On December 10 and January 14, I attended the last two meetings of Preston City Grange #110. With sadness I accepted their charter as the members voted to close the Grange organized in 1889 and re- organized in 1905. I thanked those present for all their dedication and work over the years under President Joe LoPresti and hope that those who are so inclined will move on to join North Stonington Grange and remain active. It brought back sad memories of when we had to surrender the charter of Washington Grange #11 as we merged into Bethlehem #121.

I would like to share the resolution index from the 158th National Grange Convention along with Session Committee Policy Statements. The Journal of Proceedings is available on the National Grange website for anyone interested.

The new National Grange signature program you will be hearing a lot about is called Project Sustenance. It has three legs: food security (e.g. dinners and food pantries), self-sustainability (e.g. classes in growing and preserving foods), and resilience (mental well- being).  The overall aims are to promote food security and sense of community. Many Granges promote programs that deal with one or more of the three areas of emphasis noted. While we have been promoting these ideas as an organization before, this endeavor unites the subject under new branding. There are program logos and further information for your Granges to promote their activities on the National Grange website. The following Granges all have done or are doing programs that fall under the aegis of Project Sustenance: Bethlehem (seed donations to Ellis Clark Ag Program community garden, holiday meal donations), Bridgewater (dinners), Ekonk (dinners), Greenfield Hill (dinners and Pollinator Pathway programs), Harmony (apple tree planting), Hillstown (breakfasts), Oxford (open mic and free holiday dinner), Riverton (food pantry), and Wallingford (breakfasts); and there may even be others. More on this is to come.

Much of this weekend has been spent on Zoom with the Leader’s Conference which was held in Sonoma County, CA. A theme presented by National President Hamp was that we should be looking out of the windshield and not in the rear view mirror. We need to promote growth by exploring new activities for our Granges. Remember to have FUN doing it. We are Rooted, Resilient, and United!

Several good workshops were presented. One, by our National Grange corporate counsel Jeff Skinner went over the auto revocation of your EINs after three years of non- filing 990N to retain your tax exempt status. He outlined the procedure to regain this status once lost; quite involved. Keep up the IRS 990N and you Secretary of State filing for your state incorporation. Another presentation by CA SG Treasurer Susan Hanks and CT SG Treasurer Jody Cameron reviewed the use of modern computer technology and software to keep Grange financial records and do your banking. National VP John Benedik of NJ talked about membership and the need for growth. He noted that since 2004, we have halved our National membership from just over 100,000 to just under 50,000. Granges exist in 37 states with 13 currently having none; Utah never had a Grange presence. Five states have so few Granges as to go unrepresented at National Convention. Forty two Granges were lost in 2023-24 of which two had 51-75 members; it makes you wonder what happened there. Another workshop covered planning for the future; succession planning, if you will. Yet another discussed the use of SMART goals for planning; this stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound, and is basically a paradigm for planning your Grange’s future whether that be long or short term goals.

Sister Susan Noah, Past President of Oregon SG and National Executive Committee member, talked in yet another of the importance of having up-to-date bylaws as these are your road map and rules by which your Grange must be run. Furthermore, they should be updated every two to three years to keep them current. Vic Stevens and Scott Lisle did a fantastic presentation called Bridging Differences and Building Fraternal Bonds by Becoming Un- offendable. It was put forth as a story about how they met in Grange and became friendly having both come from very different backgrounds. The message was how individuals choose to be offended by others and that in controlling this, we can all be happier better people.

This year, there will be no Legislative Fly-in. Not enough interest recently to continue this program. Instead, directives on how to contact your Congressional representatives will be distributed soon. Direct contact with your House Representatives and Senators is the best way to make your feelings and concerns known to them. Attending Town Halls that they hold for constituents is a great way to stay informed. These are often done in person or by Zoom. Attending an in-person event gives you the opportunity to speak directly to you Congressman or Congresswoman.

National President Hamp spoke about the 159th National Convention ABC (Aruba/Bonaire/Curacao) Cruise. Resistance to this largely comes from a fear of change. This idea to do something new came about to create a fun, new, and exciting way to experience our Convention. The Seventh Degree will be presented on the cruise by way of a professionally produced video to be filmed in Belvedere, IL this coming March

28. As we understand it, the video will be used for limited future presentation. The Sixth Degree will not be done on the cruise. When older members were asked about what they remembered most about far past National Conventions, it was the fun people had at them. One older Sister recounted the “shenanigans” that went on that were so memorable. There are still openings and while about 400 are registered, I hope more of you might consider going. An analysis has shown that this event would cost less than the hotel based conventions of recent years, and while I do not have it, I understand it is available for the asking.

Remember, from the Lecturer in the First Degree that “An honest man (or woman, my addition) is the noblest work of God.”