Melody Falker (20) of Pittsford was named National Junior Grange Mentor Of The Year at the 2023 National Grange Convention in Niagara Falls. She is a graduate of Otter Valley Union High School and Stafford Technical Center and is currently pursuing two bachelor’s degrees at Colby-Sawyer College in Child Psychology and Early Education.
The Mentor of the Year Award is granted to one Grange member from across the country who has gone above and beyond to work with Junior Grange members and foster the Junior Grange program.
Melody was honored for her volunteer work as Junior Grange Camp Director, an overnight camp for children ages 5-17 at the Grange Center in Brookfield, VT. This was Melody’s first year as Junior Grange Camp Director and the week of camp turned out to be one of the most extreme weather weeks in Vermont’s history. The Governor issued a State of Emergency and a travel ban. There was flooding, thunder & lightning, roads washed out, power outages, and even a tornado warning.
Melody ensured the safety of the campers and counselors and kept everyone calm. She was innovative and amended the schedule of activities to accommodate the weather and cancelation of guest presenters.
“Melody was selected for this award because she demonstrated one of the key tenets of the Grange, which is perseverance,” said National Grange Junior and Youth Director Samantha Wilkins. “It’s especially enlightening to see a youth-aged member being such a strong leader for our Juniors, to see that she’s willing and able to be adaptable to situations outside of her control. The future of the Grange is strong because of leaders like Melody.”
Melody is a 5th-generation Granger and a member of Marble Valley Grange in Pittsford.
“It was harder than I thought it was going to be,” she said of her camp experience. “But I was prepared and persevered. When the lawn of the camp flooded into a shallow pond, I set up a long tarp to slide into the pond, which the kids loved! Hopefully the weather will be better next year. But if it snows in July, we’ll make snowmen!”
The Grange is America’s oldest national agricultural organization, founded in 1867, and focuses on the needs of rural communities. Marble Valley Grange meets at 2pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at the Maclure Library in Pittsford. All are welcome to attend.
