Annual Report Status

The State Convention Page and Program Books and Information Pages have been updated to reflect documents recently received.

Fraud Watch- Medicare Open Enrollment Scams

MSG Communications Resources Logo
Reprinted with permission from AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

October marks the start of Medicare open enrollment, and unfortunately, the peak season for Medicare fraud. From October 15 to December 7, eligible beneficiaries can review options and make changes to their Medicare health and Part D prescription drug plans. But not every offer is what it seems.

Each year, criminals take advantage of open enrollment season by posing as insurance providers. They may call, email or show up offering free gifts or limited-time offers, all designed to steal your money, Medicare information, or even your identity.

At the same time, advances in modern medical technology create new opportunities for fraud criminals. Medicare beneficiaries should be cautious of devices advertised as medical monitors or promoted for uses they weren’t designed for. To stay safe, rely only on equipment prescribed by your doctor.

To protect yourself from Medicare schemes, avoid sharing personal information with anyone who contacts you unexpectedly about Medicare. Legitimate plans can only reach out if you’ve requested information or already have an existing relationship with them. Beneficiaries can safely compare legitimate plans and change enrollment by going to medicare.gov or by calling 800-633-4227.

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 Shorts 9-28-2025

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!

October Bulletin

Yes, there will be an October Bulletin, although with the State Session, the mailing of the physical copy may be delayed a bit. The deadline for submission is October 14th. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

National Grange Website Links

Some recent changes to the National Grange Website have resulted in some links not working. If you encounter broken links on the Maine State Grange website, please report them to Walter. If you encounter them on the National Grange website, report them to National Grange.

Dates and Deadlines

With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound!

Annual Purge Continues

We’re removing dated information from the website. This includes documents, posts, and photos. While some things are considered timeless, a general policy is to remove items that are more than two years old. One of the significant challenges this time of year is updating online directories. Please make sure we have your current information!

Think About This!

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

Albert Camus

An Idea for Your Grange

At Valley Grange, we schedule meetings a full year in advance and assign “Grange Bees” – individuals responsible for tasks such as ensuring the hall is open and ready, as well as maintaining a supply of staples for potluck meals. It may not be a one-person job, but we want to be clear on who is responsible!

Subscribe!

Remember, we don’t share your email address with anyone, and you get a weekly summary of what’s been posted. Subscribe here! Share that link with your members!

Online Directories Available 24-7

Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes!

  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct! Visitors to the site frequently consult these directories.
  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies, along with their contact information.

Getting the Words Out!

by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

As of today, there are 371 public schools in Maine (according to The Dictionary Project website). Of those, only 16 have a Dictionary Project Sponsor so far this year. That’s slightly over 4%.

The good news is that it’s still early in the year, and we can do better! If you have been sponsoring in the past, it’s time to start working on this year’s effort.

If you haven’t been a sponsor, this is a good year to start. For a list of unsponsored schools, visit the Dictionary Project Website. Remember, we have many great resources available on our Words for Thirds Resource Page. We’ll even provide you with your Grange’s very own logo!

There are also Rotary, Kiwanis, and Elks Clubs that sponsor schools in Maine. One possibility might be to partner with a local civic organization in your area, particularly if you’re concerned about the cost and effort involved. There are several dictionaries available to choose from. All come in cases of 24 at a cost of around $100 per case, including shipping. Obviously, much depends on school size, but you can start a powerful community service with a minimum investment!

If you doubt the power of this program, check out this short news story about a Valley Grange “Dictionary Day” at Ridgeview Elementary School in Dexter.

If you have questions or would like some help. Let me know! We’re Grangers. We help each other. And let us know about your Words for Thirds Project!

MSG Words for Thirds Resources

Communication Shorts 9-15-2025

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!

September Bulletin

The September Bulletin is now available for download and printing. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

An Annual Report?

It’s the end of the Grange Year. Certain State Officers and Directors are expected to file an annual report of their activities and accomplishments. (We’ll be publishing them on the site as they are received.) Have you considered putting one together for your Grange? You can think of your communities as your stockholders. Let them know what you have done this year!

Dates and Deadlines

Fall is coming. Some might say it’s already here. With the start of another Grange Fiscal Year, essential dates and deadlines abound! ODDs Note: Annual Reports are due today and Program Books by October 1, 2025!

Annual Purge Continues

We’re removing dated information from the website. This includes documents, posts, and photos. While some things are considered timeless, a general policy is to remove items that are more than two years old.

Think About This!

“A dull truth will not be looked at. An exciting lie will. That is what good, sincere people must understand. They must make their truth exciting and new, or their good works will be born dead.”

Bill Bernbach

An Idea for Your Grange

Last call! We’re almost finished with the BEB (Books Exchange Box) and LFL (Little Free Library) Resource Page. If your Grange has one or is interested in participating, please let us know.

Subscribe!

Remember, we don’t share your email address with anyone, and you get a weekly summary of what’s been posted. Subscribe here! Share that link with your members!

Online Directories Available 24-7

Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes!

  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct! Visitors to the site frequently consult these directories.
  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies, along with their contact information.

Membership Moments

Rick Grotton

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

Here it is September again, and time for the installation of your officers and close to the beginning of a new Grange year.  Each month, I give you advice and tips on how to gain and keep membership. This year, let’s do something different. I would like to hear from you, the members, tips, and advice to share with our readers. Also, any questions you have for the Membership Committee will be answered and put in each monthly column. This is not a one-time request; it is ongoing because I want us ALL to be involved to help each other. 

Each meeting, address the issue of membership and come up with a list of questions and tips to ASK RICK, and he will answer and share. I have given you all my views over the years, but I am sure you will have more information for me to share. Again, I say that membership should be your top priority and that all of us are responsible for finding new members. Please let me know! 

