Tohono O'Odham Nation Bookmobile
The Tohono O'Odham Nation is the second largest Native American Nation in the United States. The Tohono O'Odham have been living in southwestern Arizona and northwestern Sonora for hundreds of years. Two of our church members have spearheaded an effort to help the people of the Tohono O'Odham Nation to establish a bookmobile. Jerry Bultema provided the following update on this important project on January 20, 2010:
As I mentioned to you in an earlier e-mail, we would be meeting with theTohono O'Odham Nation people this week. Yesterday, Marge and I went to the reservation with the purpose of finding out the status of our mission project - the bookmobile for the Nation. As you are aware, we have been collecting books and sending them to the nation for their bookmobile. Previously we had delivered books directly to the school in Sells, AZ. We were concerned that this system was not effectively making books available to a significant number of children, and so the bookmobile seemed like an excellent alternative.
When we got to the nation, we were taken to the bookmobile so we could see first hand what the status of the project was to date. The nation had procured a late model bus and converted it to a bookmobile. The bus is ready to go but it needs two things: a driver and books! The books that have been sent to date are being cataloged for the shelves on the bus. This process is not going rapidly as they currently have no driver. A driver had been trained but at the last moment accepted a better paying job off the reservation. Books are still needed with an emphasis on children's books. However, the wish list posted on the bulletin board at church is still very much needed by young teens and adults. They will access the bookmobile as it travels throughout the reservation. The noisy offering is going to be used to purchase children's books that are currently in demand at the Nation.
We have photographs of the bus and of an elementary classroom of students. Lovely life science books were donated by a friend of ours and were distributed to a classroom of second grade students. Our friend had an extensive collection as a zoo educator and wanted to share them with the children. We will forward these pictures to you as soon as I can successfully download them.
Your friends,
Jerry and Margie Bultema
