WOW!  We covered a lot of ground during the 2015 Family Meeting.  In case you missed it, the topics are below and the details are after the jump…

• New Registration Fees
• Payment Portal Fees
• Recurring Payments
• Electronic Communications
• New T-Shirt Design
• Scholarship Fund
• Family Office
• Host Responsiblities
• Region Recap
• Upcoming Reunion Hosts

NEW Registration Fees:

Current Age Groups	Current Fee	New Age Groups	New Fee
N/A	N/A	Ages 2 and Under	Free!
Ages 4 and Under	Free!	Ages 3 – 5	$25
Ages 5 – 13	$10	Ages 6 – 13	$35
Ages 14 – 18	$20	Ages 14 – 18	$55
Ages 19 – 25	$60	Ages 19 – 25	$75
Ages 26 and Over	$85	Ages 26 and Over	$100

Payment Portal Fees:

The cost of processing fee payments online is 2.9% + $0.30 for every transaction.  The hosts have been absorbing this cost.  We discussed passing this fee on to anyone who pays online, but it was tabled until the next reunion.

Recurring Payments:

Accepting recurring or installment payments was also discussed as a means to help families prepare for the cost of the reunion.  This was also tabled for a future meeting.

Electronic Communications:

Ceasing all snail-mail communication and moving to a strictly online presence was discussed because of the rising cost of mail.  A compromise was made, and beginning with the 2016 reunion, mailed notices will include an opt-out feature, so those who wish to opt-out of snail mail, can do so.

New T-Shirt Design:

Opening up the reunion t-shirt design to other family members who may wish to contribute their graphic/artistic abilities was discussed.  2015 began a new shirt design, so this was tabled until it is close to the time for a new shirt.

Scholarship Fund:

Not to be confused with the annual collection at each reunion, 2015 began the first SAH Scholarship Award.  This scholarship is open to anyone, not just family, that meets specific requirements, one of them being a resident of Renova, MS.  (More details will be available in a later post.)

Family Office:

As we continue our efforts to attain more structure, it was suggested that we create a “Family Office” as a sort of central operations vessel for the reunions going forward.  A compromise was made to look further into organizing into some sort of corporate entity.  Research will be done, and recommendations will be made at the 2016 meeting.

Host Responsibilities:

Each reunion must now meet the following requirements:

1. We must dine together.
2. We must attend church together.
3. We must take a family picture.
4. We must have a family meeting.
5. We must include a cultural, historical, or family bonding activity.

Region Recap:

As you know, our family is separated into regions for reunion hosting purposes.  The current 7-Region breakdown is listed below:

Region 1 – Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas & Alabama

Region 2 – Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio & Tennessee

Region 3 – Washington, DC, Maryland & Virginia

Region 4 – Michigan, Illinois, Indiana & Wisconsin

Region 5 – Connecticut, New York, New Jersey & Massachusetts

Region 6 – Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon & Texas

Region 7 – Florida, Georgia, and North & South Carolina

UPCOMING Reunion Hosts:

Year	Host Region	Dates	Destination
2016	Region 3	July 8 – 10	Charlotte, NC
2017	Region 6	July 7 – 9	TBD
2018	Region 4	July 13 – 15	TBD
2019	Region 1	July 12 – 14	TBD
2020	Region 5	July 10 – 12	TBD
2021	Region 7	July 9 – 11	TBD
2022	TBD	July 8 – 10	TBD

Are you hosting the next reunion?  Don’t forget to complete the Host Questionnaire!