William Bogardus is a very committed person. He makes sure things get done and done well. Something to admire about him is his great personality and how truly kind he is to everyone he meets. William is my grandfather, and at home he goes by Popie and some of his friends call him Bill. He is originally from Cannon, New Hampshire, and he was raised mostly here in Vermont. William is not the first in the family to volunteer. His sister volunteers to work in flower gardens weekly and his brother volunteers with a senior group over in Idaho. William has great examples of volunteers in his family that he can look up to.
William is a current member to an organization called Grange. When Grange had first started it was originally farmers who would gather together and organize lots of things. Today there are about one hundred Grange organizations within the state of Vermont. Grange is a national organization that is a big part of volunteering and community service; they're always getting involved in a variety of different events. A majority of the people that are helped by the Grange organization are the children in hospitals.
Grange's goal is to have their members do as much community service and volunteering as they can. Grange accepts people of all ages to join. Once you've joined Grange you are required to pay a fee of twenty-five dollars a year in order to remain a member. The money that members pay each year goes toward the organization of your state. In my grandfather's Grange here in Vermont, there are just about forty- two members so far and they meet on the second and third Friday of each month.
Overall each year my grandfather volunteers and participates in five or more community events. Every year here in Essex there is an annual block party for the community. He along with other members of his group, make and sell fried dough to raise money. My grandfather each year distributes dictionaries to the Summit Street Elementary School and the Hiawatha Elementary School for every single third grade student. Over at our Champlain Valley Fairgrounds, here in Essex Junction, my grandfather and members of his group have a stand set up welcoming people to come and ask them any questions about Grange if they're interested. In my grandfather's Grange they're always participating in the Ronald McDonald House charities. This year it has been sixty-five years that my grandfather has been a member of the Grange organization, and he is still a current member!
It was during the time that my grandfather was working for Toys R Us that he had discovered his interests for becoming a volunteer. Working at Toys R Us "gives you inspiration by doing things like helping people out, working together with others, and meeting new people each day. It keeps your body and mind perfected," he told me.
Page created on 7/30/2014 4:34:30 PM
Last edited 7/30/2014 4:34:30 PM
