EARTH, Texas—Springlake-Earth ISD received a surprise donation in the amount of $50,000 from Dollar General as the company celebrated their new store opening in the town.  

Several students and teachers wrote letters to Dollar General, requesting for their consideration to make Earth, TX their newest location for a Dollar General store. Today, many of those letters were read aloud at a school-wide ceremony hosted by Dollar General, in the auditorium of the Springlake-Earth school. 

The surprise came first with a gift of $5000 to high school principal, Cindy Furr. Later, she was given the choice of trading that check for a chance to open a box. After much anticipation and encouragement from the audience, she chose to make the trade. The trade was worth $50,000 towards the literacy programs at Springlake-Earth school. 

Springlake-Earth ISD Superintendent Denver Crum said he’s appreciative of the generosity of Dollar General, but he’s hopeful the students learned an impactful lesson.

“The gift itself will be a blessing but the message behind the gift is really what will impact the children, knowing that there’s companies out there like Dollar General that don’t just want people’s money, but that invest back into communities like ours, and care for children,” Crum said. “It’s a great message and it will go beyond just improving literacy at Springlake-Earth it will give our children hope, it will give them a future and it’s a phenomenal example.”

Many may have been skeptical that Dollar General would open a store in Earth, but the voices of the students were indeed heard and now there’s a lot more the community will receive. 

“We hope that the school will use the money to help enhance their literacy program with technology and really strengthen all of their basic education efforts that really helps students build the confidence they need to grow and thrive,” said Denine Torr, senior director of community initiatives for Dollar General.

Torr said it was the voices of the students that lead to not only the store being built in Earth, but also the necessity of giving back to this community.  

“It’s such a beautiful day to be here in Earth, Texas and to be able to say to the children we heard your voice,” Torr said. “We came and together we’re going to make a beautiful difference and that starts no only by providing the school and the community with fifty thousand dollars, so that we can go in and make a difference together. Impact your learning and help you chase your dreams. It’s a great day.” 

Dollar General is now open in Earth, making it the 1500th store in Texas. This Saturday, they will host the grand opening of the store.