Flewellin Memorial Library Receives $5,000 Donation from Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

SHABBONA, IL -- The Flewellin Memorial Library in Shabbona received a $5,000 donation from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation that will be used to support youth programs and the non-fiction collection of the library. The donation was presented during a recent visit at which tribal leaders and library officials discussed the vital role education plays in connecting cultures.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (PBPN) has long supported the library’s educational mission and dedication to preserving local history. The latest donation was delivered by PBPN Council Secretary Camilla Wishkeno-Chouteau and Council Member Thomas Wabnum following their tour of the library with Director Janet Clark.

“As a rural library in a small town we feel an obligation to serve as a community center,” said Director Clark. “It’s wonderful that the PBPN recognizes our contributions and wants to help us in our mission. We are very grateful for their support.”

During their November visit, the tribal leaders and Director Clark examined the library’s young readers collection, which provides a critical resource for children, as well as the literature and reference collection focused on Native American culture and history in the region. They discussed the history of the Potawatomi people in Shabbona, the Tribe’s commitment to educating young people and the vital role education plays in connecting our cultures and encouraging understanding of each other.

“We’re very impressed with your children’s collection,” Council Secretary Camilla Wishkeno-Chouteau said. “The earlier we as educators get to children, the better for them. It is about our youth. And it does take a village.”

“We have always felt that we are part of the community,” said Council Member Thomas Wabnum. “Education is the key to tie our worlds together.”

Library Board President David Highland said the library is wholly funded by local residents and donations. It is a key educational and cultural resource in the town of about 900 residents.

“You have been great neighbors,” Highland said of the tribe. “It means a lot to the library.”

About Flewellin Memorial Library:

The mission of the Flewellin Memorial Library is to provide a diverse, reliable, up-to-date collection of materials, enriching programs and a welcoming atmosphere that imparts opportunities for personal growth and learning and adds value to the community. The library is located at 108 West Comanche Avenue in downtown Shabbona. For more information on the library please go to our website, www.shabbonalibrary.org.

About Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation:

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is a modern, federally recognized Indian tribe, originally part of the Great Potawatomi Indian Nation that inhabited the Great Lakes region before the European settlers arrived. The Nation has two reservations, one in Kansas and one in Illinois. The Illinois reservation consists of two sections of land (two square miles or 1,280 acres) in DeKalb County and is known as the Shab-eh-nay Reservation, as it was reserved for Chief Shab-eh-nay and his Band as their home under the 1829 Treaty of Prairie du Chien. The Nation is governed by a Tribal Council duly elected by authority of the Nation’s Constitution and By Laws. Learn more at www.shabehnayreservation.com