By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

A local sorority recently provided elementary school students with the tools they’ll need to better their education.

The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Selma Alumnae chapter donated school supplies to Edgewood Elementary School Tuesday morning.

The chapter’s educational development committee chose Edgewood as its school to help out for the 2011-2012 academic year.

“We’re giving the school some much-needed school supplies,” said Dianne Harris, co-chair of the Selma Alumnae Chapter. “We’re just trying to assist schools with the necessary supplies they need in these tough economic times.”

Harris said this is only the beginning of the sorority’s efforts to help out Edgewood Elementary.

“We’ll be coming back throughout the year,” Harris said. “We realize there’s a valuable need to assist schools.”

Supplies given out included pencils, glue, crayons, copy paper and disinfectant wipes.

Edgewood principal Joe Peterson Jr. said it’s a blessing to receive these much-needed supplies in these tough times.

“We feel blessed to receive the gift from the sorority because they could have chosen any other school, but this year they decided to choose Edgewood and we feel like it’s a great honor to receive some assistance from them because we do need it,” Peterson said. “Right now schools across the nation are at the point where they have to conserve resources and utilize every means possible to make sure they have all the necessary resources to keep their schools operating at an optimal level but with fewer funds to do so.”

The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization whose stated purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world.

Founded in 1913 at Howard University, the sorority is made of more than 200,000 predominately black college educated women and has over 900 chapters in the United States and around the world.