| February 1, 2021 -- To start off this February article
I was saddened to hear the passing of Connecticut State Grange Past Master Russell M. Gray. Brother Gray was Master and Past Voting Delegate to the National Grange from 1998 to 2002. He was a member of Ekonk Community Grange #89 in which he has held many offices including Master. I had the honor to serve as Pomona Deputy for Mountain County Pomona during his term as State Master. Brother Gray will surely be missed.
As I am writing this report in the middle of January, it seems like the COVID-19 infection numbers continue to rise. It seems like this pandemic will be with us for a while longer. Some of the other Granges that were meeting in person have gone back to virtual meetings and some of our smaller Granges are meeting in small groups, practicing social distancing and wearing their face masks. So, if you were still meeting in person, be careful and don’t let your guard down. I encourage the three Pomona Granges to plan on meeting virtually in March as we should try to keep our Pomona Grange active.
As this pandemic continues to keep our Grangers from holding fundraisers and the bills keep coming in, the Executive Committee held a special meeting to devise a plan to help Granges that are in need. The State Grange is offering a 12 month, 0% interest loan/grant program of $1,000 to Granges that own halls. If the State of Connecticut has not eased the COVID-19 restrictions by
July 1, the State Board of Directors will look into changing it from a loan to a grant. A certified letter has been sent out to all the Granges who own halls. If you need help, please apply.
The Northeast Connection met in the middle of January and decided to cancel the 2021 Northeast Leaders’ Conference. The committee will try to schedule one for next year, 2022. The National Masters’ Conference, which was scheduled for February
12 through the 14th, was also canceled. No decision has been made as to whether or not it will be a Zoom Conference or rescheduled to a later date.
As we are coming up on a full year of this pandemic let’s all try to be safe, healthy and remember to wear your mask and wash your hands.
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