The purpose of The Bryant Family News section is to inform family members of what's going on. We'd like to know if you're getting married, graduating, going away/back to school, having a baby, starting a business, etc. Please submit family news using the "contact us" link. |
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SPREAD THE WORD...The 2013 Bryant Family Reuion will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado from July 25 - 28!!! Get ready for a weekend of family, fellowship, and fun! Details to follow. |
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February 2, 2012 - Ernest "Danny" Genes underwent surgery last week and is recovering nicely. Please continue to pray that he continues to recover without incident. Get well soon Danny! |
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Karen "Kerry" Bryant Miller has started a basket making business! Let's support her by purchasing her baskets and spreading the word!
Beautiful Handmade Baskets · Any Size · Any Color · Any Style · Lined or Unlined Also available upon request: Contact Karen D. Miller for more information: (615) 471-4221 (615) 268-0076 Note: Prices Vary Depending On Size and Style Of Basket |
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Hey Family,
Let’s get together this year. This world is passing so we need to see each other now; this message is urgent! We just might be next in line for an earthquake or a flood. God has been too good to us to put a price on family. We don’t want to wait until we come together and one is missing, you know what I mean. So please take it to prayer. Love,
Anna
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, May 16, 2010
2:05 - 2:19 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
As per our last meeting, if 50 adults hadn’t registered by May 15, 2010 then the reunion would be cancelled. As of yesterday (May 15) only 6 people had registered for the reunion. Kerry made a motion to cancel the reunion…4 out of 4 votes were cast to cancel the 2010 Bryant Family Reunion.
The committee was disappointed that family couldn’t come together again since everyone had a great time two years ago.
Below is the list of things to do because of the reunion cancellation:
1) Henry will check Croatian Club to find out how much we get back from our deposit.
2) Irene and Huck will check to see what we get back from the deposit put on the firehouse.
3) Huck will contact Mt. Olive to inform them that the reunion has been cancelled.
4) Kerry will contact Larry Stokes and the hotel to notify them of the cancellation.
5) Huck commented that we still need to pay the graphic artist $65 for making the family logo even though we’re not using it.
6) Richard will contact the park to see if we get anything back for cancelling the shelter; if not, Kerry will send him a check for $70 to cover that expense. Richard also suggested that if we can’t get anything back on the shelter to just let family know that it’s available and whoever is in Quip can come together and enjoy themselves anyway.
7) Kerry will send full refunds to the six registered family members.
The committee decided that maybe our family will be ready to come together again in 2013. Dedicated family members will be needed to work on the committee to replace those who will not serve again.
The committee decided to again use FB, EMAIL, and WESBSITE to notify family members of the reunion cancellation.
Huck suggested that the reunion money is put in a CD so it’ll earn some interest and not just sitting in a checking account for three years. The committee will discuss it more at the next meeting.
Committee will meet again next Sunday for final financial report balances.
Kerry thanked everyone for all their dedication and hard work in preparing for this reunion.
Next meeting date: Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 2 PM.
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, May 2, 2010
2:17 - 2:28 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Lottery Tickets Update: The lottery ticket fundraiser was a success. All unsold tickets and money is accounted for. Dessa still owes $50 or 25 tickets. Lottery number chosen was 574 which was an unsold ticket which means that we keep all of the money – awesome!!!
Reunion Cost Update: Since there wasn’t a winner for the lottery fundraiser, the money raised can be used to pay for the photographer. In doing that, the reunion costs will be reduced from $80 to $70. The $40 cost for 6-12 attendees will not be affected because the photography cost was only distributed between the 13 and over attendees.
Reunion Cancellation Discussion: No additional family members have registered for the reunion since our meeting last week. The original plan remains the same even with the decrease in cost: if 50 adults aren’t paid by May 15, then the 2010 Bryant Family reunion will be cancelled.
The committee decided to again use FB, EMAIL, and WESBSITE as well as the reminder registration packet via mail as a reminder of the cost reduction, deadline and possible reunion cancellation.
Since our cancellation deadline is May 15, the committee decided to meet again on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 2 PM and move on from there.
Next meeting date: Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 2 PM.
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FYI: To date, there are still only two people registered for the 2010 Bryant Family Reunion, which is scheduled to begin in 66 days. As a result, the committee will not continue planning until absolutely certain that family and friends are actually attending. Let’s be clear: The committee will cancel the reunion if 50 adults aren’t registered by May 15th - so please register so that family and friends can come together for a great weekend of fun activities. Hope the registrations will start to pour in so planning can continue!
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, April 25, 2010
2:17 - 2:50 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Lottery Tickets Update: 294 tickets left! Irene will give the money to Henry and he will overnight money to Kerry on tomorrow so the money will be available for the winner on the 30th. Kerry should receive $1126 this week from Irene/Henry, Dessa, Huck, & Richard.
Picnic Update: Richard will use same caterer as last year. Menu in the works as well as additional costs he’ll need such as decorations, lunch food such as snacks, desserts, burgers, hotdogs, buns, condiments, ice, drinks, paper goods, DJ (TBD), park deposit is $70 as well. Discussed that Meet & Greet and Picnic events should be able to share paper goods…all agreed and will coordinate when/if time comes.
Reunion Cancellation Discussion: Henry suggested that we stop planning and decide what would determine cancelling the reunion. Huck stated that a mass email was sent out, a notice was put on FB, and the website was updated to remind people that the May 15 deadline was fast approaching. Since then, no additional family members have paid. After much discussion, the committee decided: if 50 adults aren’t paid by May 15, then the 2010 Bryant Family reunion will be cancelled.
The committee decided to again use FB, EMAIL, and WESBSITE as well as the reminder registration packet via mail as a reminder of the deadline and possible reunion cancellation.
Since our cancellation deadline is May 15, the committee decided to meet again on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 2 PM and move on from there.
Next meeting date: Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 2 PM.
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, April 18, 2010
2:17 - 2:49 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Lottery Tickets Update: 326 tickets left! Most people with tickets have turned in the money and/or leftover tickets to Irene. She has tried without success to contact Richard regarding the 100 tickets that he has. Irene wants to wait to send the money to Kerry on April 27th instead of the 23rd so she can continue to sell the tickets. Irene will give the money to Henry and he will overnight all money to Kerry on April 27th so the money will be available for the winner on the 30th.
Reunion Cancellation Discussion: Huck asked the question “At what point do we cancel the reunion?” To date only two people have registered. There’s been continued discussion that family members aren’t happy with the cost or location but at this point there’s nothing we can do about it. When the family had an opportunity to vote for the location, they chose Aliquippa/Beaver or Allegheny County; in order to pay for everything that we’re offering for the reunion, the cost is what it is. The registration/payment deadline is May 15 and with only two people paid, planning is becoming stagnant because no one wants to continue using their time to continue planning when a cancellation seems imminent. Continued discussing that if the reunion was cancelled that we’d lose half of the deposit on the banquet; Huck and Irene will check on financial loss for the fire station. Decided to send out mass email, put notice on Facebook and the family website encouraging people to register. The committee decided to wait until the next meeting to determine if registration has increased to determine cancellation.
Meet & Greet Update: Irene & Huck are all set with the exception of the minute details.
Picnic Update: Richard is in charge of the picnic but hasn’t attended the last couple meetings or provided information necessary to determine progress. Henry and Huck agreed to continue trying to contact Richard to find out his progress and if he needs help.
Banquet Update: Henry is continuing to work on the banquet program…all is well.
T-shirts Update: We agreed on a white t-shirt and to use the new family logo on the front of the t-shirt only. Nothing will be on the back of the shirt.
Goodies for welcome/registration bags: Discussed getting reusable bags & mugs with our family logo for the welcoming bags. Can’t decide until people register so we’ll know if ordering/buying them will be cost effective.
Next meeting date: Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 2 PM.
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May 15th, the registration deadline for the 2010 Bryant Family Reunion, is fast approaching!!! In order for everyone to be accommodated, please register as soon as possible and get prepared to be reunited with family and friends for a great weekend of fun, food, and fellowship!!! |
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, April 11, 2010
2:03 - 2:40 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Lottery Tickets Update: Irene bought 1000 tickets and distributed them to various family members; there are only 293 tickets left. Irene needs to collect money from the people who have tickets but has collected $326 so far. Overview to date: 707 tickets distributed x $2 each = $1414 - $750 to the winner - $59 for cost of tickets = $605 profit so far (when all money is collected.) Hopefully the rest of the tickets will be sold as that will increase our profits. It should also be noted that if the winning ticket is not purchased, the reunion committee will keep all money with the exception of the $59 spent on the tickets. ALL money should be sent to Kerry by April 23rd. Kerry will send a cashiers check to the winner. The committee is proud of the effort and leadership by Irene on this fundraiser…Great Job Irene…keep up the good work!
Reunion Attendance: At this point, only two people have registered and paid for the reunion…what do we do to pick up registration? According to Irene, there are people who are not attending because the cost is too high for kids aged 13 and above. Discussion will continue at next meeting.
Next meeting will be held on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 2 PM.
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Registration Reminder
Many of us have indicated via our family website that we are planning to attend the reunion and this is wonderful news! Family members are planning to come from Oregon, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Utah, Tennessee, Massachussetts, Michigan, Georgia, Maryland, DC and of course, Pennsylvania!!! What a grand time we are going to have visiting with Bryants from all over the country!!! The reunion committee members are diligently working and planning wonderful activities for each event. In an effort to continue our planning this wonderful four day reunion, we need to send in our registration forms along with payment as soon as possible. Please check the "Who's Attending" page to see who's definitely attending the reunion. If you have any questions or comments, please use the "contact us" link. We are looking forward to us all having a wonderful time as we reunite descendants from George & Mary Eva Bryant from all over the country for this blessed occasion! |
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Register and Pay
The reunion committee members are diligently working and planning wonderful activities for our upcoming reunion. The registration deadline is May 15; however, in an effort to continue our planning this wonderful four day reunion, we need to you to send in your registration forms along with payment as soon as possible. It’s difficult to guess how many t-shirts or how much food to order if everyone waits until the deadline to register and pay. If you don’t have the entire amount, please register and send a deposit so we can plan accordingly. We are so excited that the reunion is only 3 months away…so please help us by responding quickly!! |
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More great Bryant baby news!!! Ernest Jamal & Tina Genes welcomed Issiah Anthony Genes who was born February 12, 2010 at 1:58 AM at the Medical Center in Beaver. He weighed 7lbs 6 oz. and was 23 inches long. Issiah joins big brother Israel Jamal Genes who was born January 3, 2009 10:41 AM at the Medical Center in Beaver. Congratulations Jamal and Tina!! |
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Let's welcome a new addition to the Bryant Family! |
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Family Reunion Lottery Fundraiser
To all family members in the Pennsylvania area: The 2010 Bryant Family Reunion Committee is having a lottery fundraiser and we have 10 and ½ weeks to sell 1,000 PA lottery tickets for the drawing being held on April 30, 2010! If you are willing to help me sell tickets, please contact me as soon as possible at 724-378-3172. Your help and support is needed for a successful fundraiser. Love, Irene |
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The 2010 Bryant Family Reunion Committee has been diligently working and has determined the cost of our upcoming reunion! The cost for all activities and t-shirt is $80 per person ages 13-adult; $40 per person ages 6-12; $7 per person 5 and under (cost of t-shirt.) The reunion will NOT be sold per event - each person attending will need to pay for the entire reunion as it becomes difficult to manage the events sold separately. Remember...friends are welcome at same cost! More details to come...so please start saving your money NOW!
