CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School Principal Destiny Spencer says the delivery of 240 brand new children’s books reflecting diversity will expand the young minds of the students.
The Charleston-Institute Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. met with staff and students at the elementary school Thursday to present the books in a demonstration of their ongoing commitment to education and service.
The donation was part of the statewide service initiative being held alongside the 2025 West Virginia Statewide Founders Day Celebration of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Spencer said it is a real honor to receive this book donation.
“I can’t thank Delta Sigma Theta enough for thinking of Mary C. Snow, the students, and the staff,” Spencer said. “We are grateful for all of the resources, the services they provide, so it definitely is a great thing.”
Chapter President of the Charleston Institute Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Michelle Foster said this initiative is meant to strengthen reading skills and promote lifelong learning.
“Education is very important to us, educational development is one of our programmatic thrusts, so anything that we can do to promote learning and reading, especially for young people, is very, very important to our sorority,” Foster said.
Foster said the sorority tries to maintain a strong presence in schools by mentoring students and supporting attendance initiatives.
The book being given to the students Thursday was entitled “A Dream of Birds.” 
Spencer said the book will promote diversity and individual differences by featuring a diverse set of characters and a strong message.
“Almost 90-percent of our students are African American, and so it is great for them to see themselves in books and things that they can do and careers,” Spencer said.
Foster said it was impactful getting to support this school in this way, because Principal Spencer and the staff there are very open-minded to educational opportunities for their students.
“We all want to see the students do better, many of the kids come from poor families, so we really want to kind of invest in them, and Spencer is very receptive to the assistance that many in the community provides,” she said.
Foster added that Wednesday’s initiative aligns well with the sorority’s overall focus of being strong educational advocates.
“Delta Sigma Theta is about service, it’s about scholarship, it’s about social action, it’s about sisterhood, so what we’re doing here is really in sync with our mission as an international organization,” Foster said.