Learn to create a family reunion Facebook Group, website and T-shirts

Used to be, saving the memories from a family reunion was a huge undertaking – writing family histories, compiling photo albums, creating recipe books and making home movies.

With the digital revolution, it’s become a heck of a lot simpler: you can create a Reunion Facebook page or website with a few simple clicks and it can act as the storage vault for all your pictures, stories, recipes and videos. They’re also great organizational tools leading up to the event. And creating a memorable reunion t-shirt can be just about as simple as powering up your computer.

Group Facebook Page

A Facebook Page dedicated to your family reunion is a free and easy way to communicate with everyone in the family who’s active on Facebook. Broadcast event updates, create discussions and take polls before the event. Share stories, pictures and videos after the event.

• Build it
  Visit this link for an easy how-to. In a few clicks, you’ll have your Group Page and you can populate it with pics and info. Make it “private” in the settings if you want to keep it between family members.
• Invite the Family
  Sent invites via Facebook to everyone in the family who has a personal Facebook page. This might also be a great time to help older family members learn about Facebook, if they don’t already. It’s a great way to stay in touch with the grandkids!
• Add a Hashtag
  For the more social media savvy – tweens, teens, twenty-somethings and beyond, bring Instagram into the mix. This phone app is another great way to share and compile reunion photos. Simply create a unique reunion hashtag, e.g. #SmithFamilyFun, and include it with all the reunion pics posted on Instagram or Facebook. You can even include KOA’s hashtag #KOACamping for a chance for us to feature you photos!

Reunion Website

A website dedicated to the event is another great way to share information and memories. It may sound daunting, but there are a number of online companies that provide easy templates to get your site up and running. Some charge a monthly fee and have more bells and whistles, while the more simple templates are free.
Here’s just a sampling:

• MyEvent.com and Famlu.com both charge a fee, but offer a number of great options and designs.
• Myheritage.com and EasySite.com are free and offer simple templates to get you started.

Event T-Shirts

Creating a family reunion t-shirt for the whole gang is a great way to make everyone feel included, plus it makes it easy to spot members of the tribe throughout the KOA campgrounds. Once the reunion is over, the shirts may trigger fun memories whenever they come out of the drawer.

• Compare Vendors
  Search for “Family Reunion T-shirts” online and a number of companies will come up that offer cool designs and bulk prices.
• Make it Colorful
  Choose one design for all shirts, but have different color shirts for each family within the clan.
• Find the Fit
  Perhaps you want men’s and women’s style shirts, or one basic shirt for everyone. Either way, start a size/style sign-up sheet through e-mail, Facebook or your reunion website. Set a deadline!
• DIY
  Another option is to have everyone bring a plain shirt to the reunion and create shirts using pre-made stencils with the family name or logo. (Search for “family reunion t-shirt stencils” online.) Or bring white shirts and turn the kids loose with tie-dye kits from a craft store!