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, December 20, 2009
3:03 - 3:25 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Fundraiser: Irene was going to give information about a possible PA lottery raffle fundraiser. Huck feels Irene checked out the information but unfortunately no one has a current phone number for her to inform her about the meeting and the weather was too bad for anyone to go to her house to inform her. Henry will get in touch with Irene and work with her in making sure the information is ready for the next meeting.
Hotel: Kerry gathered information about the hotel chosen for the reunion: LaQuinta Inns & Suites on 8507 University Blvd, Moon Township, PA 15108-2509; Pittsburgh (Airport) The costs are: Thursday and Friday nights $72.25 & Saturday and Sunday nights $67.15 NOT including tax.
Picnic: Richard reported that he’s checking on the DJ and may be able to get someone for much cheaper than he’d previously anticipated. Meet & Greet: Everything is taken care of except small details like decorations. Banquet: Everything is taken care of…Henry just needs to work on the program. Church Service: Everything is taken care of. We will participate in service at Mt. Olive as before but our family pastors will not preach. Misc: Huck feels that we need step up our efforts on advertising this reunion. We need to get people pumped up and excited. We also need to remind people that friends as well as family are invited so they too should go to the website to sign up. We will start to bombard people with emails about the reunion and those who are on Facebook should also start talking it up. We also discussed the payment cut-off date – May 15, 2010 - for the reunion and closing the website down so that we don’t run into the same issues as last year. We agreed to again NOT collect money at the door as we need to provide a definite count prior to the reunion. We discussed getting family keepsakes with our logo on them…Huck will check into this and give details at an upcoming meeting. Huck will update the reunion sections of the website as well as put the minutes up. Next meeting will be held on Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 3 PM. |
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Kidney Donation
Henry Green is in need of a kidney transplant and has been diligently searching to find a donor. Several family members have gone through starting the process to determine if they’re a match for Henry. One of the people who went through the matching process was his sister, Odessa Green Lazard. Through God’s grace, Dessa is a match for Henry!!! Woohoo!! The search for a donor has ended and now Henry and Dessa would like us to pray that the kidney transplant is uneventful. We are so thankful to have family members who are willing to sacrifice of themselves to save another. Please keep them both in prayer as they journey through this process. |
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, September 20, 2009
3:09 - 3:42 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Picnic: Richard stated that he secured North Park for the picnic and the cost is $70 for the pavilion which holds 100+ people, is next to a lake, has a swimming pool, fishing, golf, paddle boating…things like that. Richard is not sure if equipment is available to rent as it’s a county park; family members and friends would have to bring their own equipment. The pavilion has a kitchen setup that’s very similar to Brady’s Run but the bathrooms are more acceptable and flushable; in addition they also have port-a-potties throughout the park. North Park is in Allegheny County close to Cranberry and about the same distance from Quip as Brady’s Run. (FYI: it’s 20 miles from Baker Street to North Park) Henry suggested having maps available for family members and Richard said he’d take care of it. Richard has not secured a caterer yet but is checking them out.
Banquet: Henry has nothing to report.
Projector: Kerry spoke with Larry Stokes about us using his projector for the Meet and Greet and he said he’d bring it. He didn’t mention a cost associated with using it but Kerry will call him back to make sure there’s no cost so there are no surprises that night. Kerry will make up a contract including everything we want and send it to him. This way both parties are covered.
Hotels: Kerry contacted the hotels recommended by the committee. Hampton Inn is not available. Contacted LaQuinta Inn & Suites offered $89 first night $79 the second night with continental breakfast; The Marriot offered $89 per night with no breakfast; The Embassy Suites offered $100 per night plus $10 extra per person over 18 with full breakfast. Huck asked what these rates are discounted from but Kerry didn’t have that information available…she will check it out. After much discussion the committee agreed to wait and make a decision once Kerry finds out what the actual room rates are. She will have the information available at the next meeting.
Logos: Huck sent an email to committee members with logo choices attached. Richard, Kerry, and Huck liked the first choice. Henry didn’t see them yet and Irene has no email access at this time. Committee agreed to enhance and go with the first one.
Fundraiser: We’d discussed creating a booklet and selling ads to raise money. After much discussion, we agreed not to do this fundraiser at this time. Irene suggested a fundraiser associated with the PA lottery and agreed to get information for the next meeting.
Next teleconference meeting will be on Sunday, October 4, 2009 @ 2 PM.
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, August 16, 2009
2:03 - 2:44 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Picnic: Richard stated that he had nothing to report. Kerry reminded him that the reunion is the Fourth of July weekend therefore making it more difficult to secure a location if we wait much longer. Kerry asked if Richard needed someone to help him get the ball rolling but he said no he didn’t see the urgency. He will now get on it now and have the park selected by the next meeting.
This meeting was more of a question and answer session.
When is the money due? After much discussion, May 15 was decided upon.
What times will the events begin and end? Meet & Greet: 5 PM – midnight; Picnic: 11 AM – until; Banquet: 5 PM – 11 (this is tentative as Henry wasn’t there to confirm).
Are we mailing out registration packets since some people don’t have email addresses? Yes, will mail after the New Year but will use email, website, and word of mouth until then.
Should we use the website to accept payments? Yes. Huck wants it to be clear that there’s a fee attached to EACH ticket purchased on the website. The fees are as follows:
13 – adult:
6 – 12 years:
5 – under:
When should we open the website up to make payments? As soon as possible. If you choose not to use the website to purchase tickets, please send your checks/money order to
Karen D. Miller, 1314 Brentridge Drive, Antioch, TN 37013. Please call her at 615-331-1980 if you have any additional questions.
Will family members be able to make installments on the total reunion costs? YES. Please send your partial payments to Karen D. Miller, 1314 Brentridge Drive, Antioch, TN 37013. Partial payments WILL NOT be accepted via website. If you use the website, it will deduct the entire amount, including fees, from your credit card. Partial payments MUST be mailed to Kerry.
Do we want to include something with reunion logo for goodie bags such as mugs, caps, pens, and key chains? Yes Huck will check it out because the prices seem too good to be true..she’s sure there’s a catch somewhere. When she finds out, she’ll report it to the committee.
Are we still going to have a family booklet and sell ad space? Kerry will spearhead this possible fundraiser and Huck will assist. Huck will go to Kinko’s and find out costs for booklet and we will go from there. If it’s determined that the fundraiser is successful, it could lower the price of the reunion for family members.
Do we want to have another slideshow for the Meet & Greet? Yes. Family members should send pictures in via website/email to be included. Huck will use
Since we know that Larry Stokes has a projector, should we ask him to use/rent his projector on Friday night @ Meet & Greet to project slideshow? Kerry will contact and ask him…then we’ll take it from there.
Hotel: Kerry contacted the Embassy Suites to get info regarding blocking rooms. She wasn’t sure how many rooms to block so she chose 15 and wanted to know if that was a good number. We felt 15 was a good number because most of the family members live in the Aliquippa area. Irene suggested she check the Marriot and other hotels out on Broadhead road by the mall.
Next teleconference meeting will be on Sunday, September 13, 2009 @ 3 PM.
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, August 2, 2009
2:04 - 3:00 PM
In attendance:
Karen Miller committee chairperson & representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion: In order to determine the cost of the reunion per person we discussed each event as follows:
Banquet: After much discussion we agreed that we’d serve three entrees which would cost $23.31 per person. This cost includes coffee, tea and iced tea. Additional beverages such as sodas, wine, and/or liquor will be available via a cash bar. Children’s meals between the ages of 6 and 12 will be half priced. The cost of the cake, DJ equipment, decorations and incidentals will be $488.50. In considering all costs, the total cost of the banquet will be $28 per person for family members 13 years and older, $14.00 for family members ages 6-12 and free for family members 5 and under.
Meet & Greet: After much discussion we agreed that the cost for the karaoke, hall, food, beverages, paper goods and incidentals will $10 per person for family members 13 and older, $5 per person for family members ages 6-12 and free for family members 5 and under. Liquor will not be sold or available but you are welcome to bring your own bottle.
Photographer: Another thing we needed to determine would be the cost photographer which is $1100. The total cost of the photographer will be $9 per person for family members 13 years and older, free for family members ages 12 and under.
Picnic: Without Richard present to give his report, the picnic was the only other event we needed to address to determine the family reunion costs. In order to make a decision today, we have to guess at the cost for the picnic. So we guessed that the picnic is $20 per person for family members 13 years and older, $10.00 for family members ages 6-12 and free for family members 5 and under.
There was concern as to whether Richard still plans to chair the picnic as he is not returning phone calls or attending meetings. Huck volunteered to continue trying to contact him.
T-shirts: The logo for the t-shirts is $65. Children sized shirts will be $8; adult sized shirts will be $11; children aged 5 and under shirts are $7.
Church Service: No charge.
Note: The reunion will NOT be sold per event. Each person attending will need to pay for the entire reunion as it becomes unable to manage the events sold separately.
2010 Bryant Family Reunion Costs
Ages 13 & up - $80 Ages 6-12 - $40 Ages 5 and under - $7 Next teleconference meeting will be on Sunday, August 16 @ 2 PM.
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Look Who's Coming!!!
The 2010 Bryant Family Reunion Committee has been diligently working to plan another wonderful reunion weekend. This reunion looks to be just as wonderful, if not more wonderful, than the last one! As you know the 2008 reunion was exclusive to the Bryant Family members so we could reunite and get to know one another. The 2010 reunion will be open not only to Bryant Family members but their friends are also welcome at the same cost – woohoo!!! (Start saving your money so you’ll be prepared when the money is due.) The “Look Who’s Coming” page has been turned on so we can get an idea of who and how many people are planning to attend. Please use the contact us link to let us know your intentions. |
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Alee Capel competed @ the Regional Track & Field Championships held in Jamestown, NY July 9th to July 12th. She took 1st place in the 1500 meter Racewalk sub-bantam division! The Capel family would like to thank everyone for their prayers. Congratulations Alee! |
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Alee Capel competed in the Three Rivers Association Track & Field Championship at California University on June 20th. She took 1st place in the 1500m Racewalk. Alee now advances to the Regional Championship being held in Jamestown, NY on July 9th-12th, 2009. Please pray for Alee & her family as they travel to Jamestown. |
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Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, June 14, 2009
2:00 - 2:18 P.M.
In attendance: Karen Bryant Miller (Chairperson)
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
PICNIC: Richard gave his 'rough' estimates for the picnic:
Picnic Site - $120.00
Caterer - $1,100.00 - $1,400.00
DJ - $350.00
Snacks - $50.00
Beverages, Water, Ice, etc. - $125
Hot dogs, hamburgers, charcoal, etc. - $75.00
Misc. Sports - $100.00
Paper Products - $100.00
Then Richard discussed sites for picnic:
North Park (Allegheny Co.)
Brush Creek Park (Beaver Co.)
Economy Park (Beaver Co.)
Richard stressed that he was going to try to get North Park because they have more activities for the children. I asked if we had to provide our own life guard and Richard replied, 'no'.
Richard expressed that it was too early to get true prices on, for example, the DJ, because it was too far in advance. I asked Richard if he would at least have definite numbers for the picnic site at next conference call meeting and he replied, 'yes'.
Next teleconference will be held on Sunday, June 28, 2009 @ 2 PM.
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, May 31, 2009
2:00 - 2:34 P.M.
