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Trademark Protection is
National Issue with Local Impact |
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By Laura Auerbach, Communications Director
Since 1867, the Grange has stood
for the rights of rural communities
throughout America. It has provided
farmers and non-farmers alike with
the services and support they have
needed to build strong businesses
and feed their families. Our organization
has provided educational opportunities
for senior citizens, youth
and juniors, and small but growing
families. Community service projects
have been initiated and completed
by every Grange for the benefit of
all citizens. We have advocated for
legislation that provided mail service
to small rural America and continue
to fight for access to broadband for
every American today. We are an organization
built from the ground up,
whose mission speaks volumes because
they’re backed by strong actions
rather than just strong rhetoric.
And throughout it all, one thing that
has remained the same is the name
by which we stand: GRANGE.
Since 2007, our name, GRANGE,
has been under attack in the trademark
arena. Many companies are
trying to take advantage of the
strength of our image and brand by
using our name to sell products and
services. Having our trusted name
associated with safe, locally produced,
wholesome community based
food has made us an attractive target
for those who would use our name
for commercial profit. But our name
does not define products. It defines
people and these people can not
be bought and sold! Each of us as
Grange members should be proud
to stand by our name. It represents
all the efforts of our current members
as well as the achievements of those
who came before us.
This attack on our name is not new to
our organization. It is the scale of this
challenge that is new to us. To allow
people to step in and use our brand
whenever it suits their needs undermines
the very values we stand for.
Values like hard work, loyalty, and
strength. To allow others to own a
piece of our name damages the freedom
of our Community Granges to
serve their community. We must not
let this happen.
The Facts of the Matter
Here is what we know. Since the
beginning of 2008, we have had 53
name protection related issues that
we have had to address, with 24
of these being significant or major.
The good news is that we are down
to the last 5 significant challenges.
We have spent almost $750,000 on
fighting these issues over the last
three years and even with the 15%
courtesy discount provided by our lawyer, Mr. James L. Bikoff, we are
still anticipating that it will cost a little
more than $150,000 over the next 18
months before we can begin to normalize
our annual budget.
To deal with this enormous expenditure,
we have cut or reduced every
expense of the National Grange
without cutting services or benefits
that we provide to our members and
Granges. We’ve held meetings to develop
new revenue-generating ideas.
Some have worked…a little. Some
show promise, and some haven’t
been feasible. Still, we find ourselves
anxious that the National Grange may
be forced to choose between protecting
or serving our Granges because
of this issue. Our reserves are tapped
and it is an absolute necessity that we
generate new revenue to deal with
this problem. Our aggressive costcontainment
strategies and estimated
legal costs for trademark protection
are projected to be the largest single
monthly expenditures for the National
Grange, outside of payroll and building
maintenance, for the remainder of
this year.
We need you, our Grange members,
to understand that it is primarily your
Granges that use the Grange trademarks
in a commercial manner. And
with this name you are able to raise
money to support your halls, community
service projects, educational efforts,
and legislative programs. This
is not a request to help the National
Grange office. It’s a reminder that
our organization is national in scope,
but local in its impact.
Members need to pool their resources,
use their talents, and put their
heads together to develop financial
strategies that will help us finish this fight. This is a fight the National
Grange is pursuing on your behalf
but it is a fight that, if lost, will affect
how your Grange impacts the lives of
all those you touch.
How can YOU help?
State Granges:
If every community, pomona, and state Grange held a fundraiser for this purpose, or donated at least $100 to help during this difficult time we would be able to cover our costs and have enough money to cover costs as well as any unforeseen issues associated with this problem. Please consider donating to this worthy cause. Without your help, we stand no chance of success. |
Individuals:
If you are an individual please consider giving an extra years’ worth of dues directly to the National Grange. This fraternity knows from experience that the greatest success comes from grassroots efforts. If everyone plays their part we will, no doubt, be successful in our goal! |
Please send a check to:
National
Grange
ATTN: Amber Casey
1616 H St., NW
Washington, DC 20006
*Please indicate on the check that this
money is for trademark protection For more stories in this issue Click here for a FREE subscription! |
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National Grange President, Ed Luttrell |
What can we do about economic
uncertainty, the oil spill in the gulf,
runaway government spending,
and all the other challenges that
face us in America? How do we
deal with the immense flow of
information that seems to overwhelm
us on a daily basis?
