Category: Resources for Granges and Grangers

Ocean View Grange Words for Thirds!

By Larry Bailey, Master

It gives me a great amount of pleasure to tell you that Terry Bomba and I had a very enjoyable and rewarding trip to third-grade classrooms at St George School to present dictionaries to the students. Both rooms combined, and thus, we had 24 students to present the books to.  This presentation of dictionaries is our annual Words for Thirds program. As in the past, the students seemed anxious to find out what we had to offer and really appeared to be very happy to get the books. After briefly explaining what the Grange is and what we do for our community, they asked some good questions.

One of the young girls said, “My grandmother works at the Grange.” I asked who is her grandmother and she said “Brenda Armstrong.” Brenda, while not a Grange member, has been voluntarily tending the trimming of the grass and weeds around the Grange and the beautiful flowers in the front of the Grange Hall for years. She is a gem.

I want to thank the two third-grade teachers, Lauren Wilgus and Sierra Beal, for arranging the gathering along with Mr. Felton, the School Superintendent. We hope to be there every year in the future.

Larry and Terry also received this note and permission to share it from Superintendent Felton:

I want to thank both of you for visiting the school and providing the 3rd graders with dictionaries.  You all did a great job sharing the Grange’s mission and work – the kids were engaged and curious throughout your visit.  And they were certainly excited about the dictionaries!  

Thank you for offering this program and all you do to support our students.  As a school district, our mission is to do whatever it takes to ensure that every single student thrives and to contribute to the vitality and resiliency of our town.  The only way we can realize this mission is with the support of our community, of organizations like the Grange.

With sincere thanks,
Mike, Superintendent, MSAD 50

For more information about the Words for Thirds Program and how your Grange, community, students, and teachers can reap these benefits, visit the Words for Thirds Resource Page.

Maine Legislative Scholarships

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

The Maine Legislature annually grants a scholarship to one student from each county who is currently pursuing or planning to pursue an education at a two- or four-year degree-granting Maine college or technical school. Administered through the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), awards are given to Maine resident high school seniors or full- or part-time postsecondary students accepted to or enrolled in accredited Maine colleges for graduate or undergraduate degrees.

The 2025-2026 application will become available on Feb. 1, 2025; and applications will be accepted until the May 1, 2025 deadline. Scholarship awards of $1,000 will be given to one student in each of Maine’s counties (16 total). Applications must include:

  • Completed 2025-2026 Maine Legislative Memorial Scholarship Application (available Feb. 1 here);
  • An essay (make sure the applicant’s name appears on all pages);
  • Submission of transcripts, recommendations, and 2025-2026 FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)*;
  • College students should include both college and high school transcripts;
  • All transcripts should also indicate graduation date or anticipated graduation date;
  • A copy of the student’s high school diploma or equivalent or expected graduation date.

Recipients selected from applications submitted by the May 1, 2025, deadline will be selected and notified in the Fall of 2025. Notifications are not sent to those applicants not selected.

*Students should submit the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in time to receive the 2025-2026 FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) back from the federal government. The FSS with Student Aid Index (SAI) must be included with the application.

Grange Scholarships available in Maine are currently being updated!

Grange Hall Insurance Information

We’re Grangers–we help each other!

With thanks to those who answered our help-wanted request, we can offer some information regarding Grange Hall insurance.

Person holding insurance umbrella over another.

First, some vocabulary clarifications as we’ll use them. We’ll keep it simple–it can get complicated. It’s important to distinguish between an agency and a carrier.

Carrier: A carrier creates, manages, and prices insurance policies and coverage.

Agency: An insurance agency sells those policies to customers and handles customer questions or concerns. Independent agencies often represent more than one carrier and have more than one agent.

We should further note that there are significant differences between personal insurance, such as what you may have on your home, and commercial insurance for businesses. When insuring a Grange Hall, commercial insurance is necessary.

Property insurance covers the property itself against certain types of damage. A typical example would be fire.

Liability insurance protects against claims resulting from injuries and damage to other people or property. An example would be someone tripping on a loose stair tread.

An excellent, objective source of information about commercial insurance can be found on the State of Maine Bureau of Insurance website. You might also consider downloading this Consumer Guide to Commercial Insurance.

