Planning a Family Reunion in 2024

A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate. I am in the process of planning a family reunion in June of 2024. I have found some family reunion articles which I am listing below. I also google searched for family reunion checklists and worksheets in PDF and as images then saved them on my computer. I then compared them for the best ones. This gave me lots of ideas to work with.

I have created a family reunion website at the MyEvent.com for my family members. This website was fairly easy to set up and the monthly fee is reasonable. With this website, the cousins who can’t make it to the reunion can still interact with each other as it has pages like family profiles, photos, memorials, family memories, family recipes and guest book besides the reunion schedule, registration, travellers’ information etc. They have lots of good information on their website and also send you weekly email newsletters.

https://myevent.com/family-reunions

I coordinated the first family reunion in 1993 and learned a lot from this experience. This time I am making sure that I recruit more volunteers in advance and have set up a reunion planning committee. With the first family reunion, I was working a full-time job and this time I am retired. I also have one brother living in the same city as me who is very interested in this and is helping. In the beginning I listed out some potential locations and he went with me to see them. It is very important to bounce off ideas with family members and friends.

To cut down on expenses, we are looking at borrow items like the photo booth and props, outdoor games, decorations, etc. And I am looking at Etsy for some purchases and doing some DIY projects. One can even rent the DJ equipment with an iPad and pay a third of the price compared to hiring a DJ with equipment.

I am also approaching people who I know in the local Ukrainian volunteer community to assist with the Ukrainian entertainment, staffing and table displays etc. For example, I might have a lead on a Ukrainian newcomer who can edit the 1993 video of our last family reunion. The staff who we have to hire at the event (liquor ticket sellers, security), I am hoping to get Ukrainian newcomers. I am lucky that some of my cousins still speak Ukrainian as this will add to our heritage theme.

We are also holding this reunion at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in Edmonton, AB so of course we will be served Ukrainian food at the banquet buffet!  

Social media has made it a lot easier to locate cousins especially with Facebook. And obituaries have helped to fill in the information on marriages, children and grandchildren.

As mentioned in my previous article, I am using Evernote and Trello to keep organized and on track.

One of the exciting new projects is a family heritage cookbook and there are lots of ideas online and even some templates. However, note that the printer told me to be careful on which fonts I use as they can get messed up with the printing equipment. One can print the cookbooks locally at a reasonable price and with a short timeline. I checked out a few different printers’ websites first. I am using College Copy Shop in downtown Edmonton at https://collegecopyshop.com/

One of the hardest tasks is locating all of the cousins as my ancestors came to Canada in 1897 and I am inviting all of the descendants of the first couple who stepping on Canadian soil, Elko and Anastasia Kalynchuk. Quite a few of their children, had many of their own and it continued! My estimate is that I have at least 300 cousins! Thirty years ago in 1993, I was in contact with more of my elder Aunts and Uncles. Now I am mainly working with a new generation, who are spread around the world. And now I am the Auntie. I am also doing a second family history book, this time for the period of 1994 - 2024.

As I continue working on this family reunion, I will be editing and updating this article as I want to include all of the lessons learned and tips.

Courtesy of cottonbro studio at Pexels.com

Family Reunions: 10 Steps to Plan (and Save Your Sanity)
Family Tree Magazine.com, by Mary Snyder
https://familytreemagazine.com/reunions/10-steps-to-family-reunion-success/

Family Reunion Planning Checklist Free Download
By Family Tree Editors (excellent checklist)
https://familytreemagazine.com/freebie/free-family-reunion-checklist/

Checklist: How to Plan a Family Reunion
Join Cake.com, by Sarah Kessler
https://www.joincake.com/blog/family-reunion/

The Complete Guide to Planning a Memorable Family Reunion
KOA.com, August 29, 2023
https://koa.com/blog/family-reunion-planning-guide/

Family Reunion Checklist
https://www.familyreunionhelper.com/media/docs/family_reunion_checklist.pdf

2024 Genealogy Goals and a Roadmap

Goals are a crucial part of achieving success with genealogy. Goals assist you in developing a roadmap to get from where you are, to where you want to be. The clearer and more defined that your roadmap is, then the easier it will be to follow it. The beginning of a new year gives us a reason for a new start or a restart then to evaluate our previous genealogy activities. And to set new goals and a new roadmap for 2024.

It is time to get organized, or at least more organized! We all have limited resources and time.

