Our community enjoys the benefits associated with its natural beauty and history: the site of the first major gold rush, in the Appalachian mountains, and a short drive to Atlanta. We have a variety of cultures here, based on tradition and on newer folks moving in. To sustain the values we believe in, everyone must be empowered, and literacy is key to that effort. The Lumpkin County Literacy Coalition works to increase literacy at all age levels, but it's our programs with our youth that have the most power because they help "inoculate" the next generation against the persistent poverty that 50% of our school-aged children live in. Our youth programs include the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and a Dictionary/Thesaurus program for 3rd/8th graders.