Coming Soon?

Maybe several things! One that we’re sure of is another resource page for Granges and Grangers. This time, we’ll be introducing an easy-peasy community service that’s already being offered in over 200,000 locations around the world.

The Grange has always emphasized education and literacy. One of our signature programs, Words for Thirds, is an example. Now, in addition to making dictionaries available to third graders, we’re looking at a way to make many books available to everyone through library boxes located at our Grange Halls.

While these libraries do not have to be part of the Little Free Library project, they do offer some great ideas and inspiration.

The resource page we’re building will be available soon. It will include information about several libraries located at Granges in Maine. If your Grange has one or would like, please tell us about it!

Exploring Traditions – September, 2025

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

How intelligent is this?

I’ve departed from my usual format for this column. I asked ChatGPT (an artificial intelligence platform) to write my column, giving it the topic of “Grange Ritual.” We had a short “conversation” to help it come up with an angle. It offered several suggestions.) I kept my input minimal to see how it would do using what it found on the Internet. What you think of AI aside, do you give the result a thumbs up or a thumbs down? Online readers can use the “Leave a comment” link to the left.

The Grange Ritual is more than words spoken at a meeting. It is a journey through the seasons of the year and the stages of life, reminding us that we are part of something larger than ourselves.

In spring, we are called to see life as new and full of promise. Just as the farmer prepares the soil and plants seeds in hope, we too are urged to cultivate faith, optimism, and a willingness to grow.

Summer represents strength and labor. The heat of the sun and the work of the fields remind us that progress is born of effort. It is a season of energy, responsibility, and perseverance—a time to give our best to the tasks before us.

With autumn comes maturity and reflection. The harvest teaches gratitude: what we reap is not only the result of our own labor, but also of the Creator’s gifts, the earth’s abundance, and the fellowship of those who labor with us.

Finally, winter invites rest and renewal. Far from being an end, it symbolizes the promise of continuation—of seeds waiting quietly for another spring. It reminds us to value memory, wisdom, and the quiet strength that sustains community across generations.

Even the simplest tools of the farm carry meaning in the Ritual. The plow, the hoe, the spade—all speak of honesty, patience, and diligence. They remind us that no labor is too humble when done with integrity and purpose.

Above all, the Ritual teaches interdependence. Just as a farm thrives when soil, sun, rain, and labor work together, so does a community flourish when its members share in fellowship, equality, and mutual support.

The Grange Ritual is not a relic of the past, but a living reminder: every season has purpose, every tool has meaning, and every life has value. It encourages us to sow kindness, labor with faith, and harvest hope—trusting that even in winter, spring is always on the way.

By the way, I did not edit this, just copied and pasted it. What do you think?

***

The Kindle Edition of  “Friend of the Farmer” is available from Amazon, currently priced at $2.99.

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Communications Column – September 2025

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Can we “c” this?

The recent reminders of the Grange’s “non-partisan” policy are timely, as it has become increasingly difficult to comply with for at least two reasons. First, many people have become quite intense over their political affiliation. Second, political issues are increasingly seen as party issues.

Pick a “hot” issue–it almost doesn’t matter what the issue is. Gun control? Education? The environment? Can we discuss it without becoming partisan? The odds are good the discussion will quickly devolve into “choosing sides.” Of itself, that’s not a bad thing until the “side” becomes the issue. Often, labels take the place of the actual issue. It’s tempting to ban political discussions in the interest of maintaining harmony.

Have you noticed that the words “party” (or partisan) and “political” are being used almost interchangeably? If the Grange is non-partisan, must it be non-political? What happens to our legislative interests and efforts? How do we write and then discuss resolutions without stumbling over the line?

Years ago, I worked with a guy who often noted that people like to talk about things, but they rarely talk about HOW they are going to talk about those things. So, if the Grange is to remain “non-partisan” but not abandon our interest (and original purpose!) in legislative matters, how do we do that? (That, in and of itself, is an interesting topic. I am tempted to digress into the point that practice is ultimately policy. What we do communicates our values as an organization far more than what we say.)

In all our discussions and deliberations, we need to “c” some things about the purpose of communication. Here’s a partial list:

  • compassion,
  • cordiality,
  • concern,
  • consideration,
  • cooperation,
  • collaboration,
  • charity.

In essentials, unity; In non-essentials, liberty; In all things, charity.

The Grange Motto

Too often, we communicate to convince. Can we, instead, communicate to explore? Can we, in all sincerity, ask another with whom we might initially disagree, “Help me understand…” It’s a great question. Let’s communicate to understand. Understanding does not have to equate to agreement.

Within the Grange, we aim to reaffirm (and hopefully agree on) the essentials of community building, education, and non-partisan grassroots advocacy. We succeed when we allow personal freedom and respect for diverse opinions that are not crucial to the organization’s core mission. The wisdom of the founders is evident in the fraternal nature of the Grange.

The order of our motto is critical. First and foremost, let’s focus on the essentials. (The Declaration of Purpose is a good place to start.) We allow–maybe even encourage–personal freedom of choice. And we practice the “c’s” in the interest of achieving the essentials.

Let us be quiet, peaceful citizens…”

If things start to get out of hand during a Grange meeting, the master might do well to bang the gavel and declare loudly, “Let us be quiet, peaceful citizens,” not because we’re about to “separate and go our separate ways,” but because one essential thing we’ve agreed to is simply that. We will be quiet (but not silent), peaceful citizens. And we’re going to help each other understand what that means while we explore.

We’re Grangers; we help each other.

► FACT: The Communications Department’s Annual Report has been released and is available on the Program Books and Information Page.

Grange Heirloom — September 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.