Successful
Actions of Orangevale Grange - CA
Orangevale Grange is located in central California. “Our area used to be very rural, but now we think of Sacramento as a suburb of Orangevale and Fair Oaks where most of our Grange members live,” says Bob Clouse, Master of Orangevale Grange.
“Since the area we live in is no longer rural, we really need to tailor our Grange to fit our community. We are a Visioning Grange. We set up our meeting hall four times a year because our members want to see and remember our Grange traditions. Otherwise our meetings are less formal. We have one regular meeting each month, and I never let a meeting go past one and a half hours!”
“Not many years ago, the charter of Orangevale Grange was revoked. We got the charter back from California State Grange, consolidated with Fair Oaks Grange, and now we’ve become a showcase of our community.”
“Our Grange Hall is located on a six acre parcel and we’re working to create a park on that land.”
“Every time we want to try something new, we appoint a committee. The best part of it all is that people are volunteering to work on these committees. I never have to go out and beg people to work on projects. That’s why I say that the Master job is the easiest job in Grange! People are so willing and eager to work!”
“The Orangevale News practically begs us for an article every month, and we try to take advantage of their interest. We have had people join us because they want to be part of a group who are doing something!”
“We put in a garden on our land and made it available to members of the community. Some people joined Grange because they wanted to have access to the garden. And we gardened too, so we had fresh produce at every meeting this summer.”
“The Chamber of Commerce has a monthly mixer at our Grange. A business member of the Chamber will sign up to host the mixer, but then they’re all held at our Grange Hall. It’s been a great way for people to learn about us, and again we’ve had people from the Chamber who have joined Grange.”
“It’s standard practice for us to give a membership to anyone who is active duty military. Their dues are paid in full.”
“Every month we have something going on in addition to a monthly breakfast. We’ve become known for putting on a spectacular breakfast! We have local 4-H’ers come and wait on the tables. All we require is that they wear their 4-H uniforms. Sometimes they make more in tips than we do from serving the breakfast!”
“In December of 2005, we parked cars at our Grange Hall. Nearby there’s a street where anybody that lives on that street is required to decorate their houses and lawns. So lots of people come and look at the holiday lights, and they need a place to park. We offered parking for a $2 donation and used that money to buy dictionaries for the Words for Thirds program that’s endorsed by National Grange. We got more than enough to buy dictionaries for eleven elementary schools.”
“In March, 2006, we helped Elk Grove Grange host a barbeque to welcome home military service personnel. We’ve asked the local VFW to let us know whenever we can help them welcome home troops.”
“In April, we held our first Family Fair, which we’re committed to do for the next five years. We also sponsored a proficiency award at the California State FFA Convention. All three of the recipients of the award sought out my wife and me just because we were wearing Grange jackets. They didn’t even know that it was our Grange that donated the award.”
“In May, we served breakfast at the local Fair Oaks Fiesta Days. On one day, we served 600 breakfasts in two hours’ time. We donated cookies to the Fair Oaks Cemetery Association. We served a spaghetti dinner to 400 people over two nights. And we gave money to a school that was doing an extreme makeover. They asked for help and we were so busy that we couldn’t send any bodies, but we did give a monetary contribution.”
“In June, we had forty old vehicles parked out at the Grange Hall and we served breakfast to all the people who came to look at the old cars. We donated to the VARC – Veterinarians After Rescue Care. We helped them by donating our facility for their major fund-raising event. We partnered with a square dance group to do fireworks, and we had some of those people join Grange too.”
“In July, we did sno-cones and hot dogs and had fireworks. We also hosted Ed Luttrell from National Grange in July. It was the first time someone from National Grange had been to California to do a membership program. We served a spaghetti dinner for the youth group and breakfast the next morning for those attending.”
“In August, we began pouring concrete slabs for picnic tables in our park. To take a break from the heat and because some members were out of town, we limited our activity in August to our monthly meeting and breakfast.”
“In September, we handed out 1000 dictionaries. We’re committed to doing the Dictionary Project for five years so that by 2010, every child in grades 3-8 will have a dictionary given to them by Grange. We also held a rummage sale and had ten of our members attend the California State Grange Convention.”
“During the rest of this year, we have plans to hold an equipment show, develop a picnic area, park, and garden, put together food baskets, and do Toys for Tots.”
“We’ll hold a steak and lobster dinner as a joint venture with the Orangevale VFW in January, 2007. And we’ll be having a luau on February 17, next year – another joint venture with Elk Grove Grange. They’ve got the dancers in their Grange, and we’ve got the facility.”
“Over the course of about three years, we’ve gone from being three Granges of about 40 members to one Grange with 92 members,” says Leslie Parker, Secretary. “Fair Oaks Grange Hall wasn’t in great shape and needed to sell.”
“We were actually kind of forced out of that location,” adds Bob. “It was on a dead end street, and the neighbors had decided that they didn’t really want us there. Now it’s being used as a residence.”
