Well-planned family reunions provide a unique opportunity for family members to gather together and share laughter and memories, but as families expand and grow farther apart, getting the younger generation involved gets more difficult.
Young people, however, are the bridge between the family’s past and future, and keeping them interested in the family’s heritage is vital to the continuation of family traditions.
“Many of my grandkids have done heritage projects in school,” said Carrie Odom Gee of Birmingham. “It’s important that they learn about their heritage at an early age from the older generation, and family reunions give us a chance to teach them about the family.”
One of the keys to involving children and teenagers is finding ways to utilize their specific skills and talents in the planning of the reunion and allowing them to participate actively in the events.
Because most young people are technology-savvy, allowing them opportunities to use their computer know-how is not only a way to get them involved, but a big help to those planning the event as well. The list below, compiled from the July/August 1998 issue of Family PC magazine and from the Web site of Family-Reunions.com, offers several suggestions for projects that will give young computer-whizzes an opportunity to use their skills while creating fun and unique keepsakes for the guests at the reunion.
- While standard invitations are readily available and easy to use, many families prefer to design their own invitations for their family reunions.
Many computer programs offer easy-to-use templates for invitations, and allow designers to add graphics or even digital photos to the invitation.
The invitations can then be printed at home or at a photo lab or copy shop to create a colorful keepsake invitation.
- T-shirts. Personalized T-shirts are a great conversation piece on the day of the reunion and for the life of the shirt. When Bernice Brown’s family joins together to celebrate her 90th birthday this year, each branch of her family will be wearing a different colored T-shirt to commemorate the event.
“We wanted to do something special since this is a milestone birthday, and we wanted something to help the people who aren’t in the family know who goes with who,” said Pat McElroy, Brown’s daughter and coordinator of the birthday party.
Like the invitations, T-shirts can also be designed using a home computer and a desktop publishing program. Designs can include significant family photos, a family tree illustration, a family phrase or even a Bible verse with special significance to family members.
For large groups, professional screenprinting is probably the more economical choice, but T-shirt transfer sheets are available at discount and office supply stores for home designing and printing.
- Photo pins. If personalized T-shirts aren’t an option, create photo name tags or pins for everyone. Buy a box of printable name tags and pin sleeves and include a photo of the person on the name tag.
Family PC suggests printing old photos on shrink plastic (follow the directions on the box) and then gluing them on pin backs. Decorate the pins with ribbons, buttons, or lace for a more elaborate keepsake.
- While you can order custom ribbons for awards at a family reunion, you can also create and print your own using satin-finish cloth designed for ink-jet printers and metallic embossing powder.
Or for a simpler project, print the awards on various colored card-stock paper using fun photos and graphics in your design.
Be creative with the categories and try to recognize as many family members as possible. Some possible award categories include:
- The oldest and youngest family members
- Those who traveled the least and greatest distances to attend
- The person who has attended the most consecutive reunions
- The youngest grandparents
- The couple with the most children or grandchildren present
- Family cookbook. While there are family cookbook software programs on the market, a simple word-processing program will provide all the tools you need to organize your family’s favorite recipes.
Collect the recipes beforehand (be sure to give credit to the contributors) and take orders and payments in advance so you can have the cookbooks ready on the day of the reunion.
As you design the pages, include eye-catching graphics or family photos to add a special touch.
Once the pages are completed, take your cookbook to a copy shop where they can copy and bind the recipes in book form.
- Photo Calendar. Many companies, including local copy shops and office supply stores, now offer calendar printing services.
Choose 12 photos (or 13 if you want a different image for the cover) and make a list of important dates for the upcoming year (including the next reunion).
The copy shop can put together a full-sized 12-month calendar and print as many copies as you want. To create a keepsake of the reunion, use photos taken at the reunion for the calendar images.
As with the cookbook, allow family members to order and pay for copies in advance. Make arrangements to deliver or mail the completed calendars.
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