The United States Census Bureau reports that as of July 17, 2009 the American population was at more than 306 million people, each person connected through the circle of family. Globally more than 6.7 billion people live in the world. The numbers are staggering.
Keeping Families Strong
Anyone who has attempted to trace their family genealogy knows how challenging it can be to locate distant relatives who have fallen out of touch with kin over the years. Regular annual reunions can diminish this gap in family and keep the unit strong.
Pulling a memorable family reunion together is similar to coordinating a ten year high school class reunion. Keep in mind that this is more than a backyard barbecue. Organization, leadership and balanced participation throughout the planning and preparation processes are keys to the success of the gathering.
Build a Family Reunion Organization Team
Build a team to organize and coordinate reunion logistics. Assign two people to design and send out family reunion invitations. These people will also collect RSVPs and maintain a count of how many relatives, in-laws, fiancés and friends are coming to the reunion. Include three options for a reunion location on the invitation.
Perhaps family members will enjoy going to Disney World this year. Skiing in the Poconos in February might be in order, or maybe visiting Arizona, with its golf courses, canyons, shopping centers and outdoor nature hikes is a perfect fit. Consider using the Internet to distribute and retrieve invitation responses.
Create a weekly newsletter and a website to keep relatives apprised of the status of the gathering. Let everyone know the location of the number one voted on spot where this year’s reunion will be held. Next year consider holding the reunion at the second most voted on spot. Each year change the location of the reunion to keep folks curious, interested and excited.
Organize a Successful and Memorable Gathering
Include old and new photos of different relatives in each newsletter. Highlight birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, relocations, job and artistic successes. Post Twitter, MySpace, website URLs and email addresses of relatives in the newsletter. This will keep family members connected throughout the year. After all, one of the main purposes of a reunion is to strengthen the family unit by remaining connected year round.
Work with t-shirt vendors like American T-Shirt, Left Coast T-Shirt Company and Hidden Treasures to design logos and print shirts for the reunion. To cover the cost of printing the t-shirts, ask relatives to pay a minimal price for each shirt that they order.
Assign two more people to secure hotel reservations at group rates. Although each relative can call the hotel and make their own reservations, the overall cost for the rooms will drop significantly if the rooms are secured in blocks.
For example, the Hyatt Regency offers 50% off a second room when a family stay is booked. Depending on the size of the group staying at their hotels, the Marriott offers up to 100,000 reward points and food and beverage discounts for group reservations.
Celebrate During the Reunion
Add a down-home feel to the reunion by assigning chefs and culinary experts in the family to cook up their specialty foods. On the last day of the reunion, hold a feast. Allow artists, comedians and entertainers in the family to take center stage and share their talents with the rest of the family. Spend the day reliving good memories and having fun.
Greet relatives as they arrive to the gathering. Make good use of three to four camcorders and cameras. Take lots of videos and pictures to share with relatives at the end of the reunion. Thank everyone for coming to the reunion. Upload photos onto the family website and include them in the next newsletter.
To fill the gathering with one successful event after another, allow six to nine months to prepare for a family reunion. This way one to three hours a week will be the most time required to organize a memorable get-together.
Build a team of co-ordinators to create and distribute a newsletter, build a website, receive RSVPs and keep an accurate count of relatives who have expressed that they will attend the reunion. Pick a great location for the reunion. Check with local t-shirt vendors to design and print t-shirts for relatives. Enjoy good home cooking and have lots of fun.
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