Leslie continues, “So we sold the Fair Oaks Grange Hall, and brought our members and the money from the sale together with Orangevale Grange. Some folks opted not to remain members so by the end of 2004, we had a membership of 33. Antelope Grange was operating with a handful of active members so they also chose to consolidate with us.”
“We gained 12-15 truly new members in 2005, so that now our total membership – new members and everyone who came as a result of consolidation – stands at 92. On the California State Grange books, that shows up as 59 new members in the last year!”
“We organized a Junior Grange last year too, with 15 members. Most of our membership is active. They come to meetings and help with our monthly breakfasts,” says Leslie.
“We’ve got enough help so they kick me out of the kitchen,” laughs Bob. “So I go out and talk to people who are there for breakfast. We expect to lose some of our older members, but we’re gaining all the time. By the end of 2006, we hope to be at 100 members.”
“Our dues are $30. $22 of that goes to State and National Grange,” says Shirley Baker, Treasurer of Orangevale Grange. “We have the second largest Hall in the area which is rented out on a regular basis. In fact 53% of the available rental dates are full. Last year our rental income was $25,800. Our breakfasts bring in over $2500.”
“We make about $2000 from dinners and the fireworks display. We set off the fireworks behind the Grange Hall and the community comes out with their lawn chairs and blankets to watch them.”
“All together we bring in about $18,000 with our fundraisers,” says Shirley. “Orangevale Grange was organized in 1919 and has been at its present location since 1955. The hall needed a lot of renovation. So, with the money from the sale of the Fair Oaks hall, we put in a new commercial kitchen and new bathrooms. It’s been really great to see all the effort of the new members and the youth.”
“We started the Family Fair this year,” says Bob. “Leslie talked us into it. And then she said, ‘I’d be delighted to chair the committee.’ That’s what’s been so great. I’ve yet to be turned down when I asked for help.”
“The idea for the Family Fair came because now we have this beautiful new Grange Hall and we wanted to invite people to come in and enjoy it with us,” says Leslie. “It was a free event and we tried to have something fun for every member of the family to do.”
“We set up a portable nine-hole miniature golf course. The Fire Department did demonstrations of their new equipment that people could watch and let kids experience sitting in their trucks. We had quilting. A business brought rubber stamps so the kids could make thank you cards. We asked any of the retail participants to provide an activity for family members to do.”
“The police brought their Canine Unit. Someone brought a llama over in a van. It was all outfitted with South American tack and kids could pet it and have their pictures taken with the llama.”
“4-H had a display. One of our members does Pampered Chef and she gave a demonstration. I’m the State Grange Family Resources Director,” says Leslie, “and I gave a Personal Preparedness Seminar.”
“We held the Family Fair from 10-4 on a Saturday in April – to celebrate Grange Month and to offer free membership for the rest of the year to anyone who wanted it. And then hopefully, they’ll join us again next year as dues-paying members. Our Grange pays for their State and National Grange dues, and most of them do end up joining us the next year.”
“This was the first year we tried the Family Fair, and we got 4 fabulous new members from it! We’ve committed to the Grange Family Fair for the next five years, and we already have community groups lining up to participate next year!”
Maggie Bloom is the GWA chairperson. “We have started GWA from scratch with our reorganization. We’ve made snack bars to sell for Grange at our outdoor functions. And we’re starting a new stitching guild county-wide. We’ve made aprons that we wear when we’re serving breakfast. The have the Grange name and logo on it because we want people to remember that this is Grange who is serving them.”
“We also have had special placemats printed up to use at our breakfasts,” says Maggie. They have the Grange name and a membership application printed right on them. That way people know exactly what they need to do to become a Grange member and join us.”
“Some of our youth members entered into the State Grange GWA contests. One even took best in show. Seven of them participated and four won. We think that’s great! We’re looking to expand competition and maybe hold a statewide quilting show.”
“Just about everything we do has brought us in some new members,” says Bob. “And our membership is young. I’m one of the oldest guys in our Grange, and I’m only 64. We have enthusiastic younger people, so it’s time for me to back off and ask how I can help them do what they want to do. I’ve been in Grange for 46 years. My granddad got his Golden Sheaf. My dad got it, and I want it.”
“At the California State Grange Convention, we got an award for bringing in the most new members. We were third highest in the state with 59 new members this year. That was a net gain,” says Leslie.
“We welcome non-members to come to our monthly meetings – except for the four times a year that we set up in full form. We want people to see if they like what we do. We present the flag, the Bible, and do the Grange salutation in both the opening and closing of the meeting. If visitors like what they see, we give them an application to join.”
“I would love to obligate new members at every single meeting,” says Bob. “We’ll be obligating five new members at our next meeting. Two of those folks were working in the kitchen at our last breakfast before they were even obligated! And boy, were they having fun!”
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