812-Lancaater Farming, Saturday, April 8, 2000
a. State Grange Couple Repay ‘Debt’
p
GETTYSBURG (Adams Co.) -
There are many important reasons
why Michael and Janet Pratt feel
indebted to the Pennsylvania State
Grange
If it hadn’t been for the
Grange, they most likely would
never have met, got married, had a
family, and enjoy their lives as
husband and wife.
It’s little wonder that they
would seek to be elected as the
2000-01 Young Couple during the
recent Youth/Young Mameds
Conference here. As the newly
elected Young Couple, the Pratts
of Polk, Mercer County, will rep
resent the youth department ai
local, state and national Grange
functions.
They will travel to Leadership
School, the state convention in
Carlisle and the National Grange
Convention in Fresno, California,
this tall, and the Pennsylvania
Farm Show as well as visit local
Grange meetings to discuss the
youth program
“The Grange has given us so
much over the years, and we
wanted to give something back to
this wonderful organization,”
Michael said. “We are proud to be
part of an ongoing organization
like the Grange because there are
many good things being accom
plished by its members.”
The Pratts should know about
those good works
They currently serve as the
State Grange’s Community
Service chairpersons and have
filled numerous offices at the
Subordinate (local) and Pomona
(county) Granges. Mike, who is a
regional manager for Agway m
western Pennsylvania and eastern
Ohio, is subordinate master of
Millcreek Grange #l6Ol.
Janet, who works part-time as
an accountant for Agway and is a
full-time mother to their children,
Hannah, 7, and Daniel, 4, is chair
man of the finance committee at
Millcreek Grange.
“No matter where we have
gone in our lives, when we found
a Grange in a new town, we
always felt like we were at home,”
Janet said. “Grange members are
family to us.”
Although neither elected to
reveal their current ages, they did
say that they first met at the age
of 15 at Youth Camp m
Huntingdon County. Although
Janet Lived in Allegheny County
and Michael in Bradford County,
they kept in touch during the fol
lowing year.
As time passes and the long
distance relationship continued to
grow, they went off to separate
colleges (Michael to Penn State
and Janet to Robert Morris) and
even dated other people. Still, dur
ing the seven years of their
courtship, neither distance or
other people could keep them
from being together.
“In 1987 I graduated from col
lege, got a job with Agway in June
and was married in July,” Michael
recalled.
During those hectic collegiate
years, they never severed their ties
with the Grange either.
“We never stopped being
active,” Janet said. “After we got
married and had to move around
for work, we knew that if we
Janet and Michael Pratt connect happiness with Grange
activities. They relate how Grange involvement has influ
enced many aspects of their lives, including their mar
riage.
found a Grange, that we would
always remain involved.”
“The Grange has given us so
much and we were raised m it, so
we wanted to remain involved,”
Michael said. “Besides, we had
many friends and have had many
good times in the Grange and
there was no way we could turn
our backs on it ”
Now, as directors of the
statewide Community Service
program, the Pratts look for ways
to bring the various departments
together.
“It is in the best interest of and
the most benefit to the Grange to
have the departments work
together,” Michael said. “Being
Young Couple is another part of
that equation of bringing what we
do as individual departments
together for the collective good of
the Grange.”
Outside the Grange, both are
very active m Harrisville United
Methodist Church. Janet is on the
education and choir committees,
Brain Research
TOWANDA (Bradford Co.) -
“What Brain Research Tells Us
About Infant Care” is the topic
of an upcoming workshop for
child care providers. Sponsored
by Penn State Cooperative
Extension in Bradford County,
the workshop will be held on
Thursday, April 6, for 7:00 to
9:00 p.m. at the Extension
Office, Bradford County Annex,
701 South Fourth Street,
Towanda.
Anyone who cares for other
people’s children is invited to
attend this free informational
program. Interested parents and
grandparents are also welcome
to attend.
This workshop will focus on
how child care providers can
stimulate brain development in
infants. In the past it was felt
that brain development was
genetically determined.
However, the newer research
shows that development is an
sings in the choir and is director
of the children’s choir while
Michael serves as a trustee. The
Pratts are also lay speakers for the
church.
The runner-up couple at the
Youth Department Spring Retreat
was Eric and Tina Blatt of
Shoemakersville, Berks County.
The Blatts would fill the remain
der of the Pratts’ term if they
become unable to fulfill their
obligations.
The Pennsylvania State
Grange Youth Department, for
members ages 14-35, places an
emphasis on education, leadership
development, fellowship and fun.
The Pennsylvania State
Grange is an agricultural, rural
and community service organiza
tion with over 30,000 members in
66 counties. The Grange is dedi
cated to improving life in a rural
Pennsylvania through grass-roots
legislation, performing communi
ty service work and offering
member services including health
insurance and a credit union.
interplay between a person’s
genes and the experiences they
have. Early experiences have
been shown to have a large
impact on how the brain is
wired. In fact, by the age of
three, children’s brains are
twice as active as those of
adults.
Participants in the workshop
will learn ways to make caring
routines a valuable experience
for infants, how care practices
change with the age of the child,
and effective ways to communi
cate with infants both verbally
and non-verbally. The workshop
will be telecast live via satellite
from Penn State University
throughout the U.S.
All workshop participants
will receive a certificate of atten
dance. Licensed child care
providers who attend will
receive credit for two training
hours.
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