Each time we put on a class reunion we have classmates ask us about the registration fees and what all it pays for. There are so many costs associated with each reunion that it's hard to lay out all of them. For starters, we have to have a place to meet. We could just tell everyone to meet at a club or a restaurant, like we are doing on Friday nights--but we have no control over the location. It's also open to the public without a designated or more private place and that's OK for a while.

For a gathering, we really need a private location for our reunion. To cut costs, we try to find a location where we can bring in our own food, or have it catered, and bring in our own drinks, which saves us a lot of money. This year it will take the registration fees of 34 classmates just to pay for the location.

Add to that the cost of postage and mailing supplies, printing, decorations, food and drinks and you should be able to see where the funds are going. In addition to the reunion we have the web site we keep up year round and a service provided by Bonnie Trcka-Rathke for our class. Bonnie is on the Reunion Committee but goes out of her way each day as she checks the obituaries for not only classmate listing but relatives of our classmates. When she is able to identify someone connected to our Class or one of our Classmates, she sends out a card from the Class of 1971 to the family.

We started allowing Table Sponsors in order to keep cost down and to help pay for our guest, such as teachers, and to help cover the cost of the Web Site. In return for the money donated by the Table Sponsors they will get their name placed on a table at the reunion as well as having their name posted on the Web Site for at least one year.

The cost to sponsor a table is a low $100.00, which your business can write off as an advertisement. If you have a business and would like to let the other classmates know about it while helping to keep our cost down, contact us today! (malone@bga.com).