The Rosebud Children’s Garden on the prairie

By Claire Langdon

A few months ago, we attended an event held at our local library, Pequot, where Sage, a Lakota Indian who lives on Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, visited. He introduced us to his people’s culture with oral stories and native dances. Yet, despite this cheerful congregation, mission groups from two local churches, Southport Congregational and Trinity, told us of the crippling poverty rampant on the reservation. As education is frequently championed as a portal out of poverty, we decided to help by donating books to the children on South Dakotan reservations to facilitate their academic success, and to introduce them to the “magical awesomeness” of reading!
To make the book donations even more meaningful, and to experience the living conditions of our books’ recipients, we packed up and caravanned to South Dakota.

Over the span of our trip, we donated 70 boxes of books, each brimming with books on a plethora of topics and a range of reading levels

First stop: Rosebud Reservation

When we arrived in South Dakota, we were struck by the beauty of the landscape, enveloped by never-ending sky. However, the prairie was settled in many ramshackle homes and buildings, illustrating the poverty upon the reservation.

The Episcopal Mission’s church at Rosebud

Claire, Chair, and Pierce, Vice-Chair, delivering books to the Episcopalian headquarters

Brooks Barry, Pierce, Wills, and Emma delivering boxes of books

After meeting with the group from Trinity, we brought the books into the Episcopal offices on the reservation. They are taking the boxes we donated, and are distributing the books to twenty different locations across the reservation. The mission group is building shelves in each community center, so that children all over the reservation, which is about the same size as Maryland, will have access to a library.

Meeting the Episcopalian mission with our books

Visiting Rosebud was an eye-opening experience. We witnessed the poverty of one of the areas to which we donate books, as well as the gratitude from the people involved. These in-person experiences continue to motivate our mission: to spread quality literature around the world, especially to those less fortunate.

Next stop: Pine Ridge Reservation!