The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded more than $100,000 to Alabama nonprofits, libraries and schools, including two local recipients, to aid in youth literacy initiatives.

The Link of Cullman County and the West Elementary Library were each awarded $4,000 to further their reading initiatives.

The Link’s Literacy Coordinator Dakota Trammell said the funds will be used to further develop the organization’s after-school tutoring program which aims to help bring students up to speed in areas they may find difficult.

“We have a lot of students coming to us who are reading below their grade level and just need to work on those skills,” Trammell said.

The Link does have a relatively well-stocked library, but that it can be difficult at times to locate books which students are both interested in reading and are at the appropriate reading level. Trammell said The Link will be using its grant funds to purchase laptops for its instructors as well as subscribing to Raz-Kids, an online reading program.

In addition to providing tools to help develop active reading strategies, the vocabulary of Raz-Kids’ collection of more than 2,000 digital books can be adjusted to different reading levels, meaning students will be able to read a story they are interested regardless of their current ability.

“With this, if I have a student who is interested in something like dinosaurs, but they hate reading, for the most part I can find something that is in their interest that’s also on their reading level and we can then work on that reading skill,” Trammell said.

“We understand investing in youth literacy means investing in the future of students and our collective communities,” Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, said in press release emailed to The Times. “Through these grants, we hope to enhance the programs’ efforts to foster students’ critical thinking skills, creativity and confidence so they can unlock their potential and achieve their dreams.”

West Elementary Librarian Tere Kelly said the school plans to use its funds to “fill in some gaps” in its non-fiction collection that were discovered based on recent surveys. She said several books requested from students would also be ordered.

Other Alabama recipients include:

— Independent Reading/Counseling Svc. Inc. in Anniston.

— Arab Jr. High School

— Delta Elementary School in Bay Minette.

— The Gatherings Mno Group in Bessemer.

— The Literacy Council of Central Alabama in Birmingham.

— Friends of the Chilton Clanton Public Library in Clanton.

— Priceville Elementary.

— Hillcrest Elementary School.

— Rogers High School in Florence.

— South Baldwin Literacy Council in Foley.

— Wills Valley Elementary School.

— Greensboro Middle School.

— Geneva County Middle School.

— Hayden Middle School.

— Meridianville Middle School.

— Dwell Mobile.

— Orchard Elementary School.

— Johnnie R. Carr Middle School in Montgomery.

— Margaret Elementary School.

— Odenville Intermediate School.

— E & B Fields Community Service Program in Sawyerville.

— Imagination Library Selma-Dallas, Inc.

— Childrens Literacy Services in Silverhill.

— Springville Middle School.

— Steele Elementary School.

— United Way of West Alabama.

— Weaver Elementary School.