Introduction and overview
The Grange’s many lessons are found in our Declaration of Purposes, the Opening and Closing of our meetings, and our Degree work, especially in the First Four. However, they are easily overshadowed by the business of the Grange and hampered when spoken by short attention spans and language that is beautiful but uncommon. New members often wait years to see or hear these words of wisdom. More seasoned members may recall the words but have not recently taken the time to think about their meaning.
For that reason, the National Grange has released the Heirloom Program. Every Grange is encouraged to take just a few quick moments at one meeting each month to introduce a lesson and reflect upon it – thereby passing on part of our heritage and making it meaningful to the daily life of Grangers.
These bite-sized pieces help connect members to the essential ideals of Grange without becoming overwhelming. The files listed below can be used in a variety of different ways:
- As an opening or closing thought to a lecturer’s program
- As a Facebook cover image or post
- Posted on a Bulletin Board in your hall
- As part of an advertisement in your local newspaper…
The simplest way to get the images is to right-click on the link and “save as” to download them to your computer. They will also appear as a post on the Maine State Grange Website around the fifth of the month. It’s easy as a couple of “clicks” to share that post to social media–look for that option at the bottom of the post.
Some helpful “how to” information
Heirloom Program Guide This ten-page guide covers some suggested “how to” use these heirlooms during your meetings.
How to Set a Facebook Cover For those who manage Facebook Pages, these step-by-step instructions will show how to make the heirloom for the month your cover image.
NOTE: This MSG page provides fairly basic information. Additional resources are available, including the images themselves, from the National Grange at bit.ly/grangeheirloom.
For more information
For additional information about the Grange Heirloom Program, contact Amanda Brozana Rio, National Grange Membership and Leadership Development Director or Phil Vonada, National Grange Communications Director. There are also additional resources available from National Grange at bit.ly/grangeheirloom.