Category: Resources for Granges and Grangers

Communications Column – September 2026

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

AI-generated image

Putting Our Best Face Forward

I left the topic the same as last month because it seems appropriate to share a few things from my Annual Report of how the Communications Department is doing just that.

This is the fifteenth year the website has been in place. Site views have increased significantly. This Grange year, the site has been viewed at least 22,000 times—an average of 1800 times per month and a 25% increase over the previous year.

Several significant accomplishments this year include:

  • A significant purging of the site in conjunction with arranging the migration of the site to a new host provider. After fourteen years with our provider, we began suffering severe outages and increased costs. The preparation and execution took many hours, but the change has been beneficial.
  • Added a number of “Resources for Grangers,” including logos for the most common Grange events and programs, a special Communications Column on the subject of non-profits, and further development of “Rapid Resources” on a variety of topics.
  • Continued to streamline the site by purging dated material. This makes the site much more manageable, reduces confusion, and saves server space.
  • Completed interviews with media representatives and researchers.
  • As time permits, I continue to work with local Granges who want assistance with communication and “semi-technical” support.
  • Created a distinct form and method for submitting events and programs being sponsored or hosted by local community Granges. The resulting posts are easily accessible and can be shared on social media with little effort. These events are also added to the MSG Events Page which is among the most visited pages on the site.
  • Started work on a revised Communications Handbook for 2026-27 that will integrate the current website handbook. Technology is changing rapidly, and we cannot ignore many of those changes.
  • Continued to facilitate an outbound email service that allows information to be sent directly to officers, directors, and deputies on short notice. This service also enables website subscriptions. Website subscribers grow slowly, and I consistently send subscribers a weekly summary of posts.

Looking ahead to 2026-2027, some objectives include:

  • Continuing to keep communication positive, helpful, and engaging.
  • Add a simple privacy policy explaining how the site handles information.
  • Complete and expand the resource pages for Book Exchange Programs and Words for Thirds.
  • Promote the posting of Subordinate Grange events and news to the site.
  • Continue searching for resources, including additional guest columnists and regular topical information that can be reposted with attribution.
  • Update the online directories of Granges and Officers as the roster information becomes available.

On a personal level, I’ve become more focused on my writing efforts. I’m writing for a monthly local magazine, The Guilford Register. (One column was about the Granges in Maine!) I  recently published “Memorials, Monuments, and Memories,” a book that takes readers from Flanders Fields to Main Street America. “Cows, Corn, and Calm” will document what happens when a Maine writer with a lifelong love of bovines loads up his pickup truck, points it toward Amish Country, and signs up to learn how to drive a team of oxen. Also on the list is a sequel to Exploring Traditions that includes Reflections on the Grange Way of Life. If “idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” I’m on good ground.

My complete report is available on the website and will be included in the delegate’s packet at State Session. Please let me know if I can do anything to help you and your Grange.

2025-26 Communications Department Annual Report

Thank you for your continued confidence and support.

FACT: Since we migrated the site to a new server, we’ve had over 5,000 site visits! (Sharing that is putting our best face forward!)

Valley Grange Prepares for Annual Dictionary Days

Valley Grange is located at 172 Guilford Center Road in Guilford, Maine.

GUILFORD, Maine —Valley Grange members and friends will soon return to school to celebrate Dictionary Days at five local elementary schools.

Grange teams will visit Brownville, Harmony, Piscataquis Community, SeDoMoCha, and Ridgeview elementary schools, giving every third-grade student a personal dictionary. Presentations emphasize the fun of learning and discovery, along with a lesson in how to “look it up.”

Program Director Walter Boomsma recently contacted each school to request third-grade enrollment counts. Since the program began, the Guilford-based Grange has distributed more than 4,000 dictionaries.

“We’re certainly proud of the numbers, but even more proud of the potential impact those dictionaries may have had on each individual child who received one,” Boomsma said.

The program began more than 20 years ago at one school. “We’re now reaching another generation,” Boomsma said. “Parents and school staff occasionally tell us they remember their Dictionary Day. Thanks to the support we receive, we are creating a legacy within and for our communities. This truly is an annual project where everybody wins.”

Once enrollment counts are received, dictionaries will be ordered from The Dictionary Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The order often totals as many as 10 cases.

“That’s when the real fun begins,” said Valley Grange Secretary Mary Annis. “We label each dictionary and schedule school visits. The visits are fun and exciting—sometimes a bit noisy, but always worth it.”

To learn more about the program, support its mission, or become involved, visit the Valley Grange website at valleygrange.com or contact a Valley Grange member.

Suicide Prevention Month #2

September, 2026

Suicide prevention is not one moment or one person’s job. It lives in the relationships we build, the support we offer, and the communities we create together.

Week 2: Connecting People to Crisis Support and Resources 

  • 988 is there for anyone who is struggling, not only for people in a full crisis. Feeling overwhelmed or in emotional pain is reason enough to reach out.
  • A real person answers every call, text, and chat to 988. The support is free, confidential, and available any time of day or night.
  • 988 is available in Spanish, for Veterans, for deaf and hard of hearing callers via ASL Videophone and chat, and in more than 150 languages. Help is there for everyone.
  • Knowing about 988 before you need it, and sharing it with the people in your life, is one of the most important things any of us can do.
  • Crisis care goes beyond 988. Mobile crisis teams, stabilization centers, and community behavioral health clinics are part of a network that helps people through their hardest moments.
  • Reaching out early, to a trusted person, a provider, or 988, before things reach a breaking point leads to better outcomes and more paths forward. 

If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here!

