Gathering an accurate database of names and addresses can be a full time job, let alone finding a place to hold a reunion, reserving the best places and finding the business that will give your class reunion that special touch -- and a lot of times you're volunteering your time, working full time, raising a family, being a spouse and not living in South Bend! Anyone who's taken part in such an endeavor has my admiration and respect.

You could hire a reunion planner, but I strongly advise against it. You can pay an incredible amount of money to have a search firm do all the time consuming work, but what class wants to spend money on that when there's a better and cheaper way?

Isolation has made all the classes independent, we've all had reunions and we all know the work it takes to pull off one that's decent.  But what we haven't had is contact with each other to exchange notes, access to siblings who brothers or sisters have been on your "missing" list for twenty years and a group of kindred spirits who truly give a darn about your budget and are willing to share critical information they found out in the hopes of making your life easier and your reunion better.

We've never had the internet or a way to cross reference each classes databases for common addresses or as a place where alumni can provide updated information or let you know where one of your missing alumni is currently located.

Until now.

As time permits, these are a few of the things gathered to help all the classes get together for their reunions...

Reunion Networking

• Updates to your class database sent to you via the web site
• Shared resources, names, phone #'s, prices and quality of service
• Names and contact information of any Jacksonite who has a business or service related to reunions, (i.e. photographer, entertainment DJ etc.).
• a database of alumni broken out into classes is in process.
• Post  list of missing classmates with a link on your class page
• Form for alumni to fill out providing you with background information as well as mailing address and email
• Photos: Scan the photos for your class and contact me.
• Each class reunion contact has the option of having an email address that will be from the jacksonhs.com web address with whatever name you select. The email ID will be easier for alumni to remember and will forward automatically to your own Email ID.
• Provide me with an excel or MSAccess formatted database and I will compile it and put add it to the all class database, add add any photo's sent to me from your reunion as well as any senior pics and "now" pics sent in from your classmates , throw in a copy of the web site and send you a CD with all this information on it.

On-line Reunion Contacts

The contact names for classes other an '75, '71 and '72 are pretty much guesses on my part. If you would like to represent your class online, or know who the proper person is, please contact me.

Active Reunions

• Planned: Private access password protected section of this site where prices and information can be exchanged.

• Reunion Invitations and Forms: Sending out mailers? Fine, but you may want to put together a questionnaire / RSVP form online for folks to fill out.  They can send it in directly from the web or it can be filled out easily on line, printed and sent along with their checks for the reunion.

• Questionnaires can be separate from the RSVP - self invoiced form. In fact, all classes have access to survey forms that already have the email addresses in the database and will compile the results automatically and let you know who responded and who did not.  Limit for free service: 10 questions, multiple choice, essay, true false etc.

• On-going: Updates sent out whenever missing alumni or change of address occurs.

• Sharing of information: Access to the information collected to date from the other classes: Costs, # of  classmates at graduation and who were located and sent invitations, # of attendee's, overview after the fact of what worked, what did not, what problems were found, what or who provided good or bad quality of services etc.  This information is valuable for planning purposes and setting budgets etc.

In Return

Nothing more than your cooperation in adding to this information.  It's only going to be as good as the information you provide. 

Here's what I'd like to ask each class to supply:

• Share your alumni addresses so they can be added to the all class database that we are putting together.  This will be the only chance or opportunity we have of getting all the alumni notifications and by adding your list, it will insure that your classes alumni will be notified and included in any event. At no time will the list be sold or distributed to anyone other than JHS alumni reunion committees.
• Donate a copy of any reunion booklet from your reunion for hard copy reference. 
• While certainly not mandatory (none of this is mandatory) it would certainly go a long way to get the word out if you could include the web site address in your reunion correspondence. Either the main address: http://jacksonhs.com  or your specific class page:  http://jacksonhs.com/73/73.html or http://jacksonhs.com/72/72.html
• The email addresses listed on the site "should" be only those we have permission to list.    I try to get permission anytime I publish any type of identifying information.  An easy way for this to be done is by adding a in your RSVP form hard copy or on line form - asking to include their name and E-mail address on your class page and master contact listing of Jackson alumni.
• Time: I realize that you don't always have the luxury of planning, but it helps to know what's coming up.  As soon as you commit to seriously thinking you can help or lead the way and give your worn out committee a break or a helping hand if they are still charged up about the upcoming event...let me know. Especially when you have a date picked out. 
• If you are doing something like the Class of '67 did and going in with Riley, could you please write in and let me know rather than just putting something in the guest book because I'd hate to miss the information and not get it online.  I'd appreciate it...and even if you have only the barest of facts, we'll add a reunion page "under construction" with a contact and request for volunteers.
• Reunion Committee members:  A lot of times the alumni from the next class could benefit from your experience and would like to ask specific questions not included here.  In that case, it's been no problem answering those questions, but I thought it best to give you a heads up in case you want to save any information to look up later. 
• There are no charges, this isn't my business. In some cases I'll be able to do name tags with the photos on them and a picture of Jackson in the background (see examples below). If you like them and it's possible for me to do it, I'll be more than happy to help you out. In that cases, you pick up the cost of shipping and of the tags themselves which is usually no more than $200.00.

   I'm open to any suggestions or ideas you may have that I missed.  Of course there's more that can be done...but for now, this will give you a good idea and hopefully make your jobs a lot easier if not now, in the future.

Jessica

You don't have to re-invent the wheel... take a tip from the class reunion committee members past....

Reunion Tips and Info

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