Category: Communication

Communication Shorts 8-3-2025

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Please send us your ideas and thoughts!

August Bulletin

Information for the August Bulletin must be submitted by Thursday, August 14, 2025. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

2026 = 250

In 2026, the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of our founding– also known as the Sesquicentennial. Will your Grange participate in some way? The Grange has certainly contributed to the growth and development of our country!

Dates and Deadlines

Fall is coming. Some might say it’s already here. With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound! Just one example is that roster information is now due!

Think About This!

“Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is patience.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

An Idea for Your Grange

At one time, Granges often scheduled a “Booster Night” program in the fall with an emphasis on membership growth. While the term may be passe, the idea certainly isn’t. An “open house” program might be just the ticket. It could include tours of the hall and presentations about its history. Time it for October and call it “Ghosts of the Grange.”

Subscribe!

Remember, we don’t share your email address with anyone, and you get a weekly summary of what’s been posted. Subscribe here! Share that link with your members!

Online Directories Available 24-7

Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes! With the election of officers coming up, don’t forget!

  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct! Visitors to the site consult these directories often.
  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.

Win This Quilt!

Click on the photo to enlarge!

Each year, during the Big E, the New England Grange Building has a quilt raffle. The state that donates the quilt (done on a rotation) chooses the non-profit that the money raised goes to.Last year, over $6,000 was raised for a Veterans’ Center in VT. This year, NH is donating the quilt, and all money raised will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

If you are the winner, the NEGB will pay to ship it to you. The pattern, for those of us not familiar, is Jacob’s Ladder, and this quilt will fit a double bed.

If you make a donation of any reasonable amount to the New England Grange Building, your name goes on a ticket to win. To enter the drawing, send a check made payable to the New England Grange Building. Please be sure to include the name and phone number you want to be on the ticket. Checks can be sent to:
New England Grange Building
C/O Vicki Huff
90 Linton Street
South Portland, ME 04106

Donations must reach me by September 8th, 2025. Remember, the mail hasn’t been particularly speedy lately, so don’t wait until the last minute! I will take donations with me when I go to work in the building. If you see me out and about before then, I can take cash as well.

SLOW DOWN!

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Maine Senator Stacey Guerin.

The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is launching a speed reduction awareness and enforcement effort to help prevent speeding-related crashes and save lives. Law enforcement agencies across the state will be increasing high-visibility patrols throughout July as part of this initiative. As part of this campaign, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is calling on all drivers to recognize speeding as an aggressive driving behavior that endangers all road users.

In 2023, there were 43 traffic fatalities that involved speeding in Maine. Young drivers and motorcyclists have a higher chance of being involved in speeding-related crashes. In 2023, 23 percent of those involved in fatal crashes were between the ages of 15 and 20.

Law enforcement agencies from Aroostook County to York County will continue to conduct high-visibility speed enforcement to reduce speeding and aggressive driving. Law enforcement will be out reminding drivers to slow down and drive with care. Spend your time on the way to your destination taking in the beauty of our wonderful state, not speeding by it. From the lighthouses across Maine’s coastline to the lakes and mountains to the rural beauty of The County, slow down and safely enjoy your drive. 

Words for Thirds-Screen or Paper?

Are you anticipating a Words for Thirds Dictionary Project this fall? If not, it’s a great community service project–or perhaps more accurately, a great kid service project.

According to a recent Dictionary Project Newsletter, “A study published in 2023 found that only about 67% of 3rd grade students in the US are reading at grade level. Children who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely not to graduate high school on time. One contributing factor to the fall in children’s literacy is the rise in screen time, which often replaces quiet reading or meaningful conversation. Limiting screen time can help children develop stronger attention spans and focus on building their reading skills.”

The same newsletter (July 20, 2025) “Sweden went all-in on tablets in the classroom, then saw 4th grade reading scores tank. Now they’re spending 60M Euros to bring back real books, because screens weren’t helping. And here in the U.S., only 30% of 8th graders read at grade level, with writing scores just as bleak. If one of the most tech-savvy nations is pulling the plug, maybe America should start asking if screen time is quietly dumbing down a whole generation.“

MSG Words for Thirds Resource Page

We have lots of resources… let us know how the Communications Department can help you help our kids and communities! We’re Grangers. We help each other!

Project Wild

Reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Maine Representative James White.

Project Wild is a series of activity guides that can be used as part of any class instruction designed for pre-K through 12th grade.  The guides, which are part of the Maine Project Wild suite, are Project Wild (terrestrial) guide, Aquatic Wild, and Growing Up Wild.  All of Project Wild is facilitated nationally by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and coordinated by an agency or organization in each state.

