| September 1, 2019 -- The fall season brings a rush of paperwork and arrangements that need to be made for end of year projects and, of course, State Session.
The first deadline is the Scholarship deadline. As you are reading this the deadline has already passed for this year. However, there are a couple of things you should all keep in mind. The Scholarship application asks for very specific things. Part of being a successful student is being able to follow directions and to complete projects by a given deadline. Unfortunately we have had no other choice than to turn away applicants who would otherwise have qualified for an award because something was missing from their applications.
If an applications arrive with missing items PRIOR to the deadline, I am happy to remind applicants so they can get the necessary items to me in time for the deadline. Unfortunately, the majority of the applications come in on the day of the deadline or are postmarked September 1 leaving no margin for error.
Please talk up the scholarship program to eligible Grange members in your Granges and Grange families. It is a tool to encourage inactive youth members to become active as it is a requirement that applicants demonstrate active participation in the Grange. It is also intended to be used as a tool to bring in new members. There isn’t a Grange in this state that couldn’t use a few new Youth members.
At the beginning of September Dues Receipts booklets will be arriving in Granges. Secretariesplease remit payment as soon as you can. In some cases it can take the entire year to get payment. I did not send out order forms this year as all Granges that received them last year will receive the same order this year.
State Session is rapidly approaching and with it deadlines! Please send in your delegate cards as soon as your Grange decides who will represent you at State Session. Registrations are due to me by October 1. Please don’t procrastinate. Get them in early.
Hotel reservations should be made immediately by calling the hotel directly at the number listed on the form printed in this issue. As I have stated many times, the Holiday Inn is very close to the Casinos and is in very high demand. All it takes is for one extremely popular show at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun and the general public gobbles up rooms not already reserved to us, making expansion of our block of rooms much more difficult later on.
There is still time to get resolutions in to be considered at Session. In fact, resolutions will be accepted on the floor of Session as long as 125 copies are provided for distribution to the officers and delegates. If you have resolutions, get them in to me at any time leading up to State Session. Just know that the longer you wait, the less likely they may be printed in the Session Book. All resolutions received up to the time it goes to press will be printed. Any others received after that time will be inserted into the packets. It makes things much easier for me if we have a minimal number of last minute items to stuff into the packets.
We have received many requests from Granges for promotional items for Fairs and events. Please keep those requests coming. Nothing makes me happier knowing that Granges are taking the time and making the effort to promote the Grange in their communities and we (as a State Grange) will do everything we can to make that possible. Issues of the Connecticut Granger, membership applications, promotional brochures and posters are all available from the Grange office... that hasn’t changed with the move to Winchester... just give me a call or send me an email or a note.
Until next time... enjoy the early fall weather... it’s Connecticut at its best!
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