Reunion Planning Guide Everything you need to know to make your class anniversary memorable Created by the Alumni Association 1 Table of Contents Basic Information Letter ...............................................................................................................3 Alumni Association Contact Information .................................................................................4 Reunion Class Gift Challenge .....................................................................................................5 Reunion Planning Overview and Deadlines ............................................................................6 Quick Reunion Facts ................................................................................................................. 7-8 Reunion Program Ideas................................................................................................................9 Reunion Location Ideas ..............................................................................................................10 Publishing Your Reunion Book.................................................................................................11 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................12 Appendix Class Reunion Letter Samples Reunion Book Questionnaire Class Reunion Webpage Sample Preliminary APC Weekend Schedule Reunion Sign-in Sheet Copyright 2015, Alumni Association 2 Basic Information Letter Dear Class Representative(s), Many alumni find that volunteering to help organize their School of Medicine reunion is one of the most gratifying and fun things they do for their class and alma mater. Because it is no small task, we have created this guide to give you the tools you need to succeed. If you don’t find what you are looking for, please let us know. The Alumni Association is more than happy to assist you in planning your reunion to be held during APC Weekend. Here are some of the things we can do for you: Provide you with a class list, including addresses, phone numbers, and emails. Mail a letter written by you to your class about your reunion (see a sample letter in the attached appendix). Stationary is provided by us. Postage is taken out of your class fund. Our staff will handle all the mailing details so you don’t have to. Promote your reunion in the Alumni Journal (deadline is November 10). Help you create a class webpage for your reunion on our website, including a link to RSVP for your event. Assist in planning your class gift. Reunion classes typically make a class gift during their reunion year (project is selected by class vote). Offer ideas for reunion locations and in some cases assist in arrangements. Take a class photograph at your reunion (to be published in the Alumni Journal). Coordinate having the Dean of the School of Medicine at your event and/or other School representatives. Schedule a tour of campus for your class during APC Weekend. Reserve tables for your class to sit together at the APC Gala and be honored. Remember, successful reunions start with advanced planning and by gathering a core of volunteers to form a class reunion committee (i.e. 3-5 people). So don’t delay, get started today! Sincerely, Dennis Park Interim Executive Director, Alumni Association 3 Basil Vassantachart, MD ’79 (?) President, Alumni Association Alumni Association Contact Information As you begin making plans for your class reunion, remember our staff is here to help you in any way we can. Please call us anytime with questions, and don’t forget to keep an eye on our website for more information about APC Weekend. Alumni Association, School of Medicine of Loma Linda University 11245 Anderson Street, Suite 200, Loma Linda, CA 92354 (909) 558-4633 | www.llusmaa.org Dennis Park, Interim Executive Director Reunion Expertise: Class gift planning and fundraising, selection of the class project [email protected] Armine Borquez, Executive Assistant and Events Coordinator Reunion Expertise: Plans APC Weekend events and schedule, arranges campus tours [email protected] Sue Kunz, Bookkeeper Reunion Expertise: Class gift donation processing [email protected] Calvin Chuang, Media Technician Reunion Expertise: Creates class webpages, assists with photography and video needs [email protected] Ath Tuot (AT), Records Manager Reunion Expertise: Coordinates class reunion mailings, updates alumni records [email protected] Chris Clouzet, Staff Writer and Publication Coordinator Reunion Expertise: Promotes class reunions in the Alumni Journal [email protected] Veronica Martinez, Office Assistant Reunion Expertise: Provides class lists, assists with reunion location selection, ticket purchases and class reservations for APC Weekend events like the Gala, Reunion location selection, class reservations and ticket purchase [email protected] 4 Reunion Class Gift Challenge Reunions often inspire alumni to make a gift over and above the support they usually provide in other years. The Reunion Class Gift Challenge encourages classes to reunite and commemorate their special reunion year by making a substantial combined gift to their alma mater. Sometimes this is to establish an endowed scholarship in memory of the class or someone special, or to improve a building or classroom on campus, or even purchase new equipment for a lab or clinic. There are many possibilities for classes to leave a legacy at Loma Linda University. The Executive Director can assist you in selecting a project that best fits your class’ wishes and dreams. Contact the Alumni Association office for more information. (909) 558-4633. Only gifts given to your reunion class fund are counted towards the Reunion Class Gift Challenge. Gifts can be mailed to the Alumni Association or made online at www.llusmaa.org. Be sure