Dealer donates rig for Bookmobile

Columbia Falls now has its very own Bookmobile. After using various rigs the first three years, the program now has its own rig. Joe’s Auto Sales owner Brad Peters last week donated a 2003 Chevy Suburban to the program, which distributes books free of charge to youth during the summer months.

The idea is to keep kids reading through the summer so they don’t fall behind in their reading skills when school ramps back up in the fall.

“It’s sort of like the ice cream truck,” explained Betsy Kohnstamm, who runs the program along with teacher Amy Hanson and others.

The Bookmobile this summer will range across the district Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Most students have signed up for the program before school has ended, but any child who wants a book will get one. All of the books are brand now and age appropriate. The Columbia Falls Food Bank also provides boxes of food that are handed out as well.

The School District 6 board earlier this spring boosted funding for the program, allowing a small stipend for Kohnstamm and Hanson for their work during the summer months.