Snipes Academy to receive 500 free books through Magic of Storytelling campaign

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Magic of Storytelling competition is over.

WWAY partnered with First Book and Disney’s Magic of Storytelling campaign to provide 500 free books to a local school.

The competition was tough.

We received numerous nominations for several schools in our area, countless emails that detailed the difficulty facing many of our schools in the community. To say that many of those emails tugged at our heartstrings is an understatement.

In the end, the winning entry came from Stacy Menzies, the Media Coordinator at Snipes Elementary.

Here’s just a small portion of her email.

“Our students are some of the most amazing resilient people I have ever had the honor of meeting.  Some have experienced things in their lives that most adults would not know how to handle.  We have students with food, shelter, and safety insecurity, and still, they come to school every day ready to do their best.  All of our students receive free breakfast and lunch and most live under the poverty line.  Ninety-one and a half percent of our students are economically disadvantaged.  At least thirty of our students are covered under McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act.  We are also one of the few schools in the area which does not have a PTA.”

Menzies is thrilled her school won and is looking forward to receiving books for her students.

“Our kids deserve them because they will love them and use them and appreciate them. And they deserve them, frankly,” Menzies said. “They come here every single day, regardless of what has happened the day or the night before. They come in here and give us their very best. We want to be able to give back to them.”

Menzies said she is thankful to WWAY and Disney for their gift. She knows this donation will help her kids literacy and learning levels and will let them know they are seen and loved by the community.

While we could only choose one winner, other schools and educators can take advantage of the First Book program.

First Book also provides free and low-cost books to educators. If you are an educator or nonprofit serving kids in need, you can register with First Book at FirstBook.org/MOS to access books and educational resources, including Disney Publishing Worldwide titles.

Visit MagicOfStorytelling.com to listen in on a virtual story time, pick up a few tips on how to tell your own story and find out how you can help First Book provide even more books to kids in need.