Make a difference in your own community. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past 11 years, this idea has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

People can show their generosity in a variety of ways during GivingTuesday⁠⁠—whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, sharing a skill, or giving to causes, everyone has something to give, and every act of generosity counts. Click below to support our efforts.

At Dover Adult Learning Center of Strafford County, lives are transformed through education. Adults and youth find new opportunities to learn, build self-confidence and become economically self-sufficient.  They leave better prepared for work, college & training, and improve their skills as family members & citizens. 

• Adult Learning in Dover began in 1968, with adults learning to read in a church basement. Over fifty years later, our multiple locations (Dover, Rochester, and Strafford County Department of Corrections) have served one of the largest adult literacy populations in the state.

• Since then, over 8,000 people have become high school graduates here. In 2023, 142 adults and youth earned high school diplomas and equivalency certificates, up from 103 in 2022. Many years, more people earn a high school equivalency here than anywhere else in NH.

• In 2023, Dover Adult Learning Center of Strafford County served students in all 13 towns in Strafford County with 135 active volunteer tutors serving over 100 students. We are the only adult learning center in Strafford County and the only HiSET testing site in Strafford County.

• Last year, enrollments increased to over 2,000 in education and testing programs, 600 in foundational skills programs providing basic math, English, reading and writing skills, awarding credit and preparing to pass high school equivalency tests (HiSET). Hundreds of others were in computer or enrichment classes. Over 100 received training on site at their workplace.

• Adults continued their education, found jobs and prepared for careers. In addition to reading, writing and math, students learn computer skills, gain “college knowledge” and prepare a career plan. Many enter jobs, training, community college or apprenticeships better prepared for success. This year, 165 students completed computer training, vocational preparation, or post-secondary transitions.

• In 2023, over 200 adults from 36 different countries took classes in person, on Zoom or a combination of the two to improve their ability to speak, read and write English; earn US Citizenship or gain civics skills. Three levels of ESL, advanced ESL courses in special topics and Civics and Citizenship instruction were delivered in various modes of instruction.

• Last year, we provided childcare to 28 children. They learned ABC’s and numbers, played games, ate healthy snacks, and celebrated holidays and birthdays while their parents studied.

• At the Strafford County Department of Corrections, 121 inmates prepared to pass the High School Equivalency (HiSET). Teachers were once again fully in-person, we’ve added Spanish language literacy and HiSET prep, and next year will start an ESL program at the jail.

• We provide a safety net for teens who might otherwise drop out of high school. Last year, almost 200 in-school youth complete some or all of their high school education with us under alternative learning plans from their high schools. These students became part of the graduation rate instead of the drop out rate.