St. Joseph's Bookmobile to stop in Mitchell
Jun. 15—The St. Joseph's Indian School Bookmobile is coming to Mitchell.
St. Joseph's bookmobile travels to communities throughout South Dakota to distribute free reading material for all ages and interests.
The Bookmobile will open at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Mitchell Aquatic Center parking lot, where children and adults can receive a free book. This year's books feature Native American stories told by Native American authors from Bird Cage Book Store and Mercantile in Rapid City.
St. Joseph's Indian School, based in Chamberlain, is a religious boarding school that partners with Native American children and families.
"In St. Francis earlier this month, the people who came to get books were so excited," said Clare Willrodt, director of communications and outreach for St. Joseph's. "They were so elated to find those books that relate to them."
The Bookmobile did not make its rounds last year due to the pandemic, but St. Joseph's still distributed books through community partnerships.
The event in Mitchell is one of over 40 stops throughout the monthlong road trip, but is the only stop on Thursday.
Willrodt estimated that over 2,000 people received a total of over 10,000 books in 2019, the most recent year the Bookmobile made its rounds.
