3. Decide what kind of event you want

4. Firm up a date for your reunion:  allow at least 6 weeks from sending of the first mailing to date of reunion.

5. Make reservations as soon as you can for hotel, facility, park, school, etc. where event will be held.  Event spaces can fill quickly.

6. Put together a reunion notification letter, postcard, form.  Be as precise as possible with information, directions, individual costs, dates, times. Make sure you have enough time to mail and get forms returned before date of event.  If prepaid tickets are required for a dinner head count, make them available for  "will call" at the door rather than mailing the tickets to classmates

7. Create a memory book/directory/list to share information about one another.

8.  Allow for enough time to get a head count of who is attending, depending on type of reunion. (If it is a potluck picnic at Clark Park here in Molalla, for example, you don't need a tally of who is coming. You just need to plan food according to alphabet, or whichever way you agree upon. If you plan a buffet or sit-down dinner in Portland, you definitely will need to know the number attending about two weeks before the event. 

9.  When setting your dollar cost, you need to factor cost of the room, facility, space, the cost of the meal, beverages, tips, paper products, postage, miscellaneous costs, and "cushion" amount.  Unless you want to do all the financial backing and be reimbursed for expenses, your committee or you will need to put money up front to buy postage, envelopes, reservation deposits.  Consider starting a checking or savings account. Charge enough for your event to have a nest egg left for the next reunion committee.

10. Keep a master list/card file/database to give to the next reunion committee and return an updated copy to the Molalla Alumni Association to update the database.  If the list is "machine readable" (like a spreadsheet or word processing document), that is even better.

11. At the reunion, you need to plan a short class meeting to create a committee for your next reunion. Make a point to have people send "We've Moved" notices so you keep your class list as current as you can.

12. The Molalla Alumni Association has been providing help and addresses for reunions since 1924.  We also have set up a foundation to provide scholarships to the current year's seniors.  Currently, we have about $175,000.00 in the Scholarship Foundation fund (MASF), which has been donated by alumni, friends and family of Alumni, and bequeaths from estates.  We are a registered, tax exempt 501 [c] 3 foundation.  If anyone wants to donate or work on any of the committees for the MAA, they can contact Joan Deardorff at 503-829-9140 (day) or 503-829-4282 (evenings), mail to P.O. Box 454, Molalla, OR 97038, or by email at E-Mail Joan Deardorff.

Although this is a brief overview of what to do, you can be as elaborate or simple as your tastes and finances dictate. You can plan prizes or awards (who came the farthest, most changed/unchanged, etc.)  Plan for housing guests in motels/ hotels nearby to your event-give them choices at various priced accommodations. The main thing is to renew acquaintances and relive good times with friends from your past!

Good Luck and have fun!  ---Joan Deardorff