Family, friends, and community
are the answer.
As individuals, we often seem to
be powerless against the huge
challenges that are before us.
One person can’t fix the economy,
the actions of one individual
will not stop the oil from escaping
from the sea floor, and one lone
voice will not slow the spending
of our government. However,
when people start to seek common
ground and work together
they can, and will, make their
community a better place to live.
Once that happens communities
can start to band together and
solve state-level problems and
the process continues onward to
our national government.
Organizations like ours are the
real community organizers. Unlike
other groups, the Grange doesn’t
depend on the government for
funding and we don’t presume to
speak for our members until they
have had the opportunity to be a
part of the discussion.
Since 1867, Granges have been
organized in tens of thousands of
communities. Fire departments,
FFA, co-ops, credit unions, ambulance
services, fairs, 4-H, and
so much more have been started
because people found they
had power together through the
Grange. Schools have been supported,
parks and other recreational
opportunities have been
started, and cemeteries maintained
due to the muscle of people
coming together through the
Grange.
That process continues to this
very day. We are an old organization
that is constantly renewed
and kept young by people who
add their ideas and voices to
their community as members.I’ve seen a lot of new Granges
formed over the past few years.
From New Hampshire to Alaska
to Arkansas, people are seeing
that there is power when you belong
to a grassroots organization
that allows the local members to
determine the direction of our organization.
So what can one person do about
the huge issues of the day? They
can join the Grange, get involved
as their time allows, and make a
difference in their community.
Membership is not about money
as ours is an inexpensive organization
to join. Most of the budget
of a local Grange comes from
fundraising rather than the voluntary
dues paid by members. This
is due to a focus on the family
and the knowledge that we must
be affordable to the entire family.
Grange membership is not about
everyone agreeing, it is about
different ideas and perspectives
being discussed in a friendly civil
fashion and each member learning
during that debate. It is about
the search for common issues
and solutions, not about total
agreement. The only issue we
are in agreement on is that our
debates and actions must be that
of honorable, moral people.
Many times over the past 143
years, our organization has rallied
the forces of our American
communities to change our nation.
History teaches us that individual
Americans can make a
difference; it is just that we must
work together through organizations
like the Grange to do it.
What can one person do? The
real question is what can stop a
group of people, a Grange, from
accomplishing anything?
For more stories in this issue Click here for a FREE subscription! |
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| Kuna Grange Celebrates 100 Years |
By Scott McIntosh,
Kuna Melba News Editor
 For sure, the Kuna Grange is
about history and agriculture.
But the main theme of the Kuna
Grange’s 100th anniversary celebration
on Saturday was the importance
of community and family
and the next 100 years.
“Realize how many organizations
have been formed in Idaho
in 100 years,” National Grange
Master Ed Luttrell told a gathering
of about 70 people Saturday
at the Kuna Grange Hall. “Why
has this organization survived
for 100 years? It all comes back
down to community. One-hundred forty-two years ago, the
Grange recognized the importance
of community.”
Organized in May 1910, the
Kuna Grange had 21 members
that year and became the largest
Grange in the state with 140
members by 1919. There were
100 members by 1960, with 31
members in the juvenile Grange.
The National Grange started in
1867 primarily as a fraternal organization
for farmers but is now
open to anyone and has expanded
its role as more of a community
civic organization.
 Tuesday, June 15, 2010 was the
annual PA State Grange Royalty
Tour. This year’s Royalty is: Junior
Prince and Princess, Zech
Houser (Centre County) and Jennifer
Reed (Susquehanna County);
Youth Ambassadors Jennifer
Nauss (Cumberland County) and Michael Snyder (Cumberland
County), and; Young Couple,
Dustin and Julie Kunkle (Berks
County).
