3 receive Champion of Rural America Award from National Grange
On its 151st Birthday, Dec. 4, 2018, the National Grange presented a gift in the form of the Champion of Rural America Awards during a reception at the organization’s historic headquarters near the White House on Tuesday evening to three deserving recipients.
The award was presented to Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the National Rural Health Association, the first organization to receive the honor.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE 2018 AWARD PRESENTATION
“This award is not just something to put in a case. The selection of our recipients is taken very seriously,” National Grange President Betsy Huber said. “After 151 years of nonpartisan work on behalf of America’s farmers, ranchers and rural residents, we make sure those honored with this are true champions of our members yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
Huber said the criteria for the award was established in line with the grassroots organization’s priorities and values.
“Our recipients are expected to show a clear understanding of the importance of agriculture in our economy and as part of our national security; they fight to ensure equitable access for rural Americans in relation to business, healthcare, educational and other opportunities; they place a value on doing the right thing and serve the public above any political party, and they consistently work across the aisle, placing an emphasis on bipartisanship in their legislative work or advocacy,” Huber said. “But also, we expect that each recipient show perseverance in the fight for rural Americans and embody our core values of faith, hope, charity and fidelity and live by our motto: in essentials, unity; in nonessentials liberty; in all things, charity.”
With this in mind, Huber said she believes each of the 2018 awardees are more than appropriate.
“Chairman Pai has been devoted to the cause of expanding broadband into rural America since his appointment as chairman of the FCC,” Huber said. “As an organization, and individually, we have been very impressed by his continual focus on this goal and the many regulatory changes he has initiated to accomplish the goal of equality of access for all areas of our country.”
Pai, who grew up in Kansas, has made the expansion of affordable rural broadband a cornerstone of his work at the FCC, noting that without equitable access, rural communities will suffer in deep and various ways.
“My number one priority at the FCC is to bridge the digital divide—the gap between Americans who have access to the Internet and advanced technologies and those who don’t. That’s because the Internet is increasingly critical in our daily lives,” Pai said. “I’ve seen this for myself in my travels across the country, especially in rural areas, and that’s why the FCC has taken aggressive action to extend Internet access. Every American deserves to have access to digital opportunity. Having grown up in rural America, I will continue to be a strong advocate for rural America.”
Additionally, like one of the four 2017 recipients, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MN), this year’s honoree Senator Roberts continues to champion agriculture and work with legislators and advocates of all stripes to get the best deal for America’s farmers, ranchers and rural residents as possible with the Farm Bill and other legislation, as he has for just over 20 years.
“Senator Roberts has proven himself to be a champion in so many areas to benefit rural Americans – housing, nutrition, broadband deployment, emergency disaster response, energy, transportation and care for rural seniors,” Huber said. “We are honored to recognize him with our Champion of Rural America Award.”
“It is an honor to receive the Champion of Rural America Award today from the National Grange, a true partner in government that has always given me sound advice and counsel,” Roberts said. “Every day I work to preserve and protect our rural way of life whether the challenge is health care, housing, broadband, transportation or in agriculture. You can continue to count on me to lead the fight for rural America’s needs in Washington.”
Huber said that while those at the top rungs of government who have received the award have done much for rural residents, a lot of the work to “bring the horse to water” is done by respected groups with a history of leadership in areas that matter most to rural Americans.
Such is the case with National Rural Health Association, Huber said.
“National Rural Health Association has been an advocate to help rural citizens build, maintain, and improve the institutions that can meet their health care needs,” Huber said. “We value their work in providing relevant and timely information through workshops, technical assistance, and best practices to all people who care about the health of rural America.”
Alan Morgan, CEO of NRHA, was on hand at the reception, hosted by the affiliated Grange Advocacy, to receive the award.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by the National Grange as a Rural Champion,” Morgan said. “We have enjoyed the close partnership and collaboration with the National Grange when advocating for rural communities. It is important for rural America to have a strong voice at the national level, as well as champions who are working together to make rural America great and share stories of rural success.”
Morgan said the Grange and NRHA are up for the challenge of providing a view of rural needs and potential solutions to the newest Congress set to begin work in January.
“As we move into the 116th Congress, nothing matters more for rural advocates than educating new Members of Congress and reaffirming the support of returning Members. Though Congress may be divided, rural health is an issue that provides opportunities for bipartisanship. With the support of NRHA’s members, who will be joining us in Washington this February for our 30th Rural Health Policy Institute, we believe we can secure policies next year that create opportunities for innovation and stabilization for rural providers,” Morgan said.
The inaugural awards were presented to Senator Stabenow as well as Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Collin Petersen and Rep. Greg Walden on Dec. 4, 2017, the 150th birthday of the fraternal organization founded to bring America back together after the Civil War by uniting farm families in service, social life and advocacy.