Submitted by: Claire Lucke, 2/24/13
Happy New Year! 2012 was a busy year here at Swauk-Teanaway Grange. Our Grange Hall has been the site of meetings for Boy Scouts, Hunter Safety Classes, and 4-H. A local theater group put on a play at the hall in May. Two $1,000 scholarships were awarded to high school seniors this year. Our Grange is home to a local bluegrass jam and a square dance club. Monthly potluck events bring our community together and provide entertainment for all ages. Our Candidate Forums provide a way for voters to make informed decisions. Seven weddings were held at our hall in 2012, providing a beautiful setting for these young people as they begin their lives together. At our October business meeting, we voted to use money from the raffle sales at the Hunters Breakfast to provide Christmas gifts for needy upper county children through the Giving Tree program. Additional donations more than doubled those funds, which, so we were able to provide Christmas gifts for 15 children, making their Christmas a lot brighter. Auxiliary members did the shopping and wrapping, and the gifts were taken to the Cle Elum Sterling Savings Bank the week before Christmas. We were also able to assist a local family struggling with medical and financial challenges with a grocery gift card. Without your help, we could not accomplish all of these good things. Thank you to Donna Carollo for organizing this outreach project. 2013 will bring even more opportunities for our Grange to shine!