Grants from our corporate donors have the ability to improve the lives of multiple children in Middle Tennessee. One child who benefitted from the generosity of Dollar General is nine-year-old McKenzie. Because of the scholarship they provided, she was able to enroll in the Reading Clinic at a critical point in her learning.

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Reading Clinic provides intensive one-on-one instruction for children who are experiencing reading problems. The Special Education Teacher Training Program of Vanderbilt’s Peabody College provides student tutors for the program. These students, along with experienced classroom teachers, use research-based instructional methods that have been proven to help children acquire reading skills.

McKenzie’s mother Dominique says, “I was unclear on how to help McKenzie, and the Reading Clinic is a blessing because she is improving with each session. Without the scholarship, she would not be able to attend due to my financial situation. I love McKenzie and know that this experience has helped her self-esteem and self-worth. She has been better with asking for help and knows that she can become a leader when it comes to reading aloud.

“McKenzie and I have a better relationship when it comes to completing school assignments because she is learning leadership and coping skills at the Reading Clinic as well. McKenzie was headed down a road of giving up on reading and trying to escape her weaknesses. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the tutors, the scholarships, and the time you have given McKenzie. McKenzie got her first certificate ever for Most Improved Reader in her class. She was so excited and has shown it to everyone. This is strictly due to the Reading Clinic.”

To learn more about how the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is helping others like McKenzie, visit www.dollargeneral.com. To learn more about opportunities for you or your organization to partner with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, please contact Laura Pevahouse at laura.pevahouse@vanderbilt.edu or (615) 343-4176.