Junior Grange Newsletter

June/July/August 2009
National Junior Grange Newsletter
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Junior Grange Goes Green

Now is the time to get your Juniors outside and enjoying the great outdoors. In this newsletter we are introducing two new programs to help you do just that.

For many years the Grange had worked with the National Junior Horticultural Association, and over the last several years we have lost our connection. So we are ready to join forces again and recommit ourselves to working together again. The National Junior Horticultural Association has many great program opportunities that may interest your Juniors.

The National Grange has also teamed up with the America the Beautiful fund to offer seeds for just the price of shipping to encourage groups to get out and plant a garden or to beautify the neighborhood with flowers.

Junior Grange Camps

I know that many of you have Junior Grange camps each year. Please remember to request your certificates and special gifts for each camp member that participates in the “No Child Left Inside program.” Check your program book or go online for more details. Just allow two weeks for arrival. And best of all they are free!! What a deal.

NJHA and Junior Grange

The NJHA program emphasizes the importance of horticulture to everyone for horticulture is a science, an art, a profession, a business, an industry, a way of life, a hobby and therapy for millions of people Specific purposes of NJHA are:

To promote and sponsor an educational program of youth projects and activities which relate to a better understanding of horticulture.
To develop good citizens with a basic understanding of nature and an acceptance of responsibility for the environment in which they live.
To acquaint youth with the many and varied career opportunities, vocational and professional, available in the horticultural industry.

To provide young people and their adult leaders with new experiences in group participation, cooperation and leadership.

NJHA’ S “approach” is to work through and with (1) existing programs extension service, 4-H, vocational horticulture and agriculture, FFA, Scouts, Camp Fire, school horticulture or other school curriculums, organizational or fraternal youth programs, and youth gardening groups or programs: and (2) independent youth who participate directly in NJHA.

Horticultural Projects for Junior Grange Members and Grange Youth.

Junior Grange members, ages 5 to 14, and Grange youth, ages 15 to 22, are eligible to participate in the awards and recognition programs of NJHA. The program provides horticultural projects and contests offering individual, group and team competition at county, state and national levels.

Many young Grange members have participated in NJHA projects in past years. Current promotion represents a special effort to increase enrollment in NJHA projects; also, to encourage horticulturally interested young people to join the Grange.

Junior Grange leaders and Grange youth leaders are urged to make the NJHA projects and contests available to their young Grange members. Grange Lecturers will find program possibilities through these activities. Also, Grange community service committees can earn credit through assistance and financial support for NJHA related projects and contests and sponsorship sending individuals and teams to competitions.

Junior Grange members are eligible to participate in NJHA Young America contests in gardening, plant propagation, environmental awareness, experimental horticulture and garden week posters.

America the Beautiful Program

National Grange is happy to announce our partnership with the America the Beautiful Fund, which will allow Granges to participate in their seed program. Local Granges can get 100 packets of vegetable, flower or herb packets for free only paying $14.95 for shipping and handling. This program’s main goal is benefitting the community, whether it is teaching local school children about growing a garden or growing a vegetable garden to help the local food bank or to fundraise by selling the crops or flowers resulting from the seeds.

How can this benefit your local Junior Grange?
It will allow you to grow your own community garden, have fresh vegetables for your fundraising dinners, fresh flowers at your Grange meetings, give children the chance to learn about gardening, create gardens at a local park, Grange Hall, or a nursing center, and anything else your Grange can dream up.

How do I get started?
All you need to do is write a short letter describing what you will do with the seeds and fill out the application form America the Beautiful Fund. So far this program has saved more than 800 tons of seeds and 7 million flower bulbs from going to waste in landfills and has grown 1.75 billion pounds of food for the hungry. Please use the flyer in the center of this newsletter to order your seeds.

ORDER YOUR SEEDS NOW!