Day 1: National Grange 148th Annual Convention

Communications Fellows ready to tell Grange Story

BY CHARLENE M. SHUPP ESPENSHADE
National Grange Youth Director

The 148th Annual Session of the National Grange will create many news-worthy events. From setting the policy course for the next year to celebrating the accomplishments of Granges and Grange members, a team of Grangers will be hard at work documenting this year’s activity.

This year’s communication fellows team are Debbie Gegare of Wisconsin, Karie Blasingame of Illinois, Christopher Szkutak of Massachusetts, Suzy Ramm of Oregon and Lindsay Schroeder of Pennsylvania.

This year’s fellows team is sponsored by DCI Group.

DCI is an independently-owned public affairs organization. They work with a variety of organizations to tackle policy and communication challenges. This organization has also had a long-standing relationship with the National Grange, supporting many different Grange programs.

“There are so many different stories that deserve to be covered this week. The communications fellows are essential in crafting the stories, taking photos and assisting with the digital messaging of the National Grange this week,” said Amanda Brozana, this year’s communications fellows coordinator.

Additional information about each of the fellows is as follows:

Debbie Gegare
Returning for her third year as a member of the fellows program is Debbie Gegare. She has a daughter Lexi and son Cody. She is the Overseer of Milton Grange #670 and the State Membership and Youth Director for the Wisconsin State Grange. Her children are also members at Milton Grange.

She is employed by Catholic Charities in its Community Connections program and is the Lead Skills Trainer.

She is very active as an adult leader for 4-H, FFA and National Junior Horticultural Association, or NJHA. In 4-H, she leads the music and drama and food preservation project. She is the county camp director. She coaches the FFA floriculture team. With a passion for horticulture, she has continued her involvement with NJHA as the National Co-Adviser and chairing a national NJHA contest.

“Grange has given me the opportunity to make a difference not only in my community but also my world, Gegare said. “I’m excited about the possibilities that Grange offers and look forward to continuing to share my enthusiasm about our great organization with others.”

Karie Blasingame
Karie Blasingame is an 18-year member of Prairie Grange #1832 in Boone County Ill. She is the secretary and the webmaster and publicity chair at Prairie Grange. In Boone County Pomona Grange, Blasingame is the Lecturer. She also is the Illinois State Grange Lady Assistant as well as Youth Director.

Blasingame is the deli department manager at the local Walmart where she also serves on the donation committee. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in English secondary education. She is the oldest of four girls.

“I joined the Grange at the age of 18 and since I have found it to be exactly what my family was looking for,” Blasingame said on why she joined. “We actually were never asked to be Grange members, we asked a Grange member if we could attend a meeting and they said only if you join and the rest is history.”

Christopher Szkutak
Christopher Szkutak, is a member of Uxbridge Grange, #200 in Massachusetts and the Oliver Hudson Kelley Grange # 834 of Minnesota. From Northbridge, Mass. he is a fourth generation Grange member. He has a bachelor’s in political science and mathematics from College of the Holy Cross and master’s degree in American politics and contemporary history from the School of Advanced Study, University of London. He is the Gatekeeper and Legislative Director of the Massachusetts State Grange. He served as Massachusetts Youth Ambassador from 2008-2009 and National Grange Youth Mentor (Ambassador) from 2009-2010. Christopher received the Hero of the Grange Award in 2011 for his work with the National Grange Youth Department. During the summer of 2012 he was appointed a National Grange Deputy and sent to Arkansas where he helped to reorganize Zion Oak Grange, #826 in Springdale.

A committed “AGvocate” and certified teacher he works as Technical Associate and Assistant to the director of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, writing agriculturally accurate curriculum for teachers to use in their classrooms while also promoting the organization through social media.

Suzy Ramm
Suzy Ramm is a member of Springwater Grange #263 and Clackamas County Pomona Grange #1 in Oregon. She has been a subordinate Grange member for almost 37 years. She was a charter member of Parkdale Junior Grange and after five years joined the subordinate Grange. She is a past Steward, Lady Assistant Steward, Lecturer and Master.

She is a past Oregon Outstanding Young Granger, National Female Young Agriculturalist and was a member of the National Youth Team. She has represented Oregon at national public speaking and sign a song contests.

Ramm has associate degrees in ornamental horticulture and landscape design and construction. After more than twenty years working in the nursery industry selling plants both on the retail and wholesale levels, she returned to school, graduating from Marylhurst University in June 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with focuses in communications/public relations, history and photography. She is employed by the Oregon State Grange and is the editor of the by-monthly Oregon State Grange Bulletin. She also serves on the state Grange communications team and is a member of the state GROW Club board.

“My Grange experience has been priceless in many respects, the friends I have made, the opportunities for travel and most recently the chance to put my education to work for an organization I believe in,” Ramm said. “But I am most appreciative for the skills I have developed in communicating my thoughts and ideas through Grange contests and activities.