In attendance:
Karen Bryant Miller (Chairperson)
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
MEET & GREET:
Irene sent Huck several numbers to call to inquire about locations for the Meet and Greet. Huck called the Center Firehouse on Vankirk and Monaco Road (this is the 724-728-9999 number) The contact person’s name is Jeff and his number is 724-624-0529. He said that Thursday, July 1, 2010 is available and the hall rental amount is $150. We also have to send in $100 security deposit which is refundable when the hall is cleaned to their satisfaction. We would rent the hall until midnight and if no one is renting the place the day before, we can go in there and set up the night before. I told him we were looking at 100-150 people (I was guessing from last year). He said:
· We could bring our own food but there is no cooking on the premises. He said they have a full kitchen available for warming food. We need to bring our own utensils as none are provided.
· We can serve alcohol and if we need to rent a beer mitzer for a keg of beer we can rent one from them for $25. He said if we got a keg of beer we’d end up renting one from the beer distributor and to rent from them would be easier as we could just leave it there and not worry about returning it.
· They will supply folding tables and chairs but we would have to set up and take down. (I didn’t ask if they were round or rectangular – Irene said they’re rectangular.)
· They will supply garbage bags and cans.
· The address there is CTVFT #3, 110 Vankirk Road, Monaca, PA 15061. If we decide to go with them, we need to notify Jeff and they will send two contracts: one for us to keep and one to sign and send back with the $100 security deposit.
Huck also called the Broadhead Road Firehouse (this is the 724-774-1566 number given by Irene.) The person who answered would not take reservations as they only take reservations a year out. This hall is more expensive than the Vankirk location.
Huck called Embassy Suites and spoke with Kristel who sent a link with hotel menu information. Huck forwarded the link to Kerry and Irene…we must use their food and the food menu is very expensive from Huck’s perspective! Food costs $68.50-82 for only 25 pieces. The present committee members agreed that this cost was too high.
Irene contacted the Greek Center and no one has returned her call but from friends and relatives she believes it costs more than the fire hall on Vankirk.
Irene has been to the Vankirk fire hall and said it will be perfect for our Meet and Greet as the facility is very nice and there’s ample parking. We all agreed. Huck will contact the Jeff and request the contract. Irene also called Teenie to find out if she had information on caterers. Teenie agreed to cook/prepare the food for our event for no charge…with the exception of the cost of the food. She will figure out how much the cost for food will be for around 150 people and let us know. She’s going to check the price for various kinds of wings, cheese trays, and stuff like that. Irene stated that Teenie will probably shop at Aldi and we should know that they are not going to take a check so we must consider this down the road. Huck suggested that if Teenie tells us how much the food will cost then we either send a check or money order in her name and she will just give us change along with a receipt.
Huck and Irene will check on the costs of plates, utensils, tablecloths, and beverages. Irene stated that the beer distributor also sells plates, cups, etc. so all we’ll need to do is compare the prices from there and a warehouse like BJ’s or Sam’s and decide which would meet our needs – Irene will check cost from both places. When purchasing the bulk items for Meet & Greet, these may be enough for the picnic as well so we’d kill two birds with one stone! We discussed whether to supply liquor to the family during the Meet & Greet or have family members bring their own. If we, as a committee, supply liquor, the cost of the affair will be much higher and that’s not our goal. It will probably be best if its BYOB and the committee supplies non-alcoholic beverages and water…the discussion was tabled until more committee members were in attendance.
Huck called the DJ/karaoke guy several times but didn’t hear back from him yet; Huck will call Sue to find out if another number is available. The cost was $75 last year so it may be a little more expensive but not too much more. Will continue to try to contact them again.
HOTEL: Kerry has not found out hotel information as of yet but will have something to report for our next meeting.
PICNIC: No information from Richard.
BANQUET: Henry is working on it and will report at our next meeting.
PHOTOGRAPHER: No information as of yet. Huck will contact Dessa to find out if she contacted Larry Stokes about taking pictures for the reunion.
T-SHIRTS: No information from Dessa. Kerry has a friend who just started a t-shirt printing business and will contact him to find out if he will give us a deal. She is going to check it out to find out only to help Dessa in case she hasn’t found anyone yet. Unfortunately Roger who did an excellent job for us last year passed away.
Next meeting date: June 14, 2009 @ 2 PM
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, May 17, 2009
2:00 - 2:42 P.M.
In attendance:
Karen Bryant Miller – Reunion Chairperson
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Note: Committee members were reminded of meeting via text and/call prior to meeting.
Purpose of meeting is to discuss costs for different events so we’ll know what to charge the family.
MEET & GREET: Irene called the Greek Center but didn’t get a reply. Irene also checked into Embassy Suites – she was looking into getting a room/suite to use for distributing registration bags. With discount from her friend, the cost for the room would be - $139.50. She didn’t get specific information on the banquet facilities but found that if we rent a room/suite from them that we would be able to use all hotel facilities such as pool, weight room, etc. It was agreed that renting a room to distribute registration bags wouldn’t meet our needs and would exclude those working the table from family members as well as the festivities. The committee asked Irene to check on the banquet facilities that the Embassy Suites has to offer and report back with whatever other information she finds on different locations. Irene had also suggested Center Stage and several firehouses. She suggested firehouse may work for us because you can bring your own food, drinks, etc. The committee suggested that Irene find out the particulars/costs so we can decide how much to charge family members for the event. Huck volunteered to help Irene call locations for information for Meet & Greet if Irene wanted the help and Irene accepted the help.
HOTEL: Kerry has not found out hotel information as of yet but will have something to report for our next meeting. She said the McCoys block off a bunch of suites at Embassy Suites and instead of paying $139 they pay around $78. With suites you can get about six or seven people in each one which will lower the cost for family members. Irene said the suites are $95 + tax. Kerry asked Irene if she knew whether or not getting the banquet facility would get us a discount on the rooms…Irene didn’t know. Kerry volunteered to be responsible for the hotel accommodations for our out of state family members and will check out prices for rooms and suites as well as blocking off rooms.
PICNIC: No information – Huck called Richard during the meeting and left a message on both numbers. Committee members are concerned that Richard hasn’t attended any of the meetings and are wondering if he’s going to continue overseeing this event. Irene suggested Kennywood and the committee discussed the fact that different family had suggested Kennywood for the family picnic. Huck felt that Kennywood would be great for an outing but if our goal is to spend time with, reacquaint with, and get to know one another then Kennywood isn’t the place to do it because once at the park everyone would scatter with people they already know and our goal won’t be met. Irene felt that there was a shelter there that would accommodate our needs. Kerry commented that she believes the rides would distract us from reconnecting with one another. The committee members present agreed that Kennywood wouldn’t be the best place for our family picnic. We agreed that if family members want to get together and go there when they have free time over the weekend…they’re welcome. Irene stated that there really wasn’t much for the kids to do at the last reunion picnic and Huck responded that one of Richard’s responsibilities was to make sure he planned things out for them. He needs to set up a subcommittee and assign someone to be responsible for only games for the kids…if he does that, all will be good in the hood!
BANQUET: Henry has been dealing with Damian’s heart attack and Janet’s mom passing so didn’t gather any information. Henry had given it some thought of using the Fez and will check it out and be ready for the next meeting.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Dessa left for vacation so is not available for meeting. We will get information from her at next meeting.
FUNDRAISERS DISCUSSION: We all agreed that we need to do something quick! The purpose of the fundraisers is to make the cost of the reunion cheaper for the family members. If we don’t have fundraisers, the cost of the reunion will be much higher so we need to do our best to have some successful fundraisers. Discussed Pennsylvania lottery fundraiser – Henry will check on this. Henry stated that we should also be clear that in order for this fundraiser to be successful, EVERYONE will have to sell tickets – NOT just committee members. We also discussed what the prizes should be and agreed that the winning number will be straight and not boxed for a set amount of money to be determined later. Kerry suggested making a family brochure and selling ad space to businesses. Huck suggested we also sell space to family members. Everyone agreed that families might want to buy space for a family owned business, family picture, or in memory of a loved one. Everyone agreed that this would be a great idea. Huck volunteered to contact printing places to find out how much it would cost to print on various kinds of paper as well as color vs. black and white.
Next teleconference will be held on Sunday, May 31, 2009 @ 2 PM.
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Graduation Announcement and Invitation
Juantez Hollins will be graduating from Aliquippa High School on Friday, June 5, 2009. He and his mom, Tamika Genes, would like to invite all family members to the graduation ceremony being held at the Aliquippa High School Auditorium at 7 PM. In addition, an open invitation is extended to all family members to come out and celebrate Juantez’s graduation on Saturday, June 6 at the Center Township VFW - Post 1821, 144 Bunker Hill Road, Aliquippa, PA 15001. We are so proud of Juantez and his accomplishments so please come out and party with him from 5 PM until 12 AM!
After graduation Juantez will attend Pittsburgh University on a full scholarship. He will begin summer classes and practices on June 23.
Congratulations and Good Luck Juantez!!! |
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Mt. Olive's New Pastor |
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Hey Everyone, Check out Little Jason's YouTube debut playing the drums!! He was jammin' and freestylin' a little after church. Jason and Deah are really proud of their "Lil' Dude!" We have such talent in our family! Please leave comments on the YouTube page to let Jason and Deah -especially Little Jason - know what you think!!! |
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, March 8, 2009
2:00 - 2:37 P.M.
In attendance:
Karen Bryant Miller – Reunion Chairperson
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Odessa Green Lazard – family member
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion: Dessa stated that she is stepping down as chairperson because of personal reasons but will do whatever needs to be done to make a successful reunion in 2010. Kerry agreed to chair the 2010 Bryant Family Reunion– CONGRATULATIONS KERRY!!! Everyone agreed to help her make this reunion successful.
Discussion:
Committee Members: The first thing on our agenda is to get another strong committee. To date Irene hasn’t responded to any of the invitations or texts for the reunion meetings and Huck volunteered to contact her to make sure she’s still willing to serve on the committee and take responsibility for the Meet & Greet. Dessa will contact Teenie to see if she will serve on the committee. Henry is still in charge of the banquet and Richard will still be in charge of the picnic. Kerry will continue as treasurer as well. We discussed that Lil Sis’ branch is not yet represented and wondered if Anna would be interested.
Note: Huck was contacted by Linda Wray after viewing our website about being part of the Bryant family. Turns out that her grandfather was actually Grandma Jo’s brother!!! After Huck looked back on the census information that she had researched, Berry Bryant was indeed Josephine Bryant’s brother! Linda also mentioned being brought to Americus as a child and that Mama (Mary Eva Bryant) would bring children over to visit them and Sweetie actually remembered going!!! Linda had been searching around Americus looking for Bryant’s without luck but we all hit paydirt when she came across our website. Huck will ask her if she or one of her family members would like to serve on the committee. Linda is in the process of gathering her family tree info so Berry Bryant’s branch can be added to our tree.
Reunion Location: After combining the email and website poll results, it’s been decided that the 2010 Bryant Family reunion will be held in the Pittsburgh/Beaver County area.
Reunion Discussion: Huck suggested that the event chairpersons start scouting locations and finding out costs so we can inform the family how much the reunion will cost. Everyone agreed. Dessa volunteered to take responsibility for the t-shirts and will provide the reunion bracelets again. Dessa will also contact Larry Stokes to be our photographer again and try to get us the best deal possible and secure the dates. Richard is already giving the park location for the picnic some thought. He’s thinking of North Park and has a few other ideas he’ll check out. Dessa inquired about the reunion church service since the last one was awesome. Suggestions were to go back to Mt. Olive, as well as check out St. John, and Jason’s church Petra. Huck volunteered to organize the service again and will come back with info at the next meeting.
