Books - Books - Books!
Norm and Linda Peterson believe in literacy for all people, as the best way to improving your life. As members of Rotary International, they support Literacy and Basic Education, one of the Six Areas of Focus. So they set out on a book drive to collect children and adult books and get them into the hands of people at no cost, no return needed. And at locations they frequently visit, close to home.
Norm Peterson, Rapid City Rotary Club member, has collected and distributed over 100 cartons of used books around the Black Hills and western South Dakota. Norm asked 43 clubs in the District 5610 area which includes all of South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, northwestern Iowa and a corner of Nebraska, to donate children and adult books. He accompanied Linda, District Governor, during the past year of visits to each club. The clubs responded generously! Norm received books from many clubs, including Pierre, Cherokee, Canby, Sibley, LeMars, Centerville, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City. Over 6000 books arrived during the fall District Conference in Rapid City. Then another shipment of 41 cartons arrived in April, due to Heartland Paper delivering from a Sioux Falls’ collection site.
The books were sorted and children’s books were distributed to Dear Ones Daycare, a low- income site sponsored by Cornerstone Mission, and adult mystery novels to the Veterans Center at Cornerstone. WAVI received a box of novels. Lakota Homes Oyate Center received boxes of children, adult novels, classics, self-help and reference books. The Journey Museum received a set of crafts reference books. Pine Ridge Sacred Heart Mission received boxes of children, adult and reference books on art and sports. The Storybook Island Little Free Library will benefit from a huge supply of children books this summer. And Readiatrics was donated over 60 cartons of books to be distributed through the South Dakota Public Health clinics.
Norm and Linda spent many hours collecting, sorting, and driving to locations to deliver the books. The books were donated freely and distributing for free.