Local Grange member attends National Grange Convention

National Grange Patrons of Husbandry chose Local High Desert Grange member Lorri Freeman to attend this year’s annual National Grange convention in Bloomington, Minn., from Nov. 1-10.

Accompanying Freeman was Sharon Bower, vice president of the recently formed Silver Sage Grange in Winnemucca.

It’s no small feat to be a chosen attendee. In addition to filling out an application, Freeman submitted a letter of Interest, an essay on the relevance of the Grange in today’s world, a Canva flyer she created for a made-up event and a social media post about something of interest she discovered in the National Grange manual.

Her efforts netted her a Fellows scholarship that paid for most expenses during her stay. A Fellow is one who learns about professional development rather than work experience.

Freeman’s interest in the Grange led her to the scholarship.

“I was hoping to learn more about the Grange, to gain knowledge that I could use in my family life, my career, my community, and my Grange,” she said. “The Grange has changed mine and my family’s lives forever. The enrichment and opportunities they offer are far beyond any organization I have ever been a part of.

“Because it’s for families, we learn and experience things together. My children are who they are today because of the Grange. We are a family of six, but the Grange is an even bigger family with love, support, and dedication to better our community one day and one family at a time.”

Freeman said the workshop that impacted her the most was led by Todd Zimmermann, author of “Oliver the Ornament.” Zimmerman is partnering with the National Grange to help raise funds for the National Junior Grange scholarship program.

Freeman’s impression of the convention is one of vast opportunity. She saw first-hand that there are hundreds of people who will share what service activities their community Grange is involved in. She wants to bring the many ideas shared with her to our fast-growing local Grange so that other families in Churchill County can experience what our High Desert Grange offers.

For information on the High Desert Grange and the Oliver the Ornament program, contact http://www.grange.org/highdesertnv22/.