NAMI Resources
CHild Mind Institute

Fraud Watch- Loan Scams

Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

Promises of fast cash and low interest rates are a common tactic used in loan fraud.  They post ads, or reach out to you directly, promising loan approvals with low rates and no credit checks. They may spoof their phone numbers to appear as legitimate lenders. To get the loan, they say you need to pay upfront for expenses like “processing,” “insurance,” or “application fees.” When they receive the payment, they disappear.

Legitimate lenders don’t charge upfront fees to secure a loan. Your best bet is to ignore unsolicited loan offers.   

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.

Communication Short – Lecturers’ Conference

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!

Lecturers’ Conference

The date of this year’s Lecturers’ Conference was originally submitted for the wrong month. The Maine State Grange Lecturers’ Conference will be held on  Saturday, September 26, 2026, from  9:00 am until noon. The conference will include a workshop and distribution of the 2026-27 Program Booklet. It takes place at Maine State Grange Headquarters,  36 Anthony Avenue, Suite 102, Augusta, ME 04330. Corrections have been made!

Deadlines

  • September 10, 2026, Deadline for claiming Memorial Bricks available from former headquarters. That’s today!
  • September 14, 2026, Bulletin Columns are due by the end of the day. That’s four days away!
  • September 15, 2026, Educational Aid Scholarships Deadline
  • September 15, 2026, Annual Officer and Department Reports are due.
  • October 1, 2026, Program Books are due. Please send a copy of Program Books to the webmaster.
  • October 1, 2026, Delegate Registration Forms are due.
  • October 10, 2026, Deadline for banquet reservations at State Grange Session.

The Maine State Grange Office is located at 36 Anthony Avenue, Suite 102, Augusta, ME 04330.
 mainestategrange@gmail.com. For website matters, email webmaster@mainestategrange.org.

Mail-in Ballot Request Form

Registered Maine voters may use this free service to request an absentee ballot for the November 03, 2026 General Election. Ballots must be received no later than 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day.

For more information, please visit the Secretary of State’s Upcoming Elections page.

Suicide Prevention Month #1

September, 2026

Suicide prevention is not one moment or one person’s job. It lives in the relationships we build, the support we offer, and the communities we create together.

Week 1: Strengthen Suicide Prevention Together

  • The people in our lives can be a lifeline. Strong relationships and trusted connections help protect people when life gets hard.
  • Suicide prevention starts long before a crisis. Open conversations, shared resources, and visible awareness make a real difference.
  • Knowing the warning signs of suicide, in adults and in children and teens, means being able to recognize when someone needs support and connect them to help sooner.
  • Communities that talk openly about mental health and suicide help reduce the stigma that keeps people from asking for help.
  • Prevention is everyone’s responsibility, not just one organization’s. Families, schools, workplaces, faith communities, health systems, and individuals all have a role to play.
  • Small acts of connection, such as a check-in, a shared resource, a moment of genuine attention, are how communities take care of each other.

If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here!

NAMI Resources
CHild Mind Institute

Fraud Watch- Product Recalls

Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

As food and product recalls continue to make headlines, criminals are following suit. They send texts, emails, or other messages claiming that a product you purchased has been recalled and that you’re entitled to a refund or free replacement.

The message may look legitimate, appearing to come from a retailer or manufacturer you trust. It urges you to act quickly and click a link to claim a refund or verify your account. But in reality, the link takes you to a fake website designed to steal your login credentials and personal or financial information.

If you receive a message like this, don’t click. Instead, go directly to the company’s official website or app to verify the recall and check your account. You can also confirm recalls through the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which maintain lists of recalled products at fda.gov/safety/recalls and cpsc.gov/recalls.

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.

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New Communication Handbook

By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

I’m working on a fully updated Communications Handbook to introduce for the 2026-27 Grange year. The business of communication continues to change rapidly, and it’s time to ensure the handbook meets the needs of our Granges and Grangers.

Like it or not, we must embrace technology. Studies show that over 80% of Maine citizens own a smartphone. Device ownership tracks closely with age demographics. In Maine households, roughly 93% of householders aged 15 to 34 own a smartphone, compared to only 49% of householders aged 65 or older.

If we are to remain relevant to our communities, our communication to those communities (and with each other) must also be relevant. We face a real challenge here. Our handbook will attempt to be a relevant resource. (I do love alliteration!) The current handbook shows how to format a press release document. The new handbook will address sending emails.

Relevant Resources

What would be helpful? If you have some thoughts, you can easily comment on this post. (Look to the left and click “Leave a Comment.”) Or, if you’d prefer, email me. My ambitious goal is to have this available at our State Convention in October, so don’t delay!

Communication Tips

We’ve got some, but we want more! What does your Grange do that works? I’m looking for creative ways we communicate internally (among members) and externally (with the public). Again, you can leave a comment or send an email.

The current handbook is available on the site for viewing and downloading: 2025-2026 Communications Handbook. It’s worth a look! And your ideas and tips are worthy considering for the updated version!

We’re Grangers; we help each other.

Promote Your Fall Events!

For 2026, the Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry (DACF) is inviting organizations, communities, farms, nonprofits, municipalities, and event organizers to submit public fall events for possible inclusion in Maine’s Weekly Foliage Reports.

DACF is looking for more activities that give residents and visitors another reason to get out and experience autumn in Maine, including:

  • Harvest festivals and agricultural fairs
  • Farm and food events
  • Outdoor recreation and nature-based activities
  • Arts and cultural events
  • Community festivals and celebrations
  • Other public events that complement the fall foliage experience

Events should take place during Maine’s fall foliage reporting season, generally mid-September through mid-October, and must be open to the public.

SUBMIT YOUR FALL EVENT

DACF will review events based on timing, location, relevance to the foliage season, and available space. Submitted information may be edited for length, clarity, and style.

Follow the color at MaineFoliage.com