814-L«nc«ster Farming, Saturday, November 7, 1998
Pa. State Grange Honors Members’ Achievements
MEADVILLE (Crawford
Co.) Jennifer Viscusi was
named Pennsylvania State Gran
ger of the Year last week during
awards ceremonies held in con
junction with the 126th annual
Pennsylvania State Grange con
vention, held in Crawford County.
Viscusi received the highest
honor bestowed a Grange member
during the Grange annual banquet,
held at the Saint Phillips Social
Center.
A member of Wesley N 0.1675,
Viscusi has been an active member
since she was S, and first joined the
Junior Grange.
Her family has been active in
Grange for years, and in receiving
the award, she has repeated a fami
ly accomplishment one her
mother, Carol McCullon, accom
plished 21 years ago.
Mother and daughter expressed
their sentiments on the event.
“I feel very lucky that she has
followed and has done the same
things I have done,” McCullon
National Grange Ceres Jamie Klenklen pins the Super
Junior Granger Award onto the jacket of Nicole Blair.
From the left, Pa. State Grange Master William Steel pre
sents the Junior Grange Leader of the Year Award to Jane
Reppert.
said about daughter Viscusi.
“She is the fourth gcneraton of
McCullons to be Grange members,
and she'll tell you that it is because
of the Grange that she is involved
in the things she is involved in."
With her subordinate Grange,
Viscusi currently serves as lectur
er, and chairman of the Grange
Women’s Activities Committee.
She has also served as Pomona
lady assitant steward; chairman of
the LAS Youth and Deaf Commit
tee, as well as the Pomona Com
mittee; and served with the state
Grange Lecturer’s and 125th
anniversary committees.
“Not only is family the most
important thing about the Grange
to me,” Viscusi said, “but Grange
is about my ‘extended’ family as
well.
“I have more ‘grandmothers’
and ‘grandfathers’ and every one
of them is important to me."
Viscusi’s work with the Deaf
Activities Department has perhaps
had the biggest impact on others’
lives.
Her mother stud, “She volun
teers her time to teach deaf signing
classes at the local YMCA and to
several local children who have
expressed an interest in sign lan
guage after seeing her present sign
language programs at elementary
schools. She also works with
Grange members in our county to
teach them sign language."
According to Viscusi, “When I
go into a (hearing) shcool and see
the smiles on their faces as they
learn sign language, it is really
great. But, when I go back to see
them and work them again, lhafs
what really makes it worth it”
The Pennsylvania Slate Grange
presented several awards to its
members during its annual
convention.
Members of the Grange took a
break away from the covenlion
business to honor those who have
performed outstanding communi
ty service, or won departmental
contests.
Awards were presented for
achievement in contests sponsored
by the Grange Women’s Activities
Department and in the Grange
Youth Department
All of the top awards are pre
sented to those Grange leaders
whose local or county Grange has
excelled in competition with other
Granges.
In the Women’s Activities
Department, that sponors various
contests involving members mak
ing items to be donated to charit
able organizations, it was
announced that more than 6,400
stuffed toys had been made and
distributed to area charities,
domestic abuse shelters, hospitals
and ambulance services.
The toys are given to help calm
children who have suffered a
traumatic experience.
More than 1,000 ABC quilts for
at-risk children were also brought
to the convention and turned over
to local charitable organizations.
“I don’t know what makes some
of (the members) do all of that,”
Becky Michalka, state Women’s
Activities director said, “but it
would be nice if we could find out
what it is and bottle it.”
The awards for the top toy
making Granges are awarded
according to membership level of
the Grange.
Among those Granges with few
er than 100 members, Joyce Ross
accepted the award on behalf of
Lakeland Grange N 0.2095. The
Grange made 1,646 toys.
Among those Granges with
from 100 to 199 members, Betty
Yeager accepted the award on
behalf of Kutztown Grange
No. 1836. The members submitted
540 toys.
Among those Granges with 200
or more members, Eleanor Hill,
director of Virginville Grange
No. 1832, accepted the award rec
ognizing its members’ contribu
tion of 800 toys.
In the Youth Department
awards, Carol Kushman of the
Lawrence County Pomona Grange
No.6S was named Pomona Youth
Chairperson of the Year.
Cindy Leibensperger of Pioneer
Grange No. 1777 was named Sub
ordinate Grange Youth Director of
the Year. It is the fifth consecutive
year that a director from Pioneer
Grange has been named director of
the year.
Leibensperger said the Pioneer
Grange youth arc very active.
Women’s Activities
Awards
Jennifer Viscusi is named the 1998 Pa. State Grange
Granger of the Year.
From the left, Spirit of the Grange awards are presented
to Isabelle Myers, James Wertz, and Brian Ebersole.
assisting Grange committees,
helping with plans for the Annual
Berks County Grange picnic, and
assisting wherever needed.
In other youth awards, the
Junior Department recognizes out
standing service by members.
Junior Grange members are aged
5-14 years.
Jane Reppert, leader of Virgin
ville Junior Grange N 0.1832, was
named Junior Grange Leader of
the Year.
The award is presented to the
leader whose junior members have
excelled during the past year.
Among the achievements noted,
the Virginville junior members
placed first in the state in commun
ity service, first in the “Our Earth
Needs You” program, and were
name recepeints of the State
Grange Achievement Award.
Public Speaking
Sign-A-Song
The Pennsylvania State Grange
also offers public speaking and its
Sign-A-Song competitions during
its annual conventions.
According to one of the judges,
Jim Stickler, an Allegheny Col
lege communications and arts
teacher, said, “I was really sur
prised at the quality of the public
speaking performances. They
were all good.
“The most difficult part was
determining which one of the good
ones was best. Their poise was
exceptionally good."
In the public speaking competi
tion, in the 14- to 19-ycar-old age
division, Brian Farkas of Fairview
Grange in Beaver County was first
place. His talk was “The Lesser
Known Presidents of the United
States."
- Adam Britcher of Community
Grange in Perry County was sec
ond in that age division.
In the 20- to 29-ycar-old age
division, Stacy Ebetsole with the
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