Lindsay Schroeder
Lindsay Schroeder is the 2014-15 Pennsylvania State Grange Youth Ambassador and a member of Virginville Grange #1832. She is the daughter of Monte and Rebecca Schroeder. Her other Grange activities include Youth Committee Chairman and Junior Leader for Virginville Grange. Schroeder is also the Berks County Pomona Grange Flora.

Schroeder is an avid photographer and has entered several winning entries at local fairs and state Grange contests. At her church, she is a Sunday school teacher.

From the President’s Desk

Sunday evening we started the activities with a reception for the Delegates and Officers.

It was such a great evening celebrating the Grange growth across the nation.

Monday the delegates will be working in committees all day. Drop in and listen to the debate that goes on.

Visit the hospitality room, make new friends, and have a great time all day Monday.

A warm welcome from the Midwest Region

BY SUZY RAMM
DCI Communications Fellow | gb*******@******ge.org

On behalf of the Grangers of the Midwest Region, Gary Brumbaugh, immediate past Master of the Ohio State Grange says “Welcome to Ohio for the 148th National Grange Convention.”

This is 12th time the National Convention has been held in Ohio, second only to Washington, D.C.

The Kalahari is an African themed venue with America’s largest indoor water park. But while we want you to have a good time here, do not be tempted to spend too much time on the Lazy River.

Gary wishes “the delegates a very successful session.”

Sifting Through the Tea Leaves (Previewing the Resolutions Before the Delegates)

One of the most fundamental principles of our order is advocacy through grassroots political action. This principle is enshrined in the process by which Grange policy is established. All policies come from our members and work their way to higher levels of the organization. After being duly voted on by State Granges, they are brought for consideration to the delegate body at National Grange session. This year the delegates have a full slate of policy changes and amendments to consider. Here is a preview of some of the policies that are before the delegates:

GMOs: To label or not to label
This year we have two resolutions dealing with GMO labeling, one which reaffirms National Grange’s current policy against GMO labeling and one which requests that National Grange support the labeling of products that do not have GMO ingredients. The first was submitted by the Colorado State Grange in response to a ballot initiative in the state and argues that labeling implies a difference between GMO and non-GMO which has not been confirmed through scientific research. The latter was submitted by the Oregon State Grange and uses similar logic to suggest that non-GMO products should be labeled as not to incur greater costs on producers.

Clean Water and Waters of the United States
There is an abundance of resolutions concerning the proposed expansion of the Clean Water Act and expansion of the federal jurisdiction over water in the United States to encompass bodies of water previously under the regulatory jurisdiction of the states. Grange members clearly have a vested interest in maintaining clean water but there are concerns that expansion of the Clean Water Act without an act of Congress is a violation of executive power. The resolutions concerning the WOTUS expansion raise alarms over the increased costs to local, state, and federal governments to protect water sources.

These are just a sampling of the discussions that will happen during this session; stay tuned to find out what happens with these policies and others as the delegates debate the issues over the next few days.

The Grange Herd Stampedes the Kalahari!

The Grange Herd has begun to assemble at the National Convention and Willy is here to meet them with open arms. Hopefully by now, you have met a Herd member. In case you are unfamiliar with what a Herd member is, they are stuffed animals that have been assigned to help each State Master do work for the betterment of the Grange. They were “trained” by Willy the Sheep from the National Communications
Department.

Herd Members are checking in with the Communications Fellows to get an update on their travels, receive immunizations, and a spa treatment before heading back into the trenches. They should check in at the Mangrove room, which is a safe zone.

Many Herd members will be going home with new Masters this year. The Communications Team is available all week to assist those new Masters in accessing Facebook, learning about media alerts and press releases and developing a communication plan for your Herd member.

The Herd is meant to encourage positive interactions between Grange members and help connect members to social media. Each animal has their own Facebook page that Grangers can like and be able to stay connected to what’s going on in their state.

The animals came equipped with a journal, birth certificate and some suggested assignments for their state. State Masters have been encouraged to take their animal with them to Grange events and also document their travels.

Willy is excited to hear all the great things the Herd has done this past year and will be sharing some of those great journeys and adventures with everyone this week.

National Grange welcomes Programs Assistant from Pennsylvania

Bryan Marchefsky has been a Grange member for roughly 15 months and has just been hired as the National Grange’s program assistant. During that time, he has worked for Grange both at the national level as a Communications Assistant and in the Pennsylvania State Grange as Membership and Public Affairs Director.

“I was instrumental in getting over 110 people connected with different Granges,” Marchefsky said about his work with the Pennsylvania State Grange.

He is happy to return to National Grange, beginning Nov. 3, as the Programs Assistant, noting that interpersonal connections are some of the most important reasons to be a part of the Grange as a member or staff.

“You can build lifelong friendships within the Grange,” Marchefsky said.

Marchefsky has a unique Grange story. Former National Grange Communications Director Amanda Leigh Brozana and Marchefsky are from the same hometown area, Schuylkill County, in Pennsylvania. When Brozana started posting about Grange on Facebook his interest was peaked.