The tour began with a light breakfast
at the PA State Grange
Headquarters in Lemoyne. They
proceeded to the Governor’s Mansion
for a tour before heading to
the capitol in Harrisburg where
they were first introduced on the
floor of the House of Representatives.
They then lunched in the
capitol cafeteria and headed to
the Senate chambers where they
were introduced by their individual
Senators. While waiting for a tour
of the capitol to begin, Sen. Mike
Brubaker, Chairman of the Senate
Agriculture Committee, took the
group onto the floor of the Senate
for pictures. After a tour of the
capitol, the Royalty spent the rest
of the day at Hershey Park.
For more stories in this issue Click here for a FREE subscription!
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By Molly Thompson, Program Assistant
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Babs Johnson |
There are countless stories of
Grangers who are lifelong members
born into second, third, and
fourth generation Grange families.
However, what we sometimes
fail to remember, is that
Grangers who have been members
for only a short time are
often just as passionate, if not
more, than lifelong members.
Babs Johnson, only a member
for 10 years, is a great example.
As a lifelong resident of Connecticut,
Babs Johnson was always
aware of the Grange. She had
seen Granges in and around her
town. But, after being widowed
in her early 40’s and left to raise
five young kids on her own, she
figured she did not have enough
time to join an organization. According
to Babs, “I was so busy
being a mother, and didn’t think
of myself as an agriculturist, that
the Grange just never crossed
my mind.”
However, when she retired in
2000, she made the move to
a small town in Maine, where
her next-door neighbor just
happened to be Noble Borow
Grange Hall. “When I moved
to Maine full time, the Grange
was having an antique show
and I happened to pick up a
pamphlet. I remember clearly
that the pamphlet had some information
about outreach to the
deaf community, which caught
my attention immediately because
I have a severely impaired
daughter,” she explained.
After her interest was piqued, it
was the welcoming nature of the
Grange members that solidified
her desire to become a member
of this organization. “Ernie
Newcombe, in particular, and all
of the members, really made it
sound welcoming and interesting
and it made me realize the
Grange is so many things to so
many people and that I definitely
wanted to join,” she explained.
Immediately upon becoming a
Granger, Babs jumped head
first into the Grange lifestyle.
A few months after joining, she
was elected to her first position
within the Grange – chaplain,
a position she has held ever
since. In addition to this position,
she served as the chair of
the deaf committee for as long
as it existed. In her decade with
the Grange, she has committed
herself to staying involved
and doing all that is possible to
educate her community about
the Grange. She played an active role in hosting Noble Borow
Grange’s renowned “Soup and
Pie Supper,” which drew hundreds
of people from surrounding
communities, whose proceeds
often benefitted these
same communities.
Babs is extremely proud of the
connection her Grange has
with the community and hopes
it continues that way. “Our hall
has served as a community
center, hosting forums, local
performers, dinners, and so
much more. I can’t tell you how
many calls I’ve had calls from
surrounding communities to
use the hall because it is such
an integral part of our community.
I am dedicated to keeping
the building for the use of the
community.” In fact, she cannot
imagine her life without the
Grange. “The Grange has been
a very wonderful neighbor and
my experience has been one of
loving, interesting, hardworking,
and caring people. Once I was
in, there was no way you were
going to get me out. I’m here ‘til
the end,” she exclaimed. It just
goes to show, you don’t have to
be a lifetime Granger, to dedicate
your life to the Grange.
| New Junior Granger in the Spotlight |
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Charlotte Anne Wolf |
While most of us are planning for
the 144th Annual Convention in
Charlotte, NC, the national office
is celebrating a different Charlotte.
New baby Granger, Charlotte
Anne Wolff is the daughter
of previous Communications Director
Jennifer (Dugent) Wolff,
and husband Jeffrey Wolff. Baby Charlotte was born on May 14th
at 5:01 pm in Fairfax, Virginia
and weighed 6 lbs. and 12 oz.
Jen juggles being a new mom
with some graphic design work
she still does for the National
Grange and we are delighted to
welcome this new member to our
Grange family.
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