From what we’ve gathered, most Granges deal with an agent and agency. If it’s a large agency, you may need to find an agent who is familiar with commercial insurance. The agent will assist with finding a carrier. (Not all agencies are involved in commercial insurance.) Also, note that a carrier may be represented by more than one agency.

Some agencies and carriers that have worked with Granges include:

Cross Insurance Agency in Augusta offers property and liability coverage. Contact Matthew Ellis, Senior Account Manager–207 430-4721, Matthew ellis@crossagency.com.

Norman Assurance Associates in South Thomaston offers liability insurance through Main Street America Insurance Company in Keene, NH.
Contact 207 596-6400, info@atlantic-insurance.com

Strong Insurance Agency in Thomaston may also provide commercial property insurance.
Contact 207 596-6775, markstrong@strongagency.com

Kimball Agency in Guilford
Contact 207 876-9777, Tom Panciera tpanciera@kkorp.com and/or Olivia Schmiedlehner olivia@kkorp.com

A printable, one-page summary of this post is available here.

Fraud Watch- Concert Ticket Scams

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Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

Getting tickets to top concerts is tough – don’t let scammers make it harder. With most concert venues switching to digital tickets only and concert demand through the roof, criminals are producing more counterfeit tickets than ever. Here are three tips to avoid buying a fake ticket.

  1. Stick to known ticket sales sites or visit the National Association of Ticket Brokers (natb.org) to ensure that you are dealing with a verified reseller. Always type the web address of the site you want to visit into your browser rather than clicking on a link that could take you to a copycat site.
  2. Beware of offers on social media and online marketplaces, where this scam thrives. These platforms are a hotspot for fraudulent ticket sales.
  3. Never pay with a peer-to-peer payment app unless you are getting tickets from someone you know. You don’t have the same consumer protections with these payment methods that you have with a credit card.

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

More Topic Resources

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.

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Grange Scholarships

By Walter Boomsma, Communications Director

Scholarship season is fast approaching! As you may know, we have a whole page of Grange Scholarship information in Maine on the website. It’s time to update that information and confirm everything is accurate. The page offers information about state-level scholarships as well as local.

We’ll start by inviting any Granges offering scholarships to submit their information if they haven’t already. Visit the page to see the format. We try to keep things simple. If you have information and an application available as a document, we can host and link to it-a new service we’re offering this year. Thanks to Mill Stream Grange for getting us started!

If your Grange has a scholarship already listed, please check the listing and make sure it’s accurate and current. Send any corrections or updates in an email.

I recently met and talked with some Maine representatives of FFA (Future Farmers of America) about mutual interests. They were very interested in ag-related scholarships for obvious reasons. Let’s get the word out there!

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

Mark Twain

Words for Thirds

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

Our resource pages are officially available! We’d hoped to have an interview available but experienced some complications and didn’t want to wait!

There are still a few items we’re finishing up, but you’ll find plenty you can use. We have sample labels, helpful documents such as press releases and parent letters, emails you can use with teachers, and an easy way to get your customized Words for Thirds Logo.

Words for Thirds Resources

There’s still time! Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde is planning to visit their third graders next week! Master Larry Bailey and Chaplain Terry Bomba have the distinct honor of handing out the dictionaries and seeing the kids get “wound up.”

We’re working on more resources and ideas. If you need or want something that we haven’t thought of, let me know. I’d love to help your Grange put some dictionaries and all the words in them in the hands of your local third-graders!

Fraud Watch-Utility Scams

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

With temperatures dropping in many states, scammers are turning up the heat on their deceptive tactics. Each winter, criminals pose as utility company representatives, claiming a missed payment and threatening to shut off service unless payment is immediate.

If you get a surprise call from the “utility company” threatening to shut off your service, hang up the phone. The goal of these scammers is to create a sense of panic, making it harder to think logically and verify their claims. Their hope is that we stay in that state of panic long enough to complete a payment.
To verify the status of your utility payments, contact your provider using the customer service number on a recent bill (or log into their website or app if that’s an option). Chances are you will find out your payments are up to date.

To verify the status of your utility payments, contact your provider using the customer service number on a recent bill (or log into their website or app if that’s an option). Chances are you will find out your payments are up to date.

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

More Topic Resources

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.

