Plan a Family Reunion — JACT Ventures

I have embraced the role of the reunion organizer for my mother’s side of our family. Not sure exactly how it happened, but looking back, it almost seemed destined. It weighed heavily on me watching time slip by year after year, without any get-togethers.

“Like branches on a tree, our lives may grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one”

Will family reunions disappear? If you think about it, there was a time in the US when families averaged 6 to 9 children in one household. So when those siblings all had 6 to 9 children, a reunion with all the grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles & cousins was a colossal event. Now families with only 1 or 2 kids are the norm.

I was born in 1970 & was raised as an only child, & then I never had children of my own. The plethora of cousins decreased dramatically by such small families & now reunions are not as big. Throw in continuous contact via social media, & many families probably don’t see a need for reunions.

“Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!”

— Albert Einstein

Well, I have the need & decided not to let them go. My warm, loving memories from reunions over 20 years ago, centered around my grandmother & her siblings. Between 1911 & 1913, my great grandfather Hampton Wade Sullivan moved his wife & 4 children from Oklahoma to Kootenai County, Idaho, where my grandma Effie, her sister Grace, & their baby brother Joseph (Sully) were born.

By 1916 Hampton was working for the St Maries Lumber company & with time, his children grew up & spread out in the Northwest. Today, some of those families still live in St Maries & many of our dearly-departed rest peacefully there at Woodlawn Cemetery. About 6 years ago, I decided to plan a family reunion in St Maries, Idaho.

I stayed connected to many of my Idaho relatives from a young age by writing letters & exchanging holiday cards. We eventually all became Facebook friends, but I wanted to hear laughter & share hugs. The last reunion I attended was in 1994 & by 2014, we hadn’t gathered for anything besides weddings or funerals (too many). It became evident that if I wanted something to happen, I had to do it myself.

“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”

— Alex Haley

So after 20 years, I happily grabbed the torch & picked July 19th in honor of my grandma’s birthday. I sent cards to everyone in my address book announcing the Sullivan Family Reunion, asking them to invite anyone I missed & bring a pot luck dish to a park along the St Joe River. Just sort of went with the Field of Dreams motto, build it, and they will come!

And come they did! We had over 40 people attend throughout the day. I was rewarded with joy & happiness, along with the gratitude of my family. They thanked me over & over, but I honestly didn’t even do much. I have learned if you cover the basics, then minimal time & energy is needed. As an organizer, you choose whether to make it a low key or a super event. Just be sure to cover these necessary steps:

Set the date. Avoid major holidays & give plenty of lead time - at least a month or two.
Set the location. Make sure it is suitable for all weather, make reservations if required.
Set the time. Choose a start & end time (creates a window for late arrivals)
Pick an activity. Plan a picnic, theme park gathering, sport event, etc. to give purpose.
Send invitations. Use all resources to notify people, including snail mail, email & social media.
Document event. Take pictures & videos, including a group photo.

After you’ve organized your first event, it’s time to decide if you want to do it again & if there’s anything you’d change. The following year I planned my wedding, which left no time for a reunion, but sort of replaced it anyway, LOL. In 2016, I had significant health issues with a DVT blood clot that required all of my energy.

By 2017 I was ready to plan it again! I made one change & extended the reunion to a weekend campout. The Saturday potluck picnic remained the same for those not interested in camping. This time I took more photos. Find the balance between living in & capturing the moment, & encourage others to take & share pictures too!

Everything went so well with the campout that the group decided to make it an annual event. The trick is to set it for the same date every year, so everyone knows it is on-going. Ours is now always set for the weekend that includes the first Saturday of August. For 2018, I took more video footage so that I could create the following Youtube video slide show:

If someone volunteers any ideas, encourage them to take action! One cousin suggested reunion T-Shirts. We all agreed if she designed & ordered them, we would all buy one. Throughout the next year, she shared a few fonts but took on the project herself. On the back, she printed “Sullivan Lifetime Member” & on the front, we honored each branch of the family tree by choosing team colors & names. Each “Team” was one of Hampton’s children whom we descended from. In 2019 we had three teams in shirts, Team Effie, Team Grace & Team Sully. As it catches on, we’ll get more family outfitted in their Team Daniel, Team Ed, and Team Huldah shirts. I love this idea & am so thankful to Melissa for taking it on!

In 2019 we also introduced an additional event organized by my husband James… corn hole! He brought in a double-elimination tournament bracket & people filled in their unique team name. We, of course, partnered up as team JACT :-) There were 11 teams total & we played all day. James even ordered a traveling trophy to passed on each year!

2019 Champions Vanette & Mike Leighty “May the Corn be with You”

Some family members arrived early to the campout & floated the St. Joe River. We missed out because we were off riding the Harleys that day, but I added it to the 2020 schedule just so I could join in! LOL It was a blast, so now it’s an annual event. Here is the video highlighting mostly the float:

This year family units prepared their own food, socially spaced out around the campfire, used sanitizer continuously & even refrained from hugging to keep each other safe from Covid-19. Our most vulnerable members stayed home out of precaution, so we hope & pray everyone can attend in 2021.

I have already created a private Facebook event with the dates & times for next year, and at this point, the reunion practically runs itself. I encourage you to try & organize your own. I’ve shared the minimal tasks, but here are a few more pointers.

For potlucks, ask smaller family groups to provide a main dish, side dish & dessert, letting them decide who brings what. This way you end up with a variety for the entire group. Ask singles to bring snacks such as fruit, veggies, or chips. I supply plates, utensils & napkins. BYO drinks.
Consider activities for children. I picked a water location for fishing, swimming & floating. Other options include playgrounds & parks or bring games or some bouncy balls.
There can be drama. My own family includes republicans, democrats, churchgoers, non-religious, those who drink alcohol & those who don’t. As the US becomes more divided, help your family see what unites them, all they have in common, & the love you share for each other. Encourage tolerance & forgiveness, then if some issue seems to be a stickler, help both sides agree to disagree.

“Our ancestors unite us, our family union reunites us.”

Finally, work on your family tree & ask the family to share old photo albums & tell stories. I mentioned earlier how I felt destined to be the organizer... I’ve always loved documenting life with pictures, videos & scrapbooking. My mom & I videoed those reunions in the ’90s & I finally converted the old VHS tapes to digital. I’ll include the links here for a blast from the past. Many loved ones are now gone, so when I watch, I tend to laugh & weep simultaneously. However, watching encourages me to keep organizing & documenting so that future generations will have something to build on & look back on. I hope you decide to do the same. #JACTventures GO DO IT!

Plan a Family Reunion!