By Sue Gray

Our awards luncheon was very nice, especially since our Junior President, Lillian Sharpe, made her debut back at Grange since diagnosed with Leukemia last October. She was able to receive her Super JG trophy in person, along with her brother, Russell and cousin, Brianna Gervais! State Junior Director, Michelle DeDominicis, attended and made the presentations. Lillian will be starting back to school on a limited basis after Easter as well as going back and forth to Boston for necessary treatments. Because our 80 year Grange veteran member, Helen Molodich, sustained a fall and was unable to be with us in person, her grand-daughter, Katie Sweet, read the accolades about her grandmother, accepted the awards and flowers and the Molodich family gathered at Helen’s home and Katie presented her grandmother with everything t\later than afternoon. Congratulations to 40 year recipients Betsy Chamberland and Mike Dzunak, 50 year recipients Charles “Jim Cole” and Richard and Sandee Wood, also Sue Gray 55 year member and 60 year member, Dennis Ahnberg.

Barbara Bonin, our Treasurer, was our 2019 Granger of the Year: well-deserved for all that she does, most notably handling organizing and delivering packages of food regularly to 11 Sterling families in need! Sterling Recreation Director, Judy Gooslin, graciously accepted 2019 Community Citizen of the Year for her many years of service to the youth of Sterling!

We had a full hall when Richmond brought us Jeopardy with Pete Fish aka Alex Trabeck! We voted to buy a large screen television to be mounted on a wall in our Grange hall and feature Grange activities during special events at our hall. 2nd graders at Sterling Community School will each receive a dinosaur book from our Grange, which teachers coordinate with lessons on dinosaurs. In addition to the “L” dollars that we continue collecting for Lillian Sharpe, we have begun collecting “F” dollars to go to Barbara Bonin, towards Food for the Families in need! We voted to run the Ekonk booth at Brooklyn Fair again this August and Jodi Ann Cameron will again serve as Chairman. May 11th we will have our annual roast beef supper for the Veterans Home in Jewett City, May 18th will be our last square dance and June 15th will be our 125^th annual Strawberry Supper!