Sue Roy Elected to Lead Ohio State Grange

The Ohio State Grange is pleased to announce Sue Roy has been elected Master of their statewide organization. A member of the Blendon Grange #708 since 1981, Roy has held leadership positions within her local Grange and the Ohio State Grange, previously serving as the Government Relations Director.

As president, Roy will oversee the day to day operations of the organization and its many public service efforts including supplying local foodbanks, providing care packages for troops based overseas, offering summer camps for Ohio children and awarding college scholarships.

The Grange is also pleased to announce that Margaret Ann Ruhl, a Knox County resident and former state representative for Ohio’s 68th District, will lead the Ohio State Grange’s government relations efforts. The Grange focuses on core issues that impact the lives of its membership, including infrastructure, conservation and energy, the economy, immigration, and healthcare.

The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, or The Grange, is the first nationwide farm organization in the United States. Women have been equal members since the inception of the Grange. It is the first national organization to give full voice and vote to women - 50 years before Congress adopted the same rights. Since then, the National Grange’s non-partisan grassroots efforts have ensured that the average citizen is fully represented in public policy dialogue. The foundation of the organization is the Community Grange, which is now found in rural, suburban and urban communities.

“I am eager to continue Ohio State Grange’s efforts to add the voice of all Ohioans to important issues that impact us including trade, healthcare and immigration,” Roy said. “Our mission is to strengthen our communities, our state and our nation, and I am excited to work with our members to make a difference.”

Roy and her husband Bruce have owned and operated their own small-business, Old Barn Flowers, located in Westerville, Ohio, since 2006. In addition, she has worked as an educator in schools throughout central Ohio. Roy has been engaged in a variety of ways in her community including displaying her flower arrangements for Columbus Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser, Arts in Bloom, and serving on the Westerville Restoration Review Board.

The Grange, founded in 1867, is a nonprofit, non-partisan, fraternal organization that advocates for rural America and agriculture. With a strong history in grassroots activism, family values and community service, the Grange is recognized as America’s number one rural family organization. There are nearly 150,000 members in 2000 local community Granges. It is the oldest agricultural and rural organization of its kind in the United States.

To learn more about the Ohio State Grange, their programs, or to find your nearest Grange, please visit their website at http://www.ohiostategrange.org/Home_Page.php.