Your 2024 Genealogy Research Plan (Organized by Month) by Sunny Jane Morton
Family Tree Magazine https://familytreemagazine.com/research/genealogy-research-plan/

Setting Genealogy Goals:

The best way to start listing out your goals, is to use the SMART method.

“S” = a specific outcome

“M” = measurable

“A” = achievable/attainable

“R” = relevant/realistic

“T” = time-based/time-bound

The 15 Minute Plan For Achieving Your Genealogy Goals by Patricia Hartley
Family History Daily, originally published in Jan. 2019, updated Dec. 2020
https://familyhistorydaily.com/genealogy-help-and-how-to/achieving-genealogy-goals/

How to Set Genealogy Goals
Heritage Consulting
https://www.heritageconsulting.com/how-to-set-genealogy-goals/

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

Having a Genealogy Toolkit (or dashboard or hub):

A genealogy toolkit is a collection of frequently used family history tools, resources, and processes kept together for easy access. This includes all of our paper and computer files and folders, software programs, books, databases, and hardware etc. Tools include such as worksheets, checklists, planners, charts, and templates. Resources include books, genealogy databases, newspapers, websites, and registers etc. And processes include guides, instructions, location specific lists etc.

• Look at how you structure the folders on your hard drive or cloud storage and also with your paper folders, you should use the same labeling system.

• Create a dashboard in a project management software (e.g. Evernote, Trello)

• Create a list of the web links you use in a Microsoft Word or Google Docs file. I have also seen some people using an Excel spreadsheet instead. This is more organized than relying on bookmarks. Many years ago, when I worked on environmental scanning and foresight, I had a Word document with the various categories and web links I was researching daily on. It was very easy to update in this format.

Regarding the creating of a toolkit, first you create a framework by deciding the broad categories of what you’ll include. Then look at the contents and split them out into the relevant categories. Finally choose where your toolkit will live and what your toolkit structure will be. This must be easily accessible so you can use it in every research session.

My first career was as a chef and my kitchen needed the equipment to be set up properly and the food prep done and easily accessible for the lunch hour rush. This is how I am looking at setting up my genealogy toolkit now. I want it to be as smooth as the kitchen line was. Your genealogy toolkit is a hub of information that makes your life easier. Once it’s set up, it should save you time because everything you typically need for each research session is at your fingertips.

I have been also looking at various office layouts and what containers and furniture etc. will work best for me. For example, I have books in two different rooms which need to be sorted. It has also been my goal to go more digital instead of so much paper files. I do have a scanner in my home office.

I have been using Evernote for quite some time but have lately been hearing about Trello. I am currently setting up on Trello to manage all of my genealogy goals, research plans and the various projects and activities which I am responsible for.

With Evernote, I use it for various notes, to-do-lists, and resources etc. and have them organized by topic (called Notebooks) and articles (called Notes). It lists the date and time created and last updated, title, Notebook, tags, and size. You are able to use various text and drop in images etc. I am happy with the free version as I don’t need all the bells and whistles.

Trello is a project management app that uses boards and cards. It is better for visual organization and team collaboration. Evernote is a note-taking program that focuses on organization and productivity. It is better for personal organization and cross-device syncing. If you want a solid management program to create, assign, follow, and complete tasks, go with Trello. If you want a note-keeping and documentation app with a project management touch, go with Evernote.

Trello 

https://trello.com/

Evernote 

https://evernote.com/

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Creating a Research Log:

A research log can help you not only organize your research finds, but also identify areas where you need to do more research. It also helps with instant recall and the reducing of do-overs. And finally, it helps you to analyze the data collected. A good habit to get into doing is creating research logs.

To create a research log for genealogy research, you should:

• Choose your preferred tool and template.

• Establish a workflow that incorporates your log.

• Create a separate research log for each objective.

• Follow your research plan and add entries to your log for each result from genealogy sources you search.

• Create source citations for each entry.

Research Logs, FamilySearch
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Research_Logs

Why You Need a Genealogy Research Log (and How to Create One)
Family Tree Magazine, by Vanessa Wieland
https://familytreemagazine.com/research/tips-conquer-genealogy-research-log/

Research Log Spreadsheet (for free)
Thomas MacEntee at Genealogy Bargains
https://geneabloggers.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e6b48e8de3ee2e5430b75a4d5&id=98e427340