It is the mission of Project Wild to provide wildlife-based conservation and environmental education that fosters responsible actions toward wildlife and related natural resources.  Each of the individual guides has its own focus, but all are designed with hands-on, inquisitive, student-led learning in mind, and are aligned with education standards. 

Anyone can use Project Wild guides.  Teachers, parents, scout leaders, and other organizations and community groups will find that these activity guides are useful and easy to use. To learn more and to view the Project Wild guides, please click here.

Webmaster’s Note: Could your Grange sponsor an outdoor activity? Project Wild is specific to children and youth, but the idea is also very adaptable. There’s an interesting potential program built around the idea that “Our Grange Gets Wild!”

Communication Shorts 7-15-2025

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Please send us your ideas and thoughts!

July Bulletin

July Bulletin is available for download and will be mailed soon. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

Ocean View Grange Featured

For those who haven’t noticed, Ocean View Grange was featured in the Summer 2025 Dictionary Project Newsletter! Congratulations!

Think About This!

“I have never been hurt by what I haven’t said.”

Calvin Cooledge

An Idea for Your Grange

Find someone who knows nothing about your Grange and ask them to research as much as they can about it using local and Online resources. Then have them informally report back.

Subscribe!

Remember, we don’t share your email address with anyone, and you get a weekly summary of what’s been posted. Subscribe here! Share that link with your members!

Online Directories Available 24-7

Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes! With the election of officers coming up, don’t forget!

  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct! Visitors to the site consult these directories often.
  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.

Communications Column – July 2025

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Honest Communication

I know a health care provider who has an interesting recording that callers hear when a person doesn’t answer the phone. (That never happens.) The message includes a statement noting that “…we probably won’t call you back.”

That might qualify as brutal honesty. If we ignore the brutality, he gets credit for the honesty.

I suspect many Grangers would be surprised at the number of times I, as communications director, am contacted by frustrated folks who have tried to reach someone in our organization unsuccessfully. Usually, they have left multiple voicemails or sent emails that have gone unanswered. I’m pretty easy to find, and with the title “communications director,” I don’t blame them for thinking I can help.

Sometimes I can help if it’s a question of a general nature. Other times, I can verify whether they are using the correct contact information.

But occasionally, I admit that I can’t force people to reply to emails and return phone calls.

It seems ironic that, with all the communication technology developed over the past several decades, it’s debatable whether actual communication has improved. In the case of the healthcare provider, perhaps it has. He’s using technology to let people know he’s not interested in them.

So consider this. If you are a Granger holding a position of responsibility at any level of the organization, what are your communication priorities? More importantly, how do your priorities impact others and their opinion of our organization?

“A Patron places faith in God, nurtures hope, dispenses charity, is noted for fidelity, returns phone calls, and answers email.”

► FACT: The Communications Department of one has a goal that email and voice mail will be replied to within 24-48 hours.

Grange Store by Monroe Classic

Grange Logo Apparel ships in 24 to 48 hours when in stock. This includes embroidered and screen-printed caps, jaclets, t-shirts, and more.

Grange Store by Monroe Classic, Inc. wearables

To see all our Grange Items, click on the link below.

Grange Store by Monroe Classic, Inc.

MONROE CLASSIC INC., a licensed supplier of the National Grange
800.868.2330 or 760.231-1020 or email sales@monroeclassic.com

Duck Pond Heritage Day

Duck Pond Variety, Highland Lake Church, Highland Lake Grange, and Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza are pleased to announce a celebration of history at Duck Pond Corner, located at the intersection of Route 302, Duck Pond, and Hardy Roads in Westbrook.

August 17, 2025 from 10-4. 

The Day will feature open houses at the church, Grange, and Lenny’s, live music, historic photos, Scout & 4-H activities, food sale fundraisers, a special church service, displays of artifacts, Westbrook Police K9 demonstrations, a display of historic signs at Duck Pond Variety, and much more! 

Come join us to explore the long history of this community. No cost to attend. 

Watch for updates over the summer!

Fraud Watch- Travel Scams

MSG Communications Resources Logo
Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

Travel scams are heating up just in time for summer, from bogus deals to fake booking sites and other schemes. Here is how to spot some of the most popular vacation scams.

Scammers often create fake vacation rental listings, then pressure you to pay upfront through wire transfers, gift cards, or other hard-to-trace methods. If a host asks you to pay outside the platform, it’s a scam.

Be skeptical of steeply discounted offers and use a credit card for stronger fraud protection. If something feels off, take the time to verify before making any payments. Also, learn about any new-to-you travel site before booking by searching the company’s name along with the word “scam” or “complaint” or “review” to read about other people’s experiences.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

More Topic Resources

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

AARP Fraud Watch Network

Need a scam prevention speaker for your group? Click the link to fill out the AARP online form or email me@aarp.org.