By Brenda Dyer, MSG Community Service/FHH Director (207) 608-9193
Happy 2025! Attending the 2025 Northeast Leaders Conference was very informative and educational. There are some changes being made to the Community Service Notebooks for this year.
Notebooks will be a maximum of ten pages. This means five sheets of paper double-sided.
Pages 1&2 Grange picture and Grange #, brief description of Community Service
Pages 3&4, 5&6 will include the top three projects
Pages 7&8, 9 are included if needed
Page 10 should be a summary page.
Remember, only five pages total. Use both sides. Less pages is fine. Use both sides. Judging is on content, not appearance.
The National Grange Community Service Project is Conservation. More information, including ideas for projects, will be coming soon!
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.
Going forward in the new year, let us remember to be kind to one another, spreading love, joy, happiness, and faith. Let us have faith enough so we can hope for anything we want. Why not hope for kindness, joy, happiness, and love?
Being kind to one another is showing love.
“And now abideth faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.”
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.
Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!
For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.
While the Grange calls it “Words for Thirds,” many organizations and businesses are involved in The Dictionary Project. Heather Rank of the Fargo-Moorhead Rotary Club provided a wonderful video demonstrating their efforts. We think it’s great that a kid does the interviews! It gets a little noisy in places, so you may want to turn on closed captioning.
If your Grange is not involved in Words for Thirds, you miss a huge opportunity! There are so many benefits, and it’s fun! Check out our pages of resources to help. Let us know if you’re interested or have any questions. The third-graders in your community are waiting!
We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.
Henry Allen Ironside
Best wishes for a happy and thankful Thanksgiving!
The Thanksgiving Reader is a fun activity about gratitude, family, and possibility. It was created several years ago by Seth Godin to”bring people together to not only celebrate the end of the harvest but to look one in another in the eye and share something magical.” It’s absolutely free, simple and easy! Check it out!
Valley Grange is proud to have handed out close to 250 dictionaries to third-graders this year. That puts us well over 4,000 since starting the program several decades ago. Enjoy some photos of this year’s program.
Dictionary Days are fun because learning is fun!
If your Grange is interested in starting a Words for Thirds Dictionary Program, complete the form below. No obligation!
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.
Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!
For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.
