Our Motto
family reunions are more than just a picnic.
We believe reunions have the power to nourish and strengthen families of all races and ethnicities. Reunions can encourage healthy extended family relationships, provide a sense of belonging, restore family pride, nurture and respect all generations, and impart wisdom, knowledge and a shared purpose. Our goal is to strengthen, inspire and support family reunion planning; share useful information and resources; and advocate for the teaching of family and reunion history, values and experiences.
Planning a family reunion? Click below for tips on:
- WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW
- GET ORGANIZED
- COUNTDOWN / TIMELINE
- REUNION ACTIVITIES
- SUZANNE & DOUG'S FIX FOR 1ST TIME PLANNERS
- SWEET TIPS FOR FAMILY REUNION PLANNERS
STICKY REUNION SITUATION
keeping up the excitement...
Our family was really hoping to have a reunion this year. We scaled things back to a one-day picnic, but it was cancelled because family members were worried about too many people attending, (over 100 responded). We’re hopeful for next year. In the meantime, how do we keep family members hopes up? How can we create excitement for 2022 when there’s so much uncertainty about being safe?
No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH 2021
PREPARED NOT SCARED...
National Preparedness Month is recognized each September to promote family and community disaster and emergency planning now and throughout the year. This year’s theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love”, and the weekly themes are as follows:
Week 1: Sept 1-4 Make A Plan
Week 2: Sept 5-11 Build A Kit
Week 3: Sept 12-18 Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness
Week 4: Sept 19-25 Teach Youth About Preparedness
For more information visit - https://www.ready.gov/september
practical family reunion planning
practical family reunion planning
practical family reunion planning
If your reunion was postponed again this year, don’t lose sight on why your family got together in the first place—or hope that you’ll be back together soon.
Your family reunion isn’t just a day to get together, have fun and picnic (although every successful reunion includes all three). Reunions help keep our family bonds strong, tight and growing. They help keep family ties intact. They ensure family preservation of immediate and extended family members. And, they reveal a variety of generational support systems.
Your family reunion is a place to:
- Recognize family members and celebrate their accomplishments.
- Restore disconnections and broken relationships.
- Provide bonding, support and learning around your family history, DNA, related health issues,
- differences and similarities.
- Discover common links shared with ancestors and current relatives.
- Plant seeds for future togetherness and continued reunions.
Put extra effort into making sure your reunion continues face-to-face, the minute your family members feel safe enough to make it happen. And in the meantime, meet by Zoom (or a comparable option) so you can still make a connection, see one another, and get a feeling of how everyone is doing. And don’t forget to take pictures and find a common place to share them for viewing by the family today, tomorrow and in the future.
REUNION TIP OF THE MONTH
practical family reunion planning
practical family reunion planning
For September we have several reunion tips for you.
1. Ancestor Appreciation Day is observed on September 27th, giving us a chance to reflect on their lives and how they influenced ours. Interview your elders, find out more about their parents, grandparents, traditions, values, life. Then, bring family members together to learn more about your forebearers and get a more complete picture of their lives, habits, traditions and values of your family members.
2. By September all students are back in school. If you haven’t already done so, think of ways your family can encourage students to do their best this year, including giving them bragging rights for schoolwork on your website, Facebook page or family newsletter; providing $1 for each A or B on their report cards; creating a family move-up/graduation party at the end of the school year; or beginning a scholarship fund.
3. Voter Registration Day is September 22nd. Now’s a good time to check that your family members are registered and if they’re not, get them to.
family time
sticky reunion situation - CREATING A PLANNING TEAM
sticky reunion situation - CREATING A PLANNING TEAM
September is when we try to stretch-out the last days of summer, focus on back-to-school learning, begin thinking about and/or planning our next fanily reunion, and searching for more ways to have fun with the family.
sticky reunion situation - CREATING A PLANNING TEAM
sticky reunion situation - CREATING A PLANNING TEAM
sticky reunion situation - CREATING A PLANNING TEAM
Our family is finally getting together to plan our first reunion. When it comes to creating a planning team, what’s needed, what works, what doesn’t?
WOrTH REPEAtING On EDUCATION
WOrTH REPEAtING On EDUCATION
WOrTH REPEAtING On EDUCATION
"Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new.”
– Former President Barack Obama
“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”
– Zig Ziglar
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”
– Marian Wright Edelman
"No time is ever wasted if you have a book along as a companion."
– Marian Wright Edelman
“Let us resolve to be ready for any crisis and work to inspire a new generation of Americans, vested with the knowledge and experience to protect themselves, their families, and their communities in the face of any challenge.”
- Former President Barack Obama
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
- Benjamin Franklin
FALL QUOTES
WOrTH REPEAtING On EDUCATION
WOrTH REPEAtING On EDUCATION
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall”
– Oscar Wilde
“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.”
– Unknown
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree”
– Emily Bronte
“Autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
“Autumn is the season to find contentment at home by paying attention to what we already have.”
– Unknown
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
– Jim Bishop
STICKY REUNION SITUATION
NO TALKING ZONE...
Help! Our reunion is turning into a no talking zone. Everybody has their face in a phone or tablet. There is no “real” interaction or conversation. How can we turn this around?