Dollar General Corporation to Receive Ingram Award at PENCIL Back to School Breakfast

PENCIL will honor Dollar General Corporation at their annual Back to School Breakfast fundraiser with the distinguished Ingram Award. The Back to School Breakfast takes place on Thursday, August 24, from 7 – 8:30 AM at the Belmont Curb Event Center.

The Ingram Award is given each year to a community partner or volunteer who provides outstanding support and engagement to MNPS through PENCIL. Denine Torr, Dollar General’s vice president of corporate social responsibility, will accept the award that is named for the late E. Bronson Ingram, a founding board member of PENCIL.

“Dollar General and PENCIL have a rich history that dates to 1988 when the company first partnered with Hattie Cotton Elementary School,” explains Angie Adams, PENCIL President & CEO. “That dedicated relationship continues to this day, and their rich partnership at the Academy of Hospitality, Marketing, and Business at Hunters Lane High School began in 2010. Also, their team regularly volunteers on other projects supporting MNPS throughout the year.

“Dollar General’s generous investment in our work, particularly our literacy programs, has grown exponentially during the past 35 years,” Adams continues. “Additionally, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation also serves as the presenting sponsor of our free teacher resource center, the DG PENCIL Box, and I can’t think of a more appropriate time to recognize DG’s commitment to PENCIL and Metro students.”

The Back to School Breakfast is an inspiring morning where guests hear from PENCIL Partners and Metro teachers and students; network with fellow business and community leaders; and invest in PENCIL’s work to support students and teachers. Sponsors for this year’s event include Presenting Sponsor Elliott Davis and Dean’s List Sponsors Belmont University, Nissan, and Stantec. Event co-chairs are Todd Figler, AllianceBernstein; Jacky Gomez, Asurion; and Jacqueline Hayes, Crayons & Marketers.

Funds raised at the event support PENCIL’s mission of linking community resources to Nashville’s public schools. For more information, visit pencilforschools.org.

“The PENCIL Foundation does a beautiful job of designing impactful programs that serve the needs of students, teachers and schools. Whether by helping students receive literacy tutoring, advancing school partnerships, uniting us through Together 4 Teachers or the DG PENCIL Box, they make it easy to have a meaningful impact and experience the joy of giving,” shared Torr. “We are humbly honored to receive this recognition and look forward to our continued partnership.”

Dollar General has a deeply-rooted history of championing literacy and education initiatives through its mission of Serving Others. Additionally, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) celebrates its 30^th anniversary in 2023.