After returning from service in the Army as a combat engineer in 2011, Marchefsky was unemployed for several months before he talked to Brozana about his job search and interest in moving from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C.

Brozana referred him to a company with its headquarters in the Grange building that had a management consulting apprenticeship program. Marchefsky applied and was hired by the firm one floor below the National Grange Offices.

Because Marchefsky was so close to them, Brozana and members of the National Grange would bounce ideas off of him as a non-Grange member. When his apprenticeship ended, Brozana asked if he would be interested in working with the Grange staff in a grant-funded position of Communication and Legislative Policy Fellow and thus began his Grange career.

“I want to see more penetration of outreach… get the word out more through social media and other outlets,” Marchefsky said of his goal of his position.

Marchefsky would like to help state Granges reach out to millennials.

Members can help “by being open to new ideas and not being afraid to try new programs. With how rapidly changing the world is these days, we need to change with it or we cease to be valid,” Marchefsky said.

“What used to be a good wholesome idea to join a Grange is now a competitive marketplace for people’s time.”

Outside of Grange work, Marchefsky is a member of Potomac Grange and enjoys blacksmith work.

J. Burton Eller Jr. named new National Grange Legislative Director

On September 1, J. Burton Eller Jr. became the Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Grange. In the spring he had met with Worthy Master Luttrell to see if there was something he could help with while options for the department were considered. The relationship worked well, and he became a permanent part of the staff.

Eller is looking forward to working with an organization that is “compatible with his background and values.”

His “parents met at a corn judging contest sponsored by the local Grange” in Atkins, Virginia. His dad “won the contest, and the girl.”
He operates a farm in southwest Virginia that has been in his family since 1868 and over the years has been very diversified in its production. It is currently in grass, hay and beef cattle. The farm contains a lot of steep terrain and is not really feasible for cultivated crops.

He has recently joined Potomac Grange #1 in Washington, D.C.

Introducing the new National Grange Comptroller

At the end of June, the National Grange welcomed Andrew Sampson as our new Comptroller.

Sampson, whose job entails handling the National Grange’s finances and human resources, is a member of Potomac Grange #1 and is excited to soon become a member of Fox Valley Good Earth Grange #776 in Wisconsin.

Even though Andy is new to the Grange he is very happy to be so involved.

He did not know about the Grange prior to the job, as he found out about this job from a friend. “I was excited to learn about the organization for young people and agriculture.”

He said he likes working as a staff member of the Grange because it is an organization that is membership based that diligently works for Grange in both volunteer work and professional capacities.

He is anxious to get to know how everything comes together. With National Session, he appreciates the ceremony and tradition aspects.

He is particularly excited about the digitization of Grange records, membership roles, and the interconnectedness of Grangers. Sampson, who is bilingual in English and Spanish, is also heavily involved in outreach to Hispanic social service organizations.

Andy has a younger sister and an older brother who live back in Wisconsin. His work prior to Grange was doing operational, management, and paralegal business for a Washington D.C. firm.

Andy is an avid knitter.

“Knitting is not just for the house life,” Sampson said. “Which means knitting in public, and knitting circles.”

He also enjoys cooking and baking especially in the fall season.

Consider your Grange Legacy

So, you are proud to be a Golden Sheaf member of your local Grange. For fifty years or more, you have been the lifeblood of your Grange. What more can you do? You may say, “I’ve given to the Grange all my life. I’ve spent untold hours working on the hall, in the kitchen, on the grounds. I’m getting too old to give any more.”

Have you thought about your personal or familial legacy to your Grange? It is very common for individuals and families to make a planned gift through their estate to support their alma mater, or church, or some charity that has benefited them in their lifetime. Yet, it has become uncommon for Patrons to remember the organization that has, perhaps, been the most important throughout their life – their local Grange.

Maybe you don’t even realize you CAN leave a legacy gift to your Grange? There are numerous methods that can be created to continue your positive impact on our Order. Borrowing from a passage of the officer’s installation, “Your legacy gift will be held as a memento of your labors long after the [contributing] hand has crumbled into dust.” Let your legacy gift redound to your honor, and let your example inspire others to carry on your wishes and perpetuate our Order.

You may make an outright gift to the Grange during your lifetime:

• Securities (Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds) – Buy low and give high. Gifts of Securities provide both significant tax and financial benefits, including bypassing capital gains taxes and providing income tax deductions.
  How can you make a planned gift?
  INCLUDE the Grange in your estate plans;
• CREATE a gift that pays you income (a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust);
• NAME the Grange as a beneficiary of retirement assets or life insurance.

You can also direct how your legacy gift will be utilized by the Grange. Your gift can include language guiding the purpose and intent of your legacy. So, long after you have gone on to the Great Grange above, your influence can still be felt, to the benefit of future generations of Grangers.

Many State Granges have charitable foundations to which you can make a gift that may also benefit you through lower taxes or increased gift credit. As everyone’s situation may vary, it is always advisable to consult your financial advisor or tax preparer for legal advice before making a major financial decision. Contact the National Grange Foundation or your State Grange foundation for additional information.