to mark your gift for the “Class of 1966 (or 1991) Reunion Fund” (insert your class year). All monies collected are tax-deductible and go towards the project selected by your class. All monies are held in trust by the Alumni Association and are distributed only upon class request. The success of the Reunion Class Gift Challenge is dependent upon you! So, we invite you to participate in the challenge and spread the word to your classmates. Challenge your class to break a new giving record! All class reunion giving will be recognized in the Alumni Journal following APC Weekend. You can work with the Executive Director to select a project and set a fundraising goal. Please consider making a reunion gift yourself to be a good role model for your classmates. Gifts can be made outright, by planned giving or through pledges. Your alma mater counts on the generosity of classes like yours. 5 Reunion Planning Overview and Deadlines Class reunions are typically held on Sunday of APC Weekend. Form your class reunion committee (3-5 people) 10-12 months prior Submit nomination to Alumni Association for Alumni of the Year 10 months prior Contact Executive Director to discuss class gift options 7-8 months prior Select location and catering for class reunion 6 months prior (Don’t forget to consider how you will handle RSVPs) Draft initial reunion letter to class and send to Alumni Association 6 months prior (Remember to include the dates for APC Weekend, your reunion details, your class gift information, your class webpage, and RSVP details) Draft reunion book questionnaire to be mailed with letter 6 months prior (50th Reunion Class only) Alumni Association sends reunion mailing to your class 5-6 months prior (Includes your letter, questionnaire, class gift card, and return envelope) Have Alumni Association update class website as necessary 3 months prior Have reunion committee call all your classmates 10 weeks prior (Encourage classmates to attend, make a gift, and ask for missing questionnaires) Give all reunion book questionnaires and photos to designer 12 weeks prior (50 Reunion Class only) th Order mementos to give away at your reunion (if any) 8 weeks prior Check final proof of reunion book before it goes to press 10 weeks prior (50 Reunion Class only) th Finalize the reunion program with your reunion committee 6 weeks prior Email your class an update and remind them to attend 4 weeks prior Obtain class photo(s) and yearbook for display at reunion 3-4 weeks prior (50th Reunion Class only) Make final arrangements and print name tags 1 week prior Send thank you to reunion committee 1 week after Identify classmates in class photo for Alumni Journal 2 weeks after Email out a post-reunion letter with photos to class 3-4 weeks after 6 Quick Reunion Facts Class reunions are typically held on Sunday of APC Weekend unless notified otherwise. The date for APC Weekend this year is March 4-7, 2016. The special reunion classes this year are: 2006 – 10th 1981 – 35th 1961 – 55th 1996 – 20th 1976 – 40th 1956 – 60th 1991 – 25th 1971 – 45th 1986 – 30th 1966 – 50th Reunion classes typically make a class gift to the school to commemorate their special anniversary year. Please see page 5 for more information. A personal phone call to your classmates can significantly encourage attendance to your reunion and inspire people to give to your class project. Divide up names among your reunion committee and have each member call some of your classmates. Each class has its own account at the Alumni Association to which it can donate funds, deposit fees and payments, and pay for activities, reunion books, and mementos. A representative from Loma Linda University will be on hand to assist you during your class reunion, as well as to answer questions about the school. Contact the Alumni Association to find out the name of your representative. A photographer will be assigned to take your class photo during your reunion. The photo of 25th and 50th class will be published in the Alumni Journal. Use the reunion sign-in sheet with space for email addresses at your class reunion, then share the email addresses with your classmates so you can stay in touch. This will also help you keep track of who attends. Be sure to send a copy of the sign-in sheet to the Alumni Association for our records too. Be sure to print name tags for classmates and their spouses who are attending. 7 Quick Reunion Facts Continued Each reunion class is responsible for the costs incurred for their reunion. Most classes charge a reunion fee per person to cover the costs of catering, mementos, reunion book assembling and printing, etc. The Alumni Association can process the reunion fees and reimburse you for any expenses incurred up to the amount collected from those attending. APC registration fees cover the cost of continuing education classes offered, some meals, and some entertainment throughout the weekend. The APC Gala is a formal event with entertainment and food. The program also includes the recognition of the Alumnus/Alumna of the Year and several Honored Alumni, as well as recognition of the special reunion classes and their class gifts. The Alumni Association offers reserved seating at the APC Gala for special reunion classes. Contact us to learn more. Many alumni also choose to sponsor a table at this event to benefit our medical students. The 25th reunion class are asked to have class members participate in the Sabbath School and church program on Sabbath morning. Contact the Alumni Association to learn more. The Alumni Association is happy to host your class website and process your class gift donations for you. We can also create a quick link for your class website upon request (call for web address). 