West Virginia University students have spread the written word around the state and beyond. Members of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Departments undergraduate honor society, recently completed distribution of more than 1,000 books they garnered in campus-wide book drive.

About 500 of those books were donated to the Kenya Outreach Fund, which focuses on stocking childrens libraries in Kenya, while the rest were donated to pre-schools around the state and to Ronald McDonald Houses, which has a network of more than 174 local charities that serve in 32 countries. This charity provides comfort and care to children and their families in communities around the world.

“Sigma Tau Delta students love literature. The book drive gave those students an opportunity to share their excitement about reading with children who are often at a crucial juncture in their cognitive development. The drive exceeded all of our expectations and is a testament to the enthusiasm and commitment of our members,”said Jonathan Burton, assistant professor of English and faculty advisor of the group.

Sigma Tau Delta was founded in 1924 and currently has chapters on about 240 campuses. Members of Sigma Tau Delta participate in literary events and service projects of their own design. Members are eligible to apply for scholarships offered by national organizations.

The Department of English, with about 275 undergraduate majors, 60 graduate students and 40 faculty members, is one of 16 academic units within the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to the undergraduate curriculum, the department offers the M.A. and Ph.D. in American and British literature and the master of fine arts in creative writing.