Click below to share this post

American Legion Sets Oratorical Scholarship Program

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

The American Legion Department of Maine’s High School Oratorical Scholarship Program will be held on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2025 at Thomas College in Waterville. Interested students can begin preparations now for the contest.

The program’s purpose is to help high school students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution. Other objectives of the contest are the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and preparation for the acceptance and discharge of civil duties as American citizens.  

The scholarship program, held by the American Legion for nearly 80 years, is for those students who look for an academic challenge and the opportunity to win scholarship money for their education careers. For more information about the February event, visit the Maine American Legion’s website.

NOTE: Volunteers are needed to help with the program (judges, tabulators, room monitors, etc.). Those who are interested are to please call Department Headquarters at 207-873-3229.

Communication Shorts 1-16-2025

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!

January Bulletin Is Available!

The January Bulletin is now available for downloading. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

Scholarship Updates

Last week, the Scholarship Page was the fourth most visited page on the site! It is that time of year. If your Grange is offering a scholarship, please visit the page and make sure your information is correct. Send changes either by using the Submit Tab or send an email.

Words for Thirds

Our official release date is January 18, 2025 but you can check out the Words for Thirds Resource Pages here. We’ve got some surprises coming! Stay tuned!

Loving the Grange

One of my goals for this year is to post at least one reason to love the Grange each month in 2025. The easiest way for you to help make this happen is for you to fill out this simple form. You can answer more than once! Why do you love the Grange?

Suspicious Submissions

I supposedly have received a submission through a company called “ShareFile.” Since it’s requiring me to log in and create an account, I haven’t. There are a couple of reasons I’m suspicious. If you’re “Tara White” and trying to reach me, you’ll have to be a bit more direct!

Consider this Idea!

The MSG Event Calendar for 2025 is still pretty bare at this point. Directors and Committee Chairs, please ensure your contest deadlines and events are listed! Granges, submit your programs and events! You are planning ahead, right?

Think about this!

“For in order that man may do well, whether in the works of the active life, or in those of the contemplative life, he needs the fellowship of friends.”

Thomas Aquinas

Online Directories Available 24-7

  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
  • 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.

Communications Column – January 2025

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

New Developments

You’re probably aware of our new resource page(s) for the Words for Thirds Program. We’ll officially release on January 18, 2025, but it is a work in progress. Some resources, such as label templates and sample press releases, have already been accessed and used. There are still a few things “coming soon,” including an interview with Mary French, Director of the Dictionary Project. In addition to making life easier for Granges participating in Words for Thirds, we are determined to get more Granges in-terested in the program. As most know, I have been directing Valley Grange’s program for close to twenty years and I’m excited and happy to work with and assist Granges who are interested!

I’ve recently been working with the AARP Fraud Watch Network to add another resource to the MSG Website. We’ll post a weekly Fraud Watch Alert on specific types of fraud and scams. These will serve a dual purpose. First, Grangers will have access to concise information for their use. Second, the information can be used in lecturer’s programs and as FHH reports. As a bonus, these posts will have buttons at the bottom, making it easy to share them on social media or by email. Links are also provided, giving access to an AARP speakers’ bureau.

(Speaking of scams, stay suspicious! I’ve personally been getting hit with a lot of phony emails that look like they are from companies like United Health Care, Bitdefender Support, PayPal, Delta Airlines, FedEx, etc. They often are identified as “FW” (forwarded) in the subject line. Most have an attachment (which I do not open) and an offer of something free. When in doubt, don’t!)

The underlying development for the Words for Thirds Resources and AARP Fraud Watch Alerts is a more structured editorial plan for the website. We want the site to be resource-rich, engaging, and useful. As a reminder, every member is a reporter and potential contributor. Submit your news and events, but don’t hesitate to go beyond that. If you’re a lecturer, consider submitting your program ideas and tips. Tell us about your Community Service activities or how your Grange is improving Family Health and Hearing. Thanks to several “reporters,” we’re now working on some information regarding Grange Hall insurance that will be shared soon. I can’t do these things alone. That’s one reason I’ve adopted the slogan, “We’re Grangers. We help each other.”

► FACT: In the past week, the most visited posts and pages were the Grange Directory, Program Books and Information, Words for Thirds Resource Page, and Grange Scholarships.

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