Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
-> Do your Holiday Shopping at a Grange Holiday Craft Fair. Here’s a list of the ones we’ve heard about!
If your Grange is distributing dictionaries to schools or may be interested in doing so, please see this post and fill out the form!
The copy of the Master’s Address I scanned and posted was missing pages! The good news is I found another copy in my pile and have replaced it with the correct one! The link should also be corrected or you can find it right here!
As the old saying goes, “Don’t shoot the piano player; he’s playing as fast as he can.” I’m scanning and uploading documents from the State Session, but we are also busy with Dictionary Days at Valley Grange—and, of course, life! Thanks for your understanding and patience.
This posting of documents and information includes significant overhauls to the Program Books and Information Page. A total review of the page should be completed soon.
Did I mention that the Words for Thirds Resource Page will be released soon! If you are interested (or already participating) in Words for Thirds, please let me know! I hope to be able to release that page in the next week or two! And don’t forget we’re still listing Holiday Craft Fairs at Granges in Maine! Submit the information about yours!
A lot happens at State Grange Session! We’ll be posting reports and information over the next week or so to the 150th State Session Page and/or the Program Books and Information Page. The 2024 Journal of Proceedings will document the entire Convention and will be posted when available.
State Master Sherry Harriman’s Annual Address is now available!
All resolutions were approved. (Updated by-laws will be posted when available. Most of the Good of the Order resolutions were minor wording and procedural changes made to bring Maine in line with National Grange rule and practice.)
Carolyn Van Horne was elected to fill the vacancy on the Executive Committee.
Guilford–A team of Valley Granger members led by Walter Boomsma is delivering nearly 250 dictionaries to local area schools during the next several weeks. “We have a lot to celebrate,” he noted, “third graders in the area are celebrating tools, words, and the importance of learning and getting their own dictionary to keep.”
The Grange began its “Words for Thirds” Program in 2004 by giving a dictionary to every third-grader at the then-Guilford Primary School. Over the years, the program has expanded to include Piscataquis Community, SeDoMoCha, Brownville, Harmony, and Ridgeview Elementary Schools. Boomsma estimates the Grange has distributed nearly 4,000 dictionaries since. “But it’s really not about the numbers. One kid, one dictionary. The stories are many, but each one is personal. A dictionary can make a big difference in a child’s life.”
Grangers visit schools to make the gift personal and emphasize the importance of people helping each other. Jim Annis, president of the local Grange, rarely misses a presentation. “I love how excited the kids get. These dictionaries are truly empowering, and the program has become a rite of passage. We’re glad we can continue the tradition.”
Boomsma noted that these sorts of connections and cooperation within the community are exactly what the Grange hopes to facilitate. “We’re all about building strong kids and communities,” he said. “We’re also looking for people who share that passion, whether it’s working with the schools and children or seniors or other community organizations.” He cites the Grange’s Blistered Finger Knitters as an example. “As a result of their efforts, we distribute some knitted hats and mittens along with the dictionaries. These are usually given to the school nurse for kids needing little help staying warm.”
“The kids get excited about the books, but I think for most, it’s about more than just getting a dictionary. It’s also about seeing that organizations and individuals in the community care for each of them and want them to succeed.”
The Dictionary Project is based in North Carolina, making low-cost dictionaries available to organizations like the Grange to aid third-grade teachers in their goal to see all their students leave at the end of the year as good writers, active readers, and creative thinkers. Extra dictionaries are always available for new or home-schooled students or students transferring in during the school year. Parents of home-schooled third-graders are urged to call their local school for additional information. For information about the Grange and its many opportunities, call Walter Boomsma at 343-1842 or Mary Annis at 564-0820 or visit the Valley Grange Website (http://valleygrange.com) or Facebook Page.
As we celebrate our veterans next month on Nov. 11, the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services has a variety of resources available for Maine veterans and their families.
Assistance for Maine military members and their families is available here or by calling 888-365-9287.
Those veterans who are having difficulty readjusting to civilian life can find resources here or by calling 877-927-8387.
If you are a veteran who is homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, you are encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assistance or visit their website.
Women veterans can contact the Women Veterans Call Center at 855-829-6636 for information about a variety of services and benefits available including women’s health and maternity care. For veterans in crisis, seek help by dialing 988, then press 1. There is also a dedicated website for veterans and their families that has additional resources to help a veteran family member in need.
Check the event out on Facebook!
White Rock Grange is located at 33-34 Wilson Road in Gorham, Maine.
We’ve created a special webpage–a sort of directory of Grange Craft Fairs scheduled in November and December. All you have to do is submit your information to be listed! If you have a flyer, send it as an email attachment. You’ll get free, state-wide publicity.
We’re still seeking Granges interested or already participating in the Words for Thirds Dictionary Project. All we need right now is a contact person and the Grange name. We are creating a number of great resources we’d like to share! The list we have so far includes
(The contact need not be an officer–just someone who heads up the effort so we can offer resources and information. Ideally, it will be someone with an email address.) Submit your information here!
We’re already into a new Grange Year (2024-2025) and that means new information is needed.
We’ll be updating the online directory of Granges–most of the information comes from the Roster. Does the MSG Secretary Sharon have your current information? (Send a copy to the webmaster, please!)
Don’t forget to submit your events for the Maine State Grange Online Event Calendar! We’re set up for events all the way through 2025.
Our Scholarship Information Page has already shown increased traffic this year. If your Grange offers a scholarship or educational aid, please make sure the information is correct.
But they’re going for the blue!
