A nonprofit in Wichita is getting help from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for its adult education programs.
KANSEL received a $10,000 grant to support its GED prep and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs. KANSEL’s executive director Linda Eaves says the money will be used to support operations to run those classes.
"Those kind of dollars are very important to keep our fees low, to pay for supplies, instructors--all the components that go into operating an adult education program," she says.
Eaves says the two programs serve about 700 students each year. KANSEL is open year-round and has provided adult education and workforce training in the Wichita area for more than 27 years.
Eaves says there are more than 25,000 adults in Sedgwick County who do not have functional English language skills.
"There are 44,000 adults in Sedgwick County that do not have their high school credentials," Eaves says. "That’s pretty devastating. Not everyone wants to get their high school credentials, but we need to have our doors open and ready for when people are ready to learn."
Last year, Sedgwick County cut its funding of $84,500 to KANSEL. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded more than $7.1 million in grants to more than 900 schools, nonprofits and organizations across the 43 states that Dollar General serves.
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