grants and awards to librarians and authors who serve young adults each year.

Through its member-driven advocacy, research, and professional development initiatives, YALSA builds the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.

The Dollar General discount retailer has a long tradition of supporting literacy and education. Since 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $64.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 3.7 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency.