Successful
Actions of Pittsfield Union Grange - MI
Some thirty years ago, contra dancing became quite popular in the area around Ann Arbor, Michigan, and when people wanted a place to dance, they discovered Pittsfield Union Grange. After about ten years of using the Hall, dance leaders approached the Grange, asking if they could help. Far-sighted Grangers who were getting older and tiring said, “What we really need - more than a fundraising or money - is energy. Why don’t you join our Grange?”
That was the inception of a pattern of partnering that Pittsfield Union continues to this day. “If you were to look at our membership five years ago, you’d have found a transition. Traditional Grangers still held some leadership roles, and some of the younger dancers were beginning to hold office and take more leadership,” says Robin Warner, Grange President. “The older members were becoming less active just because they were older, and the next generation of their children didn’t seem particularly interested in being Grange members.”
“Then when we became an Action Grange, one thing our committee identified pretty early on was that we were becoming a one-horse show. Most of our energy, income, and membership came from dancers, and we feared that they might go away just as easily as they had come. So we started looking to involve families and people who were not necessarily dancers.”
Now Pittsfield Union Grange has 46 members. “It’s not a huge number,” admits Helen Welford. “But our membership has been going through a small metamorphosis. Older farmers have slowly been dropping out, and some of our dancers have also dropped out. And yet, our membership number has stayed fairly constant. Even though we’ve lost members, we’re also gaining. And what’s really exciting is that those who are joining now are actually coming to meetings and wanting to get active and involved!”
Pittsfield Union needs active members to keep up with a busy schedule of family oriented activities. “I think we need a whole variety of activities – a kind of ‘on-ramp’ to full membership. Some activities are meant to generate interest, some to get a person to our Grange Hall but not necessarily join, some to encourage people to volunteer and help, and some to really get them to join us as members,” says Robin.
One such activity originated in a small way and has expanded to become an annual event. “Three of us decided to build an apple cider press. We told folks to bring apples to our September meeting and we’d make cider. We were surprised at how many people showed up! So we decided to make it a Saturday event. A local apple grower brings in a truckload of apples and sells them for $2 a peck. Someone else brought another press with an electric apple grinder which is much more effective than the hand grinder we’d built. We also make applesauce and apple butter on propane stoves. And we have a bake sale. About 200 people come through every year!”
Another project came about because of a member who taught elementary school and another who teaches college math. “We hold a Math and Science night for families at Pittsfield Elementary School where there are a whole series of demonstrations and experiments that really captivate kids,” says Robin. Helen pipes in, “You’ve got to picture marshmallows and toothpicks being sculpted into tetrahedral shapes. And critters in water. Blowing up balloons to measure lung capacity. It’s really great!”
Joan Hellmann explains more about the Math and Science night activities. “These are all fun activities that you’re not likely to see in a classroom. There are strategy games, hands-on ‘make and take it’ projects where the kids build some sort of contraption that illustrates a science lesson, geometric and logic puzzles that kids can solve. There are lots of program materials out there that you can access.” Joan has offered to be a resource for those materials. Email her at Hellmann@umich.edu, putting “Math and Science References” in your subject line.
“Math and Science Night has been a very popular event – and it solidifies our partnership with the school,” Robin says. “And it’s also had the advantage of attracting non-Grangers to help us. We involve friends who aren’t ready to make a commitment to belong to an organization, but who find that this is a community service activity that really fits with their backgrounds and interests. Several long-term volunteers come from a city background and our Grange offers a way for them to get involved.”
Pittsfield Union Grangers have long been involved in Rural Education Days, a program sponsored by the Local Farm Council. “It’s aimed at all the 3 rd graders in our county. We show them a cow, cornstalks, and teach them about erosion – that kind of thing. And then all these producers have booths and the kids visit each booth – usually to get a special treat. They get ice cream at the dairy booth, sunflower seeds at another booth, and all kinds of other goodies. Grange does a grain display and give out popcorn,” says Helen. “Twenty-five hundred bags of popcorn,” Robin pipes in. “With school budgets going down, it’s been harder for them to get the kids there. So our Grange decided to underwrite the transportation costs for the Pittsfield Elementary School.”
Herman Koenn, a long-term Granger and past Master, says, “Cooperative Extension has been one of Grange’s best allies. They started Rural Education Days and it has given Grange quite a bit of exposure to people who would otherwise never know about us.
Helen goes on to say with excitement, “We’ve been working more closely with 4-H. We’re grateful to be listed in their Ambassador Notebook, and we have a booth next to Michigan Extension Service and 4-H at the Chelsea Fair which helps us cement our relationships.” She adds, “And we actually now have a formal partnership agreement with the Pittsfield Elementary School through the Ann Arbor School District. That’s really significant in my eyes. We just think we get further when we partner with other organizations.”
Robin agrees. “And the Grange member who acted as our liaison was a teacher at Pittsfield School. Now he is teaching at a different school and we have had had to find someone else to act as liaison. And you know, it’s gotten better. We were relying too much on this one person, and now it’s more of a group effort.”
The partnership between Grange and school has been important in a variety of ways. “We exchange newsletters, and they’ve given us a bulletin board in the elementary school that we can use to put up any information that we want. The school does an ice cream social every year – and this year we plan to bring our popcorn machine.”
Pittsfield Union Grange is located in a suburban area near Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Our Grange Hall is almost in a town location,” says Robin. “Because our location is so convenient, our hall is rented virtually every Monday – Saturday evening of the year, and that means we have some income to do things with. And it also means that several hundred people are in our hall every week or so. That gives us a far larger group than just our membership who feel an investment in our Grange. If something were to happen to us, these folks would be upset.”
“The Grange Hall gives us a focus,” Joan says. “It’s something that we have to take care of. It’s neat and tidy, and we have a work day twice a year to keep it that way.” Robin adds, “We’ve long made it a practice to ask that all of the organizations who use the hall to send at least a few representatives to our work days. We think it’s important that they be involved in the building’s care, and it’s another opportunity for us to build connections between them and our Grange.”
Pittsfield Union Grange is looking ahead to building more partnerships. “We asked the Historical Society to do a program for our Grange, but they suggested that we do a joint meeting instead,” says Robin. “We had roughly a dozen people representing both groups and we really learned a lot about each others’ organizations. Now we see many ways we might work together. They’re involved in restoring an historic farm, and there are ways we can help with that. And they’re willing to list us on their website and help us publicize our events. Already, it’s a great partnership, and we’re only beginning.”
Another project that Pittsfield Union Grange wants to do is support the production and consumption of locally-grown food. “There are already several farmers’ markets that are up and running, and we want to support those. There are good reasons for farmers – and the food is so much better when it’s fresh. I think there have to be ways that Grange can be part of helping more. It’s something we’re thinking about,” says Robin.
Building connections and partnerships are practices that serve Pittsfield Union Grange well. “Even though our membership has changed over the years,” says Herman, “people seem to feel comfortable however they mix and blend with one another. And our membership is made up of the kind of people we really need today.” |