Website Update: The website was started to create a medium for family to communicate and keep in touch with one another and because it was Jack’s idea, he paid for it the first couple of years. Now that the website is successful and well used by the majority of the family, the reunion committee agreed that we (as a family) will take over the responsibility of paying for it. The total cost is $129 for the website and $25 for the domain name totaling $154 for the year. The website expires on March 15, 2009 so Kerry will send a check to Huck and she will pay for and maintain the site (which will be current until March 15, 2010.)
Next teleconference will be held on Sunday, April 5, 2009 @ 2 PM. The agenda will be to solidify the committee; contact the new family branch; discuss reunion events to include location info; discuss fundraiser ideas; and get feedback from Larry Stokes. An invitation will be sent out shortly.
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The Bryant Family is proud to introduce our newest family member: Nikolai Kevin Woods!!! Nikolai, son of Shannon Woods, was born on November 26, 2008 (weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces) at the Beaver County Medical Center in Beaver Pennsylvania. Welcome to the family Nikolai and Congratulations Shannon!!!
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Jason wrote, produced and performed an awesome song entitled:
(We Believe That) "Change Is On The Way." Here is what inspired Jason in his own words: I wrote the song because like most of us, I was greatly inspired by the long, hard fought journey of our new President, Barack Obama. However, the inspiration that preceded his journey came from the many others before him (i.e., Civil Rights Movement) who fought for him to have the opportunity to even run for President. I also wanted to celebrate how far we have come as a nation to even realize this moment in time. I am usually an even-tempered person, with not many extreme ups or downs... so the way I usually express my excitement or emotions is through my music. The song was written just a few days before the Inauguration, and I must admit, my final inspiration came from my Mother. Her excitement about attending the Inauguration with me, how the local press did a story on her, and how they tried hard to get us a spot on the Oprah show gave me all the inspiration I needed to record the song. The song was recorded in about three days between two home studios - some in my friend Joe's studio and some in my home studio. Assisting me on vocals was Deah, and a few friends: (Sarah, Angelique, Leslie, & Diondre). Last but not least, Lil Jason was featured on drums. I hope everyone who is inspired by the song/video will forward it to as many of their friends as possible. It would be the greatest if President Obama could some how come across the song. That would be my ultimate goal!
Let's all help Jason achieve his goal! Enjoy the video, and pass it on!
We're very proud of you Jason!!! |
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Comment sent to website by Ronnie J Woods:
I think Family news should include all news. I just found out from a “non-family” person that Tamika Genes was the victim of a house fire. I feel as a family we should help her. Lets all send her a dollar bill.
Comment to Ronnie by Huck:
I agree that the Family News section should include ALL news! The problem is if no one reports that news via the website comments section (like you did), phone or email, there’s no way to get the information onto the website so everyone is aware! ALL news should include news such as new/lost jobs including promotions, graduations, new births, divorces, deaths, moving, etc. We should all follow your example and pass on information as we get it so we as a family can help each other, congratulate each other, etc. as needed.
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The Quips' run for the State Championship has ended. The Quips suffered a devastating loss Friday, December 5th at Center High School against Wilmington. The Quips lost in overtime 29-28. Thank you to all for the prayers & support of the Quips in this football season.
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WE WON, WE WON!!!
The Aliquippa Quips won their 13th WPIAL title by beating Beaver Falls on November 22, 2008 at Heinz Field with a score of 8-6! Woohoo!!! It was a very exciting game and we nearly froze to death! The Quips are now on a quest for the state championship. They will play Friday, November 28 at Pine-Richland where they will face Karns City at 7:00 p.m. Please pray for the Quips & their families as they make this trip.
GO QUIPS!!! |
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Barack Obama's Inauguration???
We all know that Dessa worked feverishly for the Barack Obama campaign for 18 months. Well, needless to say, she was overjoyed when her efforts paid off as Barack Obama is our history making President-Elect!! As we should have known Barack Obama’s winning was not enough for Dessa to just clasp her hands and say “my work is done!” Dessa called all eleven of the Colorado Senators and Representatives and left a message asking to be considered for tickets to the inauguration. Yesterday, November 10, Dessa received a call from the U.S. Capitol asking her to verify the correct spelling of her name and confirm her address and asked her how many tickets she wanted!!! “WELL DAMN!!!” The U.S. Capitol representative couldn’t/wouldn’t tell her if she was definitely getting tickets…but it seems like she’s a shoe-in, doesn’t it?!!! We should be so excited for her! Oh, what’s even more exciting for me (Huck) is that she asked me to go with her!!! Woohoo!!! Now if that’s not enough…Dessa applied for a job in the Obama administration!!! Wouldn’t that be sweet??!!! She is now waiting for the application which should arrive within the next three days! What an exciting “trip” this is for her!!! We should include Dessa in our prayers that she gets the tickets to the inauguration and a job in the Obama administration. Good Luck Dessa!!!
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On Tuesday, November 4, 2008 history was made as Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States!! Many of us never thought we'd be alive to see the day when an African American would win the top job in the country!!! For all of those who voted for him...NICE JOB!!! For all of those who didn't feel he was the best man for the job...SORRY!!! |
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All Bryant family members are encouraged to vote early. It doesn't matter who you're voting for, just please exercise your right to vote. |
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Church Anniversary Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Aliquippa will be celebrating its church’s anniversary on Sunday, October 19. Minister Ricky Jackson will preach at the 11:00 service and Elder Emanuel Moreland will spread the Word at 4 PM. Please come out and celebrate with them for either or both services. We look forward to worshipping with you. |
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Odessa's Historic Experience
On August 28, 2008 Odessa Green Lazard was in attendance at Invesco Field in Denver when Barack Obama accepted the nomination for Presidency at the Democratic National Convention. The day started with so many people attending the event that the monorails had to drop everyone off two miles away from the field. There was electricity in the air as everyone walked the two miles in anticipation of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. Upon entering the stadium, Dessa was in awe of how the stadium was set up and why she was there – “I was part of a historic event!” She explained that the atmosphere was “indescribable! Everyone there was so nice and emotionally overwhelmed as this was also the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. Everything from the pre-speeches to the music was awesome!” According to Dessa, even though many people had nosebleed seats, it felt like you were sitting right in front of Barack Obama as he spoke because the big screens were everywhere! After entering the stage and getting his much deserved standing ovation, Dessa explained that when he was getting ready to speak, 84,000 people were so quiet that you could actually hear a pin drop!!! After Barack Obama accepted the nomination, Dessa experienced what many people call “thunderous applause” – she said you could actually feel the applause and there was electricity in the air!!! “Being around men and women of all races, ages, and socio-economic backgrounds crying together for the same cause was amazing! I will never forget this experience as long as I live!” stated Dessa. She would like to share her experience with you so please view her pictures in the family albums section of the website. Thanks Dessa for sharing your historic experience with us!
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FYI: All pictures taken by the photographer, Larry Stokes, at our 2008 Bryant Family Reunion have been uploaded to our website. The photos can be found in the Family Albums section. Please don't forget to upload your pictures so they can be added as well. Enjoy!!! |
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Congratulations Dessa!!!
Many of you may know that Dessa loves Barack Obama! She has been volunteering many hours by helping register people to vote, working on the phone banks, etc. She was also there when Barack Obama spoke in Denver on January 30, 2008. As you all know, the 2008 Democratic Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado where Barack Obama will accept the nomination for president on August 28. There are 75,000 seats available, 40,000 of which were given to senators and the press which means the public is vying for the rest of the seats! Among all the people vying for seats Dessa received one - Woohoo!!! Below is the letter of notification that she received:
Dear Odessa,
Congratulations! You will be receiving a Community Credential to Barack Obama's address at the Democratic National Convention. More details on where and when to pick up your credential will be sent via email tomorrow. Due to the substantial number of credentials being distributed, please do not call a Campaign for Change field office today with questions about your credentials. Full details will be sent to you as soon as possible. Barack chose to give his speech at an open event because of his belief in making government accessible to everyone, and the excitement and energy generated by our Open Convention has been tremendous. Thank you for your patience and cooperation in helping to make this convention truly historic. Anne Anne Filipic General Election Director Colorado Campaign for Change As you know it’s an honor for her to be able to attend this historic occasion as Baarack Obama's speech will be delivered on the 45th year anniversary of the day that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his I Have A Dream Speech! Dessa has already picked up and activated her credentials and is so excited! How awesome that after such an awesome family reunion she will now represent the Bryant family at the Democratic Convention!!!
Congratulations Dessa!!! |
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Minutes
for
16th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, August 17, 2008
2:35 - 3:52 PM
In attendance:
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Karen Bryant representing Robert Louis “Boot” Bryant
Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Meeting opened with discussion about the success of the reunion. Dessa started by stating that she felt the visual memories that we have on the website are because of Huck. Huck is now starting to put pictures on the website from the photographer and if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t be able to go back and look and relive the reunion over and over. She congratulated Huck on an awesome job! Henry wanted Huck to know that she did a fantastic job putting the pictures on the website. Dessa asked Huck if she would continue updating the website for the next reunion and she said yes.
Dessa then went on to state that everyone has been talking about the Meet & Greet and commended Irene on doing a fantastic job. Dessa acknowledged that Irene had issues with the Croatian Center but pulled off an event that set the tone for the rest of the reunion. Dessa also thanked Kim for helping Irene during the registration. Irene thanked Huck for helping as well. Everyone felt the event was a success!
Dessa continued by thanking Kerry for doing an awesome job as treasurer. She stated that whenever anyone asked about how much we had Kerry never waivered. Kerry wrote and sent checks when asked and was there and ready whenever someone needed to be paid at the reunion. Everyone agreed that she did an awesome job with our money.
Dessa went on to tell Henry that the Shades of Blue banquet was off the chain. She commented on how Henry transformed the Croatian Center to look like a totally different place from the Meet & Greet and that it was beautiful. She went on to say that the organization of the event was ‘da bomb’! Huck added that the balloon ceremony was beautiful and that most families do a candle ceremony but the spin using balloons was a great touch. Dessa commented that watching the video is also beautiful! Kerry commented that she thought the shades of blue was for the entire weekend so she brought something blue for each day and everyone else commented that a lot of people thought that as well and it turned out beautiful. Henry felt that Kerry did an awesome job on the welcome and thanked her for it.
Dessa went on to say that Richard did a wonderful job with the picnic and the weekend wouldn’t have been the same without it. She commented that she was glad that we decided to barbeque the hamburgers & hotdogs and that Richard did a great job organizing everything and kudos to the caterer! It was awesome that we had a great time and ran out of nothing. Dessa commented that when you look at the videos that it shows how nice everything looked. Richard thanked everyone who helped.
Dessa also said that even though Sue wasn’t on that call that her being a liaison between us and the church was awesome! The church service was off da’ chain! Richard stated that he’s a Christian and goes to church but he’d never felt the way he did while attending that service – that it was awesome. Dessa commented that the church service was a fitting end to the wonderful weekend that we had. She also said that Huck sent out a beautiful thank you note to Mt. Olive for allowing us to participate the way they did.
Dessa put a special shout out for the spouses of the committee members because they worked just as hard!