25th and 50th church participation 8 Reunion Program Ideas Here are some possible class programs, based on those planned by previous classes. Performance or presentation by classmates who are singers, authors, musicians, artists, photographers, etc. Be sure to invite early! Talk by faculty speaker on a topic that ties to your class theme or is of interest. Prepare and do a fun survey that classmates can take during mixer and read the results at the end of dinner Present some class awards (serious or fun) Update the class on what is currently happening at the school Create a reunion memory book or PowerPoint for display Highlight classmates who have passed away with photos or stories Introduce spouses Do a “What happened that year?” Put up a white board for everyone to post photos on. 9 Reunion Location Ideas Here are some possible class reunion locations, based on those planned by previous classes. A room on-campus (i.e. Wong Kerlee Conference Center) Alumni Center Conference Room Home of a local alumnus/alumna Local hotel conference room (Hospitality Lane) Local restaurant banquet room (i.e., Napoli’s Restaurant) Redlands Country Club dining rooms NOTE: Feel free to contact the Alumni Association office for help in finding an ideal location. 10 Publishing Your Class Reunion Book (50th Reunion Class only) Class reunion books are updates from your classmates in their own words. This is meant as a keepsake for classmates, and is distributed at your reunion. They may be long or short responses (only limiter is the cost of printing more pages). Be sure to inform the Alumni Association if your class is considering a Class Reunion Book. Gathering Content for Reunion Book If your class will be printing a class reunion book, be sure to mail a questionnaire with your class reunion letter (see sample questionnaire in the appendix). The Alumni Association can mail the questionnaire with your letter for you. Once the questionnaires are returned, you will need to compile the information in a style of your choice. Some examples may include: • Biographical sheets in alphabetical order and copied as submitted • Statistics compiled from questionnaires • Questionnaires printed as submitted • Illustrations, graphics, poems, photos, etc. • Memorial pages in honor of your deceased classmates The Alumni Association has a designer who can help you layout the information in the style you prefer and help you prepare your book for printing. Reunion Book Printing Options After the materials are gathered and prepared for printing by a designer, you can have the copies made at your local copy center or ask the Alumni Association about other printing options. Most attending classmates will want to receive a copy of the book. Most classes typically print between 50-75 copies and charge their classmates for the printing cost. The sales of these books can be run through your class fund at the Alumni Association. 11 APPENDIX Class Reunion Letter Samples Dear Classmate, Our 40th class reunion will soon be upon us. Reunions are a great time to catch up with old friends and to relive memories of our medical school days. We launched our careers at Loma Linda University with the help of friends and faculty. For those who have not been to the LLU’s campus recently, you will find it changed in appearance--new buildings, new technology, new faculty--but still very much dedicated to providing excellence in medical education. Besides offering us a chance to catch up with each other, our class reunion is also an opportunity to make a meaningful class gift and give back to our alma mater, and to raise our class giving totals—both by having more of us give and at a higher level. Class giving totals will be reported in the summer issue of the Alumni Journal. Also, we will be voting on a class project that our money will go towards on our reunion night. Please send class gifts to the Alumni Association at 11245 Anderson Street, Suite 200, Loma Linda, CA 92354 or you can give online at www.llusmaa.org. Our class reunion will take place during APC Weekend, which is scheduled for March 14, 2013. You have probably already received some information about it in the mail. You can register online at www.llusmaa.org/apc. There are some great events to look forward to during APC, including world-renowned speakers, concerts, campus tours, and the APC Gala on March 4. The Gala is a black-tie affair that includes alumni awards, entertainment, and a delicious meal. You won’t want to miss it! Of course the best part of the weekend, will be our class reunion, which will take place Saturday, March 2 at 1:00 p.m. at the home of Gary Wernick (1494 Cindee Lane, Colton). Please RSVP by February 1 to [email protected] or by calling (949) 201-9402. In addition, we will have a photographer on hand to take our class photo, which will be printed in the Alumni Journal. I look forward to seeing each of you on campus soon. Safe travels! Sincerely, Bill Hayton ’73-B P.S. If you have questions or need assistance with APC Weekend details, contact the Alumni Association at (909) 558-4633. A schedule of events and more details about APC Weekend will be mailed to you soon by the Alumni Association. 