Dollar General Partners with P&G to Honor Military Every Day Heroes

In June, Dollar General® (NYSE: DG) is partnering with Procter & Gamble to celebrate brave soldiers making a difference in their communities after returning from service as part of its Every Day Heroes® program. Dollar General will feature decorated veteran Sparky Edwards in a national campaign thanking the nation’s military across the country.

“Sparky exemplifies the Dollar General Every Day Hero, not just through his bravery and military service, but through his commitment to community,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. “Through his perseverance in the face of adversity and his enduring commitment to family, education and volunteerism, he is the embodiment of what it means to be an Every Day Hero.”

Once an at-risk teenager, Edwards turned his life around with the help of the Thunderbird Youth Academy (TYA), one of the National Guard’s 34 Youth ChalleNGe academies. The rigorous program helped him earn his GED and prepared him to enter the military where he served tours of duty in South Korea and Iraq. Today, Edwards is a successful business owner, husband and father and is pursuing his Ph.D. He credits TYA with saving his life.

“I went from being on track for a jail cell to being a decorated war veteran, business owner, former senior federal government employee and soon-to-be Dr. Sparky D. Edwards,” Edwards said.

According to Edwards, TYA also taught him the importance of volunteer work. Today, he continues to volunteer with organizations working with at-risk youth and is currently mentoring young people through the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in Northern Virginia.

“We offer a second chance for at-risk youth,” said Gen. Craig McKinley (ret.), Chairman, Board of Directors, National Guard Youth Foundation. “These are kids who are struggling in school and making poor choices. They look up to Edwards as a role model and proof that you can turn your life around.”

Dollar General is the winner of the 2011 Military Officers Association of America Distinguished Service Award, was recognized in GI Jobs magazine’s list of Most Military Friendly Employers and participates in Paychecks for Patriots, a proactive hiring initiative that helps resolve the challenges of veteran unemployment. Additionally, in 2010, Dollar General received the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, which is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

Dollar General offers its customers great value and convenience, as well as national brands at bargain prices. Dollar General carries top brands like Tide, Gain, Downy and Febreze. Customers can receive additional savings through the P&G brandSAVER on June 2.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for nearly 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 10,000 stores in 40 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About The National Guard Youth Foundation

The National Guard Youth Foundation, a 501(c)(3), supports the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program’s efforts to address the nation’s high school dropout crisis by giving troubled youth a second chance, helping them graduate and continue their education or join the skilled workforce in America. The Foundation awards scholarships and facilitates internships and job opportunities for ChalleNGe graduates. The Foundation is also working with ChalleNGe to scale the program to impact more youth at risk of being lost and forgotten. To learn more about the Foundation’s initiatives, please visit www.ngyf.org.

This press release has an accompanying Smart Marketing Page providing further details about the organization, products and services introduced above. You can access the Smart Marketing Page via the following link: http://smp.businesswire.com/pages/dollar-general-celebrates-military-heroes-june.

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