Dessa then thanked everyone as a whole and said that this was the best committee ever! She also commented that people are amazed that we pulled this reunion off over the phone and from five different states! It’s amazing that we never met in person and found such success. Dessa felt that the dedication of the committee members is what made the reunion successful and she thanked everyone for it. Dessa also stated that we didn’t overspend and we should all be very proud of that!!!
The committee then told Dessa that she was a great leader - that in order to pull something off like this that we had to be lead in the right direction and she did an awesome job! She stated that everything that she could do she did from her heart.
Richard commented that he’s happy that our kids had a good time and Dessa agreed that you can tell that from the videos as well.
Budget: All bills are paid and our balance is $1189.72! Dessa collected $57 from the picture auction and spent $21 of it trying to copy the CD’s from the photographer. She will send Kerry a check for $36 which will leave us with $1225.72 to start off the next reunion – woohoo!!! Dessa stated that the fact that we did everything that we did for the reunion and had that much money left over is awesome!!! Richard asked what were we going to do about the projector late fees. Dessa asked Huck to explain the situation. Huck explained that she asked Jack to donate the use of a projector for the slide show during the meet & greet and he agreed. He had the projector sent to Richard and told Richard to send it back on Friday. Dessa announced that Stokes was going to show all the pictures that he’d taken throughout the reunion at the banquet and we needed the projector for that as well. Huck asked Richard if we could use the projector for Saturday night and he said yes without calling Jack to confirm. The late fee for the projector is $180 a day and we owe $680. Our dilemma is we’re proud of the money we have to start the next reunion with and don’t want to give half of it away so the problem is who should pay the late fee/what should we do? How do we get the late fees paid and Jack’s not the one paying them? Dessa doesn’t think we should pay it because the committee as a whole didn’t know about it; Huck feels that Jack shouldn’t be stuck with the late fees because he was doing something nice for the reunion and wasn’t a part of the decision to keep it; Henry said pay it; Irene said pay it; Kerry felt that whoever was a part of the communication process should pay it (Richard, Huck, Jack); Huck stated that she offered to pay Jack the money so the reunion committee wouldn’t have to deal with this at all but he refused to take money from anyone’s pocket. Huck commented that she was proud of how the committee pulled off such a great reunion and family members got all they were able to get for $52 and we still finished with $1200 and said that if the committee agreed to pay the bill that she’d donate to the committee so that we start off with $1200. After much discussion the committee agreed to pay Jack the late fees. Dessa will contact Jack to find out actual amount owed and his new address then contact Kerry so she can send him the check.
Business for next reunion: Dessa asked how many people would be willing to serve on the next reunion committee. Henry stated that he was the first one to say he didn’t want to be on the committee again but feels that we worked well together and he’ll stay on. Everyone agreed to serve on the committee for the next reunion. Huck is still not on the committee but will take the minutes and do whatever is needed. The committee voted on Dessa continuing as chairperson. Dessa inquired about opening up the committee to whoever wanted to help then Huck clarified the committee makeup: The committee is broken down into six branches with two people per branch serving on the committee. Now that the existing committee members have agreed to serve again, our goal should be to fill the empty committee seats. There is one empty seat available from each branch with the exception of Aunt Louise and Aunt Ruth. Dessa asked Richard if he thought Debbie would serve as a committee member and he said he’d ask her.
Event assignments: Dessa then asked if Henry wanted to be in charge of the banquet again. He felt that since the reunion was going to be in Colorado that his primary function would be to get the people in his branch together to attend the reunion and if there was anything else he could do to help with the banquet he’d do it. Huck disagreed stating that Dessa being in charge of all those events is too much. Huck continued that yes Dessa would have to do the legwork to find the locations but once she finds the locations the actual makeup of the event should still come from the chairperson of that event. Huck also stated that it doesn’t matter where you are to come up with the ideas for an event so everyone should chair an event and let Dessa oversee everything just like this time. Everyone agreed to keep the same events that they had for this reunion. Henry suggested that he realizes that the t-shirts fall under the responsibility of the meet & greet person but asked if Huck would do it because the meet & greet is a big job already – she agreed. Dessa volunteered to take care of the church service.
Reunion date: Dessa asked when we wanted to have the next reunion. Kerry said 2010 would be difficult for her branch because the other side of their family has a reunion every two years and it’s difficult financially for them to attend two reunions so close to each other so she suggested having our reunion in one year or three years. The committee felt that one year is too close to plan and three years is too long so the committee agreed on two years. In an effort to accommodate Kerry’s branch we agreed not to have the reunion at the end of July since they always meet the first weekend in August. After much discussion the date of the next reunion is: Thursday, July 1 – Sunday, July 4, 2010.
Misc:
Dessa was selected to attend the Democratic National Convention on August 28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado!
Huck reminded everyone to submit their reunion feedback forms.
Janet Green will be celebrating her 50th birthday on Saturday – Happy Birthday Janet!
Next meeting date: TBA
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Family Photographers |
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Also, Jason and Deah will celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary on the same day - Congratulations, Jason and Deah!!! JASON J. WASHINGTON PASTOR OF WORSHIP (412) 281-8437 EXT. 14 Good to Great in 2008! from"Pressing Toward The Mark" (Phil 3:12-14) |
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Minutes
for
15th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, July 13, 2008
2:30 - 3:40 PM
In attendance:
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Karen Bryant representing Robert Louis “Boot” Bryant
Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson
Tour’rez “LeeLee” Washington - guest
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Music: Dessa inquired about DJ’s throughout the reunion events: Banquet: Henry paid Maureen Redd a $50 deposit and owes her $150 for the banquet music. He’s making arrangements with her to set up early in the day so she won’t disturb the program. Henry asked for clarification that the DJ cost comes out of his budget – and it does. Picnic: Richard plans to bring his equipment and play cd’s. If anyone has favorite music please bring it along and he’ll play it. Irene volunteered to keep the music going at the picnic. Meet & Greet: Karaoke/DJ will provide music.
Dessa inquired about the Family Reunion song by the OJays and Huck volunteered to bring it on a CD. We discussed playing the song at all events (except church.)
Registration Update: Kerry reported that she received registrations for 11 more people. She also sent off a deposit check for the t-shirts for $269. In addition she added in $521 from the online registrations. Our grand total is $4808.46 and this includes the fundraiser, $340 still in the online account, the latest registrations, and the $269 t-shirt deposit. There are 94 registered family members. The breakdown is: 75 (13 & older people), 12 (6-12 year olds) and 7 (5 & under people.)
The budget breakdown was given for each event.
Banquet: Henry met with Agnes at the Croatian Club on Monday, July 7 and everything went well except when she started talking about the bartending fee of $25 per bartender per hour with a two hour minimum. Henry says she never told him that information and she was reading from a paper that he didn’t have. He decided to open the bar for two hours after dinner. Family members should remember that there is a CASH BAR – any drinks other than coffee, hot and iced tea must be purchased. After that discussion, Henry reviewed the banquet menu. Henry clarified that Dessa was providing the cake for the banquet and she is. Henry stated that for the banquet we need to be cognizant of the fact that the Croatian Club will charge us according to the number of actual plates used! So people need to take their plate back up to the buffet if they want seconds – just like they do at home! Example, if we have 90 people at our event and everyone uses two plates, they’re going to charge us like 180 people were there!!! WE NEED TO RE-USE OUR PLATES!!! Henry will make this announcement prior to dinner and we all need to police the situation so the Croatian Club won’t overcharge us. Huck stated that if we tell them we have 95 people then they need to put out just 95 plates!!! Henry countered that it’s to their advantage to put out stacks of plates hoping that people will use two and three plates so they can overcharge us!! Kerry suggested that we count the plates and take the rest back in the kitchen or move them out of the way because who’s to say how many plates were set out. Henry stated that they are going to count all of the dirty plates. Dessa asked if the same is correct at the meet and greet - Huck didn’t know but said she’d find out. Richard stated that they should put out enough food for the number of people you’re paying for and that’s it!!! Everyone agreed. Henry also discussed seating arrangements and having round tables that seat six as opposed to square tables that seat four. Round tables were agreed upon. Henry requested a list of names for the banquet and Huck will provide that to him ASAP.
Henry said he’s planning to get to the Croatian Club by 4 PM to make sure it’s set up like he wants and reiterated that the banquet starts at 5 PM NOT 7 PM! The doors will open for everyone around 4:30 so the program can start on time at 5. Henry discussed the program in detail.
Henry inquired about categories for prizes and suggestions were given. If more ideas arise, please contact Henry via email or phone.
Henry also asked that the committee abide by the “Shades of Blue” theme and hopefully family members will do the same. He reminded us that your entire outfit doesn’t have to be blue but you should have something blue on your person during the banquet such as a tie, earrings, shirt, scarf, etc.
Wristbands: Dessa checked on the wristbands and found some that would work for us. Henry inquired if they could be duplicated and Dessa said no. Henry also brought up that he and Huck were discussing people showing up at the picnic without having paid and how we can’t keep people from a public park. Huck stated that we CANNOT keep them from the park but we CAN stop them from eating. If the family member isn’t wearing a blanket, that person shouldn’t eat! LeeLee asked about people being able to go to multiple committee members to get a bracelet but Huck explained the process: When you register, you will receive the number of wristbands that you paid for. Upon receiving your wristbands, you will initial the registration log indicating that you received your bands. If you then lose one, you will NOT be able to get a replacement bracelet so family members should guard them. Dessa will bring the wristbands with her.
T-shirts: We were supposedly all set with Reeds Tees and when Huck sent out the detailed email on Monday, July 7 as agreed with Sharon Reed, she sent back an email response declining out order. She said there had been too many changes to our order from the very beginning and they decided not to deal with our family. Other arrangements were made to purchase t-shirts from Roger Graham. By purchasing the t-shirts from Roger, we ended up saving $223. The t-shirts will be available for pickup on Thursday, July 17. Kerry sent a deposit check for $269 and the final payment will be paid when the t-shirts are picked up.
We ordered extra shirts so the breakdown equals 100. However, with people registering late quite a few of the extras were taken as part of the registrations – which works out fine.
Meet & Greet: Irene and Huck talked quite a bit fine-tuning the activities of the event and all seems to be going well. Irene, Agnes and two of her co-workers, and Huck (via phone) met on Monday, July 7 to determine hors d’oeuvres and discuss details of event. Meeting went well – no drama. After deciding there was nothing else to discuss and Huck hung up, Agnes then started discussing the bartending fee with Irene. Huck and Irene discussed it later and it turns out the paperwork that Agnes was referring to was among the paperwork given to us for the meet and greet so we can’t argue the bartending cost. The bar will be available from 7 -10:30 PM. Huck stated that Irene is working hard to make the meet & greet successful…she’s showing up when she’s supposed to, she’s calling to get clarification when she needs it…Huck feels Irene’s doing a great job.
Picnic: Richard reviewed menu from caterer. He also stated that it’s cheaper to get our own paper goods and beverages. The hot dogs and hamburgers will be purchased from Costco and will be cooked early in the day prior to the catered food arriving. Richard asked what time did we think would be best for the food delivery; the decision was 3:30 PM. Richard is functioning well within his budget and will be able to purchase drinks, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. Kerry asked if drinks will include water – yes was the answer. Huck informed Richard that Anna and Ron Shipp informed her that the shelter that we rented at Brady’s Run needs cleaning. They stated that the bathrooms needed cleaning and newer/better benches are probably available but we have to request them. Ron said we need to ask the parks and recs people to open the kitchen earlier so we can see how clean it is and if the power is working as it should be. Anna and Ron volunteered to help however they could. Rich said he’d call them and take them up on their offer. Richard inquired if Sue was still planning to have the line dancers come to the picnic and Huck confirmed that according to Sue line dancing is a definite.