12 Dear Fellow Classmate, It seems unfathomable that a quarter of a century has gone by since we graduated together from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Time has quite literally flown by. Wasn’t it just yesterday when we had our 10th…when “John Smith” went around introducing himself to all of us, fearful that we would not recognize him with his new hairline? John, a lot of our hairlines have receded while our belt sizes have grown. As the Silver Anniversary Class this year, we have a few responsibilities as well as an opportunity to give a gift to our School of Medicine, the place that provided us with the education to do what we do. Some of our classmates who teach at LLU have informed me there is a need for more diagnostic ultrasound machines for the Physical Diagnosis Class for the first year students. With the University discount, the units cost about $20,000 each. After some discussion among our class, we feel this is an excellent choice for our class gift. Our goal is raise $40,000 from our class so the School of Medicine can purchase two units at their discounted rate. We will present this gift to the school at the APC Gala on Monday, March 9, where our class will be recognized. You can purchase tickets for the Gala at call us for web address. Donations for the class gift can be made on our class website at call us for web address. This site keeps track of our class donations and other class information. Please note that your donation is for the Class of ’90 Fund. Alternatively, your check can be sent directly to the Alumni Association office. I sent in my donation today and urge the rest of you to do the same. Our class is also responsible for Sabbath School and some church platform duties at the University Church on Sabbath, March 7. Many classmates have agreed to participate in these roles—thank you! As of this writing one slot still remains open (opening prayer for first service), so if you wish to participate in this manner, email (insert correct address here). For our class reunion, we will be having a brunch Sunday morning at Castaways Restaurant in San Bernardino from 10am-2pm. A photographer will be on hand to photograph our class at 11:30 am. The cost for the meal is $40.00/plate. You can pay for your tickets in advance by visiting our class website and clicking on the link for the brunch. You can also mail a check to the Alumni Association, at 11245 Anderson Street, Suite 200, Loma Linda, CA 92354. Be sure to indicate in the memo line that this is for Class of '90 Reunion Brunch. Finally, we would like to compile an email list for our class to make communication easier. Could you please take a moment so send a quick email to insert correct address here? I look forward to seeing many of you in the near future. Sincerely, John Doe ‘90 P.S. Don’t forget to visit our class webpage at call for web address to make your class gift in honor of our 25th Class Anniversary. 13 Class Reunion Book Questionnaire If you know you will be publishing a class reunion book you will want to include a questionnaire like this with your class letter. See page 11 to learn more about publishing a class reunion book. Full Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Primary Address: _____________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________ State: _______ Zip: _____________ Primary Phone Number: _______________________________________________________ Primary Email: _______________________________________________________________ Employer/Occupation: _________________________________________________________ What have you been doing since graduation? Please include job/s, education, volunteer activities, political work, family, interesting things you do in your spare time: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ What is most important to you now? (Work, academics, family, etc.): ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Best vacation since graduation: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ If the person you were when you left LLU were to meet your current self, what would surprise him/her the most? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Please return completed questionnaire no later than (date) to: (name) (address) (email address) 14 Class Reunion Webpage Sample Class Page for 1990 School of Medicine Graduates Class Representatives: insert name | insert name | insert name Our 25th Class Reunion will be during APC on March 8, 2013! Click here to RSVP. A class photo will be taken at the reunion and a copy printed in the Alumni Journal. Our class gift will be presented and our class recognized during the APC Gala on Monday, March 9, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Purchase tickets to the Gala here. 20th Class Reunion Photo (2008, Loma Linda, CA) Note: A few classmates are missing as they arrived late. Class of 1988 It is a LLU School of Medicine tradition that the 25th Class Reunion Goal: make a class gift to commemorate their special anniversary. Our goal $40,000.00 is to raise at least $40,000 to help the School of Medicine purchase Achieved: two diagnostic ultrasound machines. If you haven't given to our class fund yet, please consider making a contribution. All monies collected $37,400.00 1988 Class Fund are held in trust by the Alumni Association and distributed only upon class request. Your donation to the 1988 Class Fund is tax-deductible. For more information, contact the Alumni Association. 15 Click here to make a donation. Preliminary APC Weekend Schedule Friday 9:00—11:30 am Campus Tours 12:00 noon Lunch on Your Own 1:00—4:00 pm Symposium 7:00 pm Mission Vespers Saturday 9:00-12:00 pm Worship Services 12:00-2:30 pm Fellowship Dinner/ Mission Luncheon (AIMS) 4:30 pm National Auxiliary Vespers 7:30 pm Entertainment (to be determined) Sunday 7:00 am APC Scientific Program registration opens 7:45 am Devotional and Opening Remarks 8:00 am—4:00 pm Plenary Sessions and Specialty Symposiums (CME credit) 10:00 am—3:00 pm Exhibits and Scientific Poster Session 12:00 pm Alumni Luncheon and School Update 5:00—9:00 pm Class Reunions Monday 7:45 am Devotional 8:00 am—4:00 pm Plenary Sessions (CME credit) 10:00 am—2:00 pm Exhibits and Scientific Poster Session 12:00 pm Physician/Medical Student Luncheon 6:00 pm APC Gala (Alumni Awards) 16 Class Reunion Sign-in Sheet Class of 1965 Name Email Address 17 Class Reunion Sign-in Sheet Class of 1991 Name Email Address 18
© Copyright 2024