Tag: Grange Advocacy

Grange Heirloom — February 2025

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.

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

Communications Logo
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!

Mill Stream Grange Delivers

Mill Stream Grangers presenting check
Mill Stream Grange members Lisa Goucher (far left) and Jill Sampson (far right)  present the Grange’s annual Christmas donation to the Mt. Vernon area Food Bank. Accepting on behalf of the food bank are Nate Kane and Carol Fuller.  

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

Valley Grange Gets BIG Thanks

The picture doesn’t do it justice! It barely fit in the scanner. It came from fifth-grade students and teachers at Ridgeview Community School in Dexter. The inside was filled with signatures, hearts, and the message, “Thank you for donating warm gear for us to wear outside this winter.”

We love our kids!

And we thank our Blistered Finger Knitters for making it possible to do this in our area schools. Remember, you don’t have to be a Grange Member to help! We’ll even provide the yarn, thanks to the donations we’ve received from our supporters. Contact Mary Annis (564-0820) or Pat Engstrom (564-8290) for more information.

Visit the Valley Grange Website

Chris loves the Grange!

I want to put out a big thank you on behalf of everyone at the ENSO recovery sober living houses. We were without one of the most popular AA meetings in the area. The church that held a very important Saturday night meeting was sold, and the AA community was having trouble finding a place to hold that meeting. All of us here at Enso were pretty bummed when the meeting was closed. We found out this week that the Grange Building in Augusta would be the new spot for Saturday night serenity. It is a wonderful spot and within walking distance. Our first meeting at the Grange was wonderful. I want to thank you all who made this possible by allowing the AA community to use your building. Thank you so very much.

Chris

What about you?

Do you love the Grange? Can you explain what’s great about being a member? It only takes a minute to click the button and tell the world!

I love the Grange!

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!

Keeping ME Warm!

by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

Our state is in for some bitterly cold temperatures early next week. In some areas, wind chill factors will reach 20 – 30 degrees below zero. Stay safe!

If your Grange plans to open your hall as a warming center, PLEASE let us know. You can use the submit information tab on the website or send me an email. I will get the information posted quickly in a “Facebook Friendly” way that will make it easy for the information to be shared.

At a minimum, include your Grange’s name, location (street address and/or directions), and any details such as the hours open, etc.

Thanks!

Community Service/FHH – January 2025

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!