Dessa inquired about games - Rich plans on cards, badminton, volleyball, etc. He wasn’t able to secure the softball field but noted there’s a field by the shelter, however he isn’t planning on buying any equipment or anything. Richard doesn’t believe that we now need family members to bring ice because of the number of people who are attending – he’s comfortable getting that from his budget.
Photographer: Dessa informed us that Larry Stokes wants to be paid in cash. Kerry does not want to travel with that kind of cash and will not be able to get that kind of cash out of the ATM over a few days but asked if he’d take a check and Dessa responded yes.
Church service: Mt. Olive accepted our proposed program so we’re all set there. Aniah is no longer participating in the mime so Alee will do it alone. Mt. Olive usually prints out their programs which don’t usually print well so Sue got a couple printing quotes. Staples offered to make 50 programs with color on one side and the other side black and white to include folding for $32. Huck stated that we didn’t need to print 100 because we could give a program to each family as opposed to each person. Dessa feels that the program is a great memorabilia and everyone should have one. Richard says he has a computer program that they could use to print them so Richard and Dessa will be responsible for the printing of the programs and that cost will not come out of the reunion budget.
Pirates Tickets Update: Henry said he got a great response from that and 15 tickets are gone already!!! He said he can get up to 25 and is pleased with the response. If more people would like to attend, they should contact Henry THIS WEEK! If people are interested please contact Henry at HPEYTON@verizon.net for more information.
Misc: Dessa has an extra paid reunion ticket that she wanted to give to a family member who couldn’t afford to come. Discussion ensued and after many suggestions, she will let us know who she donates the ticket to.
Dessa commented that she and Huck would be in town early to help tie up loose ends and help do whatever needs to be done for a successful reunion.
Kerry was able to get free stuff from her job to be added to the registration packets.
Everyone is very excited about the reunion and how it’s coming along.
FYI: 9 days are left before the reunion!
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Calling All Baseball Fans!!!
(TIME CHANGE - UPDATE) Pirates Tickets: Henry Green and his wife, Janet, have 15 FREE tickets for the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Diego Padres being held at 1:35 PM instead of 7:05 PM on Sunday, July 27, 2008!!! The tickets are on a first come first serve basis. Henry and Janet's request (other than you having a fantastic time) is that you only ask for the tickets if you are definitely planning to use them so more free tickets can be obtained in the future. Please contact Henry at HPEYTON@verizon.net for more information. Thanks Henry and Janet for your generosity!!! |
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Minutes
for
14th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Thursday, July 3, 2008
8:00 - 9:38 PM
In attendance:
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Sue Capel representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Karen Bryant representing Robert Louis “Boot” Bryant
Irene Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Bryant Ellis
Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion:
Registration Update: Kerry reported that the total amount collected for the family reunion is $3305.96 which doesn’t include money collected from the website. Several people paid online and Kerry’s amount differs from Huck’s amount because the money collected online hasn’t been deposited into reunion account. Huck explained that there’s a $2.50 fee for each transfer from the website so to keep the fees at a minimum the account is set up to automatically transfer to our checking account when the online account reaches $500. Henry asked what happens if it doesn’t reach $500. Huck explained that she’ll manually transfer the money to our account. Huck’s total, which is registration money only, is $3507 and this includes online money as well as registrations/money sent to Kerry.
Our registration numbers don’t match our paid numbers because ten people registered online but haven’t sent money to Kerry or paid online. We added those names to the list but won’t count them until money has been received. Henry asked if there’s going to be an extension to the cut off date – better asked at what point will we not accept registration money. Discussion indicated that the real issue is ordering the t-shirts because they have to be made. There was also a lot of discussion on how long do we hold checks and it was decided that, as of now, it’s too late to send a post dated check. Huck stated that we should be careful because the purpose is us coming together so turning away people will defeat the purpose but agreed that a cutoff is needed. The committee agreed checks shouldn’t be postmarked after July 7th and if we get them later the family member must understand that they’re welcome to attend but won’t be guaranteed a t-shirt but the cost remains the same ($52, $28, or $7.) Kerry commented that everyone has known about this reunion for a year and should have planned accordingly.
Picnic: Committee members wanted to continue with the cooking but realize that since Teenie said she wouldn’t coordinate the food for the picnic, Richard feels catering is better for us since no one else knows how to do it. He commented that he only agreed to us cooking because Teenie has those catering skills and since she’s not spearheading it that had a different proposal. Richard proposed having a caterer for the main course (meat, potato salad, and vegetables) and asking relatives who live nearby to bring a cooler filled with pop and dessert. Henry asked how much Richard was planning to pay a caterer and suggested his wife Janet cater for us. Richard said that his budget is per person and that’s the amount he’s planning to use for the caterer. Huck asked for clarification as to whether or not Richard was planning for the caterer to provide the hotdogs and burgers since he’d said the caterer would only provide the main dishes. Richard said he’d planned for the caterer to do it all. Henry stated that he thinks that we should use the caterer for the big stuff and have us cook the hotdogs and hamburgers because it’ll still provide a homey and family atmosphere – most committee members agreed. Richard asked who was going to pay for the hotdogs and hamburgers and Dessa volunteered but Huck objected stating that it was clear that everything associated with the picnic comes out of the picnic budget including decorations, food, charcoal, etc. Rich then asked who was going to coordinate all that to which he was reminded that all of that was his job. Rich felt that in order to do his part he needed numbers – at the time we had 63 adults and seven kids paid. It was decided to ask family to volunteer to bring coolers with ice and desserts if they wanted to but it wasn’t a requirement. Richard asked that a mass email be sent out in addition to putting the information on the website.
Banquet: Henry has a meeting with Agnes on Monday and they will choose the menu. Henry confirmed with Dessa that she is providing the cake for the banquet.
Church service: Sue stated that the service planning was going on well. Huck will give final draft of program to Sue by Sunday and she’ll present it at the board meeting on Monday, July 7. Sue showed the board the program at the last meeting and they liked it. Some minor adjustments were made so hopefully this program will be well received. Someone from the church is supposed to run off the copies for us without a charge but Sue will confirm this and present it at the next meeting. Regarding the mime: they’ve experienced difficulty scheduling practices between Deah, Sue, and Stephanie (the coordinator.) After sending out a reminder email only two children have signed up to dance: Aniah Washington and Alee Capel. They are planning a practice in the upcoming week. Sue stated the Mt. Olive is excited to have us come.
Meet & Greet: Huck spoke with Agnes and started by asking her why there was a question of price since the information we have clearly states that we were quoted prices of $6.50 for three hors d'oeuvres and $1 for each additional hors d'oeuvres. Agnes stated that prices went up so Huck asked where on the paper does it say the price for additional hors d’oeuvres is $1 unless the prices go up! Agnes went on to state that Irene had asked about wings, how expensive wings are, and that food prices have gone up - Huck then asked her to look at the bottom of the sheet where it says “*If you don't see something on the list, please ask. It may be available.” Huck then asked why is it that Agnes was discussing additional hors d’oeuvres prices when the original three haven’t been chosen. Agnes said that Irene chose assorted deep dish pizza, pepperoni and crackers tray, and chips and dip. Huck stated to her that Irene was very clear that she had not chosen any hors d’oeuvres and that the two of them were just tossing ideas around. Agnes said her paper has checks by those three items so they’re working from the position that Irene is inquiring about additional items. Huck then asked if those three items are etched in stone and she finally said no. In addition, Huck said to Agnes that a decision had not been made since Agnes told Irene that our decision wasn’t necessary until a week or so prior to the event. Agnes then said she’d ask someone from her staff to call Huck to discuss the matter further. After two days no one called so Huck called and was told that a staff meeting was being held today and Agnes would call back after the meeting. Prior to hanging up Huck clarified the children’s fee with Agnes and both were on the same page.
Later afternoon on July 3, Agnes asked Huck if she had a copy of the contract because she (Agnes) doesn’t have a copy of it. Huck said no but Irene would have it and Agnes said she’d check with Irene for a copy of what she has. Agnes wanted to know if we’d made a decision and Huck reminded her that we were waiting to hear back from her…she conferred with staff and wanted to speak to our treasurer because the price of wings cost too much and she wanted to know how much money we had to work with. Huck told her that speaking with the treasurer was inappropriate so Agnes then clarified that Irene and Huck are dealing with the program and Kerry is dealing with the money. Huck then asked her why she called Kerry to which she replied that she wanted to make sure that Kerry wrote the checks and to find out if she had any paperwork to go along with them and that Kerry could let her know how much money we’re working with. Huck reiterated that Kerry should not be contacted again that she’d get whatever information she needed from Irene or Huck. Agnes then said that she never saw the list Maureen gave us to which Huck replied that we can’t be held accountable for their bookkeeping errors. The Croatian Club should have had a folder with our information in it especially since they had and cashed our check for $300. Agnes then suggested that we should wait until Monday and she’d meet with Irene and inform Huck of the outcome. Huck replied that Agnes should call Huck prior to the start of the meeting so she can be a part of that meeting via phone with her and Irene and Agnes agreed. At the reunion committee meeting Irene stated that she doesn’t have a contract. She said that she signed it and gave it to Agnes but wasn’t given a copy. Irene is supposed to meet with Agnes on Monday, July 7 and will find out the correct time and let Huck know as she will attend via phone.
T-shirts: Huck called Sharon Reed, from Reeds Tees, who stated that she needed a 30 day notice ONLY IF there are 150 or more shirts. She also stated that because she had to make sure that she could get the number of shirts that we wanted in the color and different sizes that she needed numbers and she found it difficult to contact Irene. Huck gave her the tentative numbers we had at that time and asked her if she could be given a more accurate count on Monday, July 7 since we’d probably get late registrations and she was nice and said since we’re not ordering a huge number of shirts that Monday was acceptable. Sharon also stated that in order for her to start our order, she said she’d need a deposit of half and asked me to send her a check for $212 for the 53 shirts. Huck then realized that Sharon made an error on the math who then clarified the deal that she struck with Irene - if we buy WHITE t-shirts that she’d give us a discount price of $5 for children and $8 for adults BUT if we chose colored shirts that all shirts – no matter the size would be $8 ONLY IF we buy more than 100!!! Huck received a call from Sharon stating that her distributor doesn’t have the cobalt blue shirts in the 3X sizes so those size shirts might be a different color blue OR we can just get white since white is where we get the best deal and it’s the deal we budgeted for. Huck asked Sharon what was the absolute latest that she could print the shirts; she said it will take her a day to print but she’s meticulous about her work so Friday, July 18 would be her latest. Huck thanked her but they both agreed that the 18th was too close to the reunion dates. When discussing shipping prices, we agreed that Huck would pick them up therefore shipping is not a part of the equation. Huck and Sharon agreed to come up with a final printing date when they talk on Monday the 7th of July. The committee agreed to buy 100 shirts for the best discount rate available and sell the remaining shirts for $10. Dessa suggested that since the Meet & Greet is such a big job that Huck should continue with the t-shirts and let Irene concentrate on one event - the Meet & Greet.
Pirates Tickets: Henry informed us that his wife Janet has 15 Pirates tickets available for the weekend of the reunion. The tickets are for the 7:05 PM games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He realizes that we have family events on Friday and Saturday nights but maybe someone not attending those events would like to go to the San Diego vs. Pirates baseball games on those evenings. His request is if you request the tickets to please use them so Janet can get more free tickets in the future. Please contact Henry at HPEYTON@verizon.net for more information.
50/50: Sue suggested that we sell tickets at all events (with the exception of church) which will help enhance our grand total for expenses for this reunion and/or start us off with money in the kiddie for the next reunion. She suggested various selling scenarios and at each event someone would win ½ of the money collected. The committee thought this was a great idea and gave Sue the go ahead to make it happen. Discussion ensued regarding purchasing the tickets and Huck suggested that Sue contact Irene because she may have tickets already that can be used for this purpose.
Huck asked if winners from meet & greet/picnic activities can be announced at the banquet and Henry said yes.
FYI: 16 days are left before the reunion!
Next teleconference meeting will be on Sunday, July 13 at 2:30 PM EST.
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Also, if there is special/favorite music you’d like to hear at the picnic, please feel free to bring your CD’s and/or albums (for you old heads!) and don’t forget your dancing shoes!!! If you have questions or comments about donating or music for the picnic, please feel free to contact Richard Bryant via email or phone. His email addresses are bryant305@comcast.net or richbryant49@hotmail.com and his phone number is 724-869-9192.
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Minutes for 13th Bryant Family Sunday, June 22, 2008 2:33 - 3:31 PM In attendance: Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel Karen Bryant representing Robert Louis “Boot” Bryant Irene Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Bryant Ellis Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker Huck called to remind committee members of meeting: a reminder message was left for Richard and Sue. Discussion: Picnic: Discussion started with Henry informing the committee that Teenie told him that she had NOT made a commitment to do anything for the picnic – that she’d made a suggestion (about cooking the food at the park as opposed to catering) not volunteered. Huck asked if Richard contacted her and asked her formally would she be willing to spearhead the cooking or is she saying she’s not interested at all; Henry stated that she’s not interested. Discussion continued that we now just need to make other arrangements for someone else to coordinate the shopping, seasoning of food, cooking, etc. Dessa volunteered her husband Vince to cook. Henry stated that we as a committee can work together so this picnic will be successful and that any family member wanting to help cook/grill are welcome to do so as that’s what makes the picnic special – family members working together! Richard is still responsible for coordinating shopping for food and finding out how many potatoes, eggs, etc. he’ll need as well as how much everything will cost which means he should find someone who is willing to help him or spearhead the cooking. Kerry inquired as to how we’d go about purchasing the food because she has a checkcard and checks but she’s not comfortable giving anyone a blank check and was concerned about many people asking for checks for food. Huck stated that the only person who’d get money from Kerry would be Richard and he’d be responsible for passing it out accordingly and collecting receipts. Dessa suggested that if Richard can afford it, that we’d ask him to purchase the food that he needs and present receipts to Kerry for reimbursement – if he decides not to pay upfront, then we’ll come up with another plan. Banquet: Henry discussed his plan for gifts in detail. Huck asked what Henry had in mind for family members to show that they’ve paid for the banquet because we want to eliminate people trying to just show up without being registered/paid. Kerry suggested an armband/wristband that you just can’t go in any store and buy. Discussion continued about getting the armband/wristband with the Bryant Family Reunion 2008 on it. Family members would receive the personalized band as part of the registration packet and told that it must be worn to all affairs to show proof of registration. If the armband is lost or given to someone else, the band will not be replaced!! Dessa volunteered to donate the bands – she’ll look for them in Henry commented that we have to be diligent and not accept money from people walking up to an event wanting to pay to get in – the committee agreed. T-shirts: Huck sent out an email to committee members with the updated suggested design for the front of the t-shirt – the committee agreed to use that so the front and back t-shirt designs are voted upon and approved. Irene stated that from her understanding the t-shirts were to be ordered the first week in July. The committee was under the impression that the t-shirt place was giving us extra time because of our deadline issues. Irene said “no!” Huck also stated that now that we’ve decided on the front and back designs that we can provide Reeds Tees with that information which will probably help the process. Huck volunteered to call to ask more specific questions as to why so much time is needed so Huck and Irene will participate on a 3-way call to Reed’s Church Service: Huck stated that the change in the church service is that LeeLee will now preach the service and Jason will lead the music. The change was made because of additional sermons Jason will preach at his church. The rest of the church service is pretty much all set; Sue is working with the mime selection. After the email was sent out and the website was updated, to date only Alee and Aniah have signed up - so if the selection is just with the two of them, so be it! Meet & Greet: Slideshow: Huck stated that the slide show is coming along nicely; however family members aren’t good about sending in pictures so they’re included. Granny’s branch (Arthur Lee Bryant Capel) is heavily represented mainly because they’re responding and her branch is the largest branch. Huck has pictures of family from Lil Sis’ 80th party but doesn’t know who they are and will send them to Sue and Kelly for identification; Uncle Bud’s family is lacking in pictures as is Aunt Ruth’s Family; Uncle Boot’s family is represented as pictures are taken from the website. Everyone was encouraged to ask family members to email pictures so they’re included. Huck made it clear as she did on the website as well, if a family member is NOT represented in the slide show, it’s NOT intentional and the reason is because no pictures of the that family member (s) were available at the time. Huck asked Irene if she was in the process of getting bags for the goodies, name tags, t-shirts, etc. and Irene stated that the companies that she was calling were telling her that they didn’t donate to family reunions. Dessa suggested going to the dollar store and Kerry noted that not all dollar stores carry the same products. If we’re looking to purchase bags, Dessa suggested looking for shades of blue bags. Huck suggested waiting before purchasing bags and she’ll see if she can get some donated/free bags in Irene is still waiting for Agnes to get back to her about the prices for the hors d'oeuvres. Agnes suggested the best times for the food to be set out. Henry stated that this is not Agnes’ event and that Irene should be telling Agnes how things will be instead of vice versa. Irene said she can’t do anything without the prices. Huck asked why is price an issue because when we started working with them they gave us a list of all the choices that were available to us with the prices included. Irene stated that they’re under new management and Huck stated that that shouldn’t affect us since we’re working with the information we received prior to the switchover. Huck volunteered to call Agnes to find out what’s going on and suggested a three way conversation with Irene on the line. The committee felt this was a good idea. Kerry reminded us that Agnes is the same person who couldn’t find our $300 deposit! Photography: Larry Stokes contacted Dessa and inquired if there were special pictures that we wanted taken. Henry feels we should let him know what pictures we want taken because he sometimes seems to be just snapping pictures. Dessa agreed that we’d come up with some specific shots, other than the group shot at the picnic, that we want. Dessa informed Huck that Stokes also inquired as to whether or not he’d be allowed to take pictures at church – Huck will find out and let us know at the next meeting. Registration Update: Kerry reported that the total amount in the bank is $2,757.96 which doesn’t include $156 which was paid via the website. Huck will check with website to determine payment arrangements with online registrations and report at the next meeting. The committee was confident that our total balance will climb as the deadline is fast approaching. Website: The “Look Who’s Coming” page of the website has been updated with who has registered and paid for the reunion – Kerry is very good about informing Huck as she gets checks so the website can remain current. To date we have approximately 30 people who are committed to attend. Comments: Dessa congratulated the committee on the wonderful job that’s being done especially since we’re all spread out. She thanked everyone for their hard work toward this family event and encouraged everyone that even though we’ll experience bumps in the road that we should continue to keep our heads up and be diligent in our efforts. FYI: 31 days are left before the reunion!
Next teleconference meeting will be on Thursday, July 3 at 8:00 PM EST. |
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Pictures Request for Meet & Greet Slideshow!!! |
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Minutes
for
12th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Sunday, June 8, 2008
2:35 - 3:06 PM
In attendance:
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Huck called to remind committee members of meeting: a reminder message was left for use; Irene was unable to attend but gave her report to Huck; Kerry was planning to attend but didn’t make it.
Discussion:
Picnic: Discussion started with Dessa reviewing conversation at the last meeting about the picnic being catered vs. family members cooking the food. Teenie (who worked for Dave’s Catering for years) and Irene were among the volunteers to cook. Henry asked if how this was going to be done – were family members going to bring dishes or what? Huck responded that when we came up with the amount for the family reunion, a certain amount of money was allocated to the picnic. This money is in the budget specifically for the picnic so whatever meats, food such as ingredients for potato salad, etc., paper goods, decorations, etc. is necessary for the picnic should come from this money. For example, if Teenie is going to make the potato salad then she should tell Richard how much the ingredients will cost and that amount will come from the picnic budget. If we find that there are family members who want to donate something special or items such as ice, drinks, freeze pops, or even paper goods, they’re welcome because the little things are what take a big chunk out of the budget…but we cannot ask family to bring a dish as a requirement after the registration includes everything. At our last meeting we’d discussed donating the boxed juices for the kids, ice, and some drinks as well as asking family members who live in the Aliquippa area to bring coolers and include ice only if they’d like.
Richard said that he understands that since Teenie has experience with catering that she’d be in charge of food but he needs to verify with her and cannot do this until she returns from vacation which is when they will start getting the menu details together. Dessa confirmed that she feels that Teenie is the best one to head this because she knows where to get the Bunsen burners and how much ingredients are needed for how many people, etc. Richard is willing to let Teenie spearhead the food and he’d be responsible for everything else dealing with the picnic but made it clear that he plans to help her out whenever/wherever necessary. Henry inquired if Richard had a verbal commitment from Teenie and Dessa responded that Teenie told Irene that she’d do it. Henry feels that Richard needs to speak with Teenie directly.
Richard said that he thought us cooking the food was brought up earlier on but he didn’t remember anyone wanting to do the cooking but now that we have volunteers, he agrees that this is a great idea. Huck suggested that Richard and Teenie meet and come up with a menu and cost to present to the committee…The problem is: because people aren’t registering as of yet, it’s difficult to determine how much money we’ll need because they won’t know how many people to cook for! So she suggested guessing at 100 people, which might be high, and come up with a cost to see if it’ll fall within the budget allocated for the picnic.
Previously we’d determined that the reunion would begin at 11 but now that we’re cooking our own food we’ll need to get out there earlier. We have the park reserved from 9 AM until 11 PM. The kitchen in the shelter is composed of a refrigerator and a sink…there’s no stove in there and there are three or four bar-b-que grills outside. This lets us know that we’ll definitely need the Bunsen burners to keep the food we’re cooking warm; maybe Teenie has some that we can borrow so we won’t have to buy so many. When Teenie and Richard sit down to discuss budget, they’ll also need to include these burners as they’re a necessity.
T-Shirts: Huck stated that Irene called her earlier in the week and stated that her contact person from Reeds Tees wanted to see the design we were planning to use for the shirts. The tentative design was emailed to her contact with very specific instructions that this design was not the final draft and he would be notified when the committee has made a final decision. The email also stated that if he had any questions/comments to please contact Irene or he could email Huck. Huck cc’d Dessa and Irene on the email. Dessa inquired if Reeds Tees would give us the extra week to turn in our final count and Irene said it wouldn’t be a problem. As soon as Tania sends other designs for us to look at, Huck will email them out for the committee to look at and give an opinion on.
Registration Reminders: Huck mailed out the reminders and inquired if anyone had received them. Some folks had and others hadn’t. In addition, she sent out the reminder emails about the mime, church service, and early registration requests and updated the news section of the website with the same information. Hopefully the reminders will encourage people to register as soon as possible. Dessa stated that we’re now at the point where we should verbally encourage people to register and everyone agreed.
Meet & Greet: Irene couldn’t make the meeting because she had to take someone to work but she gave Huck her report. Irene spoke with Agnes at the Croatian Club and they have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 3:30 to discuss the food, including finding out if wings are available, and get whatever questions she has cleared up. Dessa inquired if this meeting included or could include Henry and Irene for both the banquet and meet & greet. Huck replied that the answer is no…Henry is dealing with Agnes for the banquet only and Irene is dealing with the meet & greet only and the two events have nothing to do with each other. However, Huck felt if Henry would go with and support Irene by helping her ask questions that would be wonderful. He will try to attend.
Registration packets: Huck was able to secure various free stuff for the registration bags and will send them to Quip to be included with whatever free stuff Irene secures. Huck will be there a week prior to the reunion to help organize the bags and finalize reunion plans.
Registration Update: Robert and Lula Bryant paid as well as Anna & Ron Shipp + 1. We are still hoping people will start registering ASAP so we can plan accordingly!
Banquet: Henry gave an update of the program and stated that everything for the banquet is all set with the exception of the menu which will be chosen a week before the event.
FYI: 44 days are left before the reunion!
Next teleconference meeting will be on Sunday, June 22 at 2:30 PM.
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Attention Bryant Family
Singers and Dancers!!! If your child, between the ages of 5 and 12, would like to participate in a mime presentation to be performed during the reunion church service, please contact Sue via email at mrscapel@comcast.net or phone at (724) 650-9044. Practices are being planned and we'd love our children to have an active role in the service. We look forward to your participation and speedy response!
As we plan for our family reunion, we’re also looking for family members interested in participating in the church service by singing. If God has blessed you with an angelic voice and you’d like to share that gift during the service, please contact Huck via email at wildcarm@bellsouth.net or phone at 954-704-4761. |
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Minutes
for
11th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Saturday, May 31, 2008
12:05 - 1:17 PM
In attendance:
Karen Bryant Miller representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Sue Capel representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Irene Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Huck called and left meeting reminder message for Tara, Richard and Tina. Henry called in but was unable to stay on the call.
Discussion:
T-Shirts: Huck spoke with the girl from her church, Tania, regarding the t-shirt design and she indeed sent a front and back design. Huck emailed the designs to all committee members and a few responses were received. Most people liked the back but didn’t like the front. Kerry suggested putting the back design on the front of the shirt. Dessa disagreed because the design might not be as flattering on everyone because we’re all built differently…we all have relatively flat backs so the design wouldn’t be lost on the back of the shirt – everyone agreed. Some folks felt the tree on the front was too much and the font was boring. It was suggested that if the shirt has a pocket to put something small on the pocket. Because shirts with pockets probably cost more, Huck suggested that we use the design “as if” there was a pocket there and put the information in a small fashion over the heart with a fancier font. We decided that everything about the back of the shirt is fine…but for the front to modify the design to a smaller size and make the font fancier. When Tania gives Huck another design, she will forward it to everyone for feedback. Dessa suggested that it would be greatly appreciated if everyone would please click reply to give feedback Also, Irene informed us that Reeds Tees does NOT have the six shades of blue shirts as once indicated and only three colors are available. We now need to decide if we want to use the three shades of blue and how or just use one shade. The Reeds Tees representative suggested using the colors by age groups; however, it was agreed that if we can’t have the six shades of blue that one shade is what we’ll use. The shades available are sky blue, navy blue, and cobalt blue. The committee agreed on cobalt blue with white lettering. Irene stated that the Reeds Tees people need the order for the shirts a month in advance (which is around June 24th) so they can start making them. Huck stated that our problem is that only roughly ten people have paid and our reunion deadline isn’t until the 30th of June!! In order to make the 100 t-shirt goal, people are going to have to start paying NOW! Family members keep saying “oh, I have until June 30th” and that’s putting our backs up against the wall. Irene is going to ask the Reeds Tees representative if we can give her a count by the first week in July – since we’re using only one color shirt, it shouldn’t be such a big deal now. Huck stated that in order to help get us in a better space (as far as the deadline as well as knowing how much money we have to work with and plan with) the committee branch members need to encourage their family members to start paying NOW and not wait until the 30th!!
Church Service: Huck has been working with Jason to coordinate the service and songs. Planning is coming along nicely. LeeLee is going to lead the praise and worship. We need to determine if the children are going to do a mime. Sue made the suggestion earlier on and now is the time to get started if this is something we want to do. Sue is going to email Jason and other family members to find out if their children would be interested in participating. She figures they could have approximately three practices at Mt. Olive in June and a couple in July. She will contact the person responsible for mime at Mt. Olive to see if she will coordinate/choreograph something for us. Family members between the ages of 5 and 12 are welcome to participate. Huck will put a notice on the website asking if people will participate and send out a mass email requesting the same thing. As far as singing, we are still looking for family members to participate in our “Bryant Family Praise Team!” We presently have LeeLee, Dessa, Rica, and Deah. Huck put a notice on the website a while ago requesting people who sing well to sing with us but hasn’t gotten any responses. Kerry stated that DeeDee, Tre’s wife, sings so Huck will contact her to see if she’s interested in singing with us. The songs we’re choosing are songs that most of us know already and will be easy to follow. Bae-Bae will sing solos if needed so the music for the day is taken care of. Huck stated that after she and Jason go through the program again, that a copy of the service will be sent to the contact person at Mt. Olive so they’re aware of our intentions. We followed their order of service very closely with a joint altar call instead of two. Sue questioned if we, the Bryant Family, would provide all of the music for the day or if the Mt. Olive Choir would be needed – the response was the Bryant Family would take care of the music for the day. Huck will put another notice on the website requesting singers for the praise team.
Meet & Greet: Irene stated that Teenie is helping her get free stuff for the registration bags. In addition, Irene is in the process of deciding on the hors d’oeuvres for the event and reviewed various food choices available. She will also verify the number of hors d’oeuvres choices that are available to us – it should be three. Irene will make the final the food choice since she is chairperson of this event and Huck will continue to assist her – everyone agreed. Dessa suggested that Irene set up a food tasting meeting with the Croatian Club and she and Sue could go down taste some of our options. Dessa also stated that we should remember that the food for the Meet & Greet is only a snack…it’s not meant to fill anyone up!
Irene stated that if anyone has pictures that they’d like displayed at the Meet & Greet to please let her know. She also verified that a slide show will be available as well. Huck will try to incorporate pictures of as many family members as she can in the presentation but does not have pictures of every person in the family. Pictures from the website will be used in addition to other pictures if submitted. Fill free to email pictures of family members either to Huck at wildcarm@bellsouth.net or the website at www.thejosephinebryantfamily.com.
Registration Update: As of our last meeting, only two other people have registered and paid: Kerry and Rica (Bae-Bae.) Irene questioned whether Kerry received money from Kim Crocker because she said she was paying half. As of today, Kerry had not received anything from Kim. Also Kerry ordered the checkcard from the bank and should be receiving it within the next 7 to 10 days.
Picnic: Richard was not in attendance so no update was given. Irene stated that after talking with various family members that family members should be cooking the meat at the park instead of having it catered. She and Teenie (who worked as a caterer for many years with David Gist) had discussed that they are willing to cook the meat at the park! Irene also stated that she knows no one who has had a picnic for a family reunion catered and if family members are willing to bar-b-que at the park, then we should do it. Conversation continued that a family reunion picnic just isn’t right if the food is brought to the park and family members don’t have a hand in it. Discussion continued that the food and paper goods could be gotten from Sam’s and decorations from the dollar store and us cooking the food is more of the “family reunion atmosphere” and probably cheaper in the long run as well as more of what we’re looking for rather than it being catered. It would be suggested that could also ask the family that live in the area to bring their coolers with ice. Huck questioned if it’s too late to have family members who are volunteering to cook to do so especially since Richard hasn’t given a deposit to the caterer. Since Richard was not on the call, Huck will call him to discuss the suggestion and let him know in advance what the committee feels is more appropriate so when we have our next meeting that he’ll be prepared in that he can contact Teenie to see what and how this can be done. The committee is pretty confident that Richard hasn’t put a down payment down with the caterer since he hasn’t asked Kerry for a check.
General Question: Kerry questioned if her mother’s sister wanted to attend the reunion would she have to pay the entire $52 if she was permitted to attend. It was reiterated that the committee agreed to have only family members present since this is our first reunion in years. Only family members and significant others should attend this reunion.
FYI: 53 days are left before the reunion!
Next teleconference meeting will be on Sunday, June 8 at 2:30 PM.
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Minutes for 10th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference Saturday, May 3, 2008 12:02 - 1:51 PM In attendance: Karen Bryant Miller representing Robert “Boot” Bryant Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant Irene Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker Huck called and left meeting reminder message for Tara and Sue and spoke with Vail who would inform Tina and suggest that she call in. Banquet: Banquet planning is coming along nicely. Henry met with Abby at the Croatian Club on Tuesday to review what they’d discussed before. Maureen who was in charge when the location was booked no longer works there as the club is under new management with a different menu and prices but our contract is being honored. To go along with the theme of the banquet, Henry is requesting that everyone wear something that is any shade of blue – light blue, dark blue, turquoise, etc. – you can choose blue as your accent color or the color of your outfit, long as something you have on is a shade of blue. He asked that when the reunion reminder is mailed out to please include wearing something blue to the banquet. He also wants the committee members to spread the word to their family branch members and asked Huck to put something on the website as well. The only money that Henry foresees needing right now is money for decorations. The total comes to $236.92 which includes tax. T & P rentals require a $100 deposit. Henry suggested that since he owes $100 for his booklet that he’d put down the deposit and then the committee should send a check for the $136.92 balance – the committee agreed. Kerry should make the check out to T&P Party Supply Co. @ 3588 Broadhead Road, Monaco, PA. Henry has gifts for people and is looking for suggestions as to categories such as oldest, youngest, most kids, most grandchildren, traveled farthest, latest graduates, etc. Please give this more thought and email suggestions to Henry at HPEYTON@verizon.net. Kerry suggested that Henry contact the local chamber of commerce to ask for free giveaways…this will be done for the meet & greet and Irene is working on this. Abby, from Croatian Club, gave Irene a list of places to contact for free gifts/giveaways. Henry inquired about how family would get their tickets for the banquet and Huck clarified that when people register at the meet and greet that the banquet ticket will be in the bag with the t-shirt and other goodies including name tags. Henry had purchased nametags because he wasn’t sure who was responsible for them but will return them. The banquet menu is still in the works – we’ll have three entrees instead of two since Dessa is supplying the cake we’ll substitute the extra entrée for the dessert - instead of having two desserts. The cake will be ready for the banquet – Dessa has confirmed this with her friend. The banquet will be set up as a cash bar so people will buy their own pop and alcoholic drinks. Coffee and tea will be available at no extra charge. The banquet will not be formal but not casual either! We’d like people to dress nicely. Henry gave a brief synopsis of the banquet program. He also plans to set up tables for the committee members and their spouses. Irene stated that it was suggested that the committee sit together at the meet and greet as well. Huck’s opinion was that since the purpose of the meet and greet is to meet family that you don’t know and reacquaint with people you haven’t seen that the committee sitting together would defeat that purpose. It was agreed that the committee wouldn’t sit together at the meet and greet. Picnic: Richard decided on a caterer but not on a menu. The caterer will be the Freedom Country Inn. Richard was thinking of chicken, hot dogs, burgers, ribs, salad - things like that. Huck suggested to keep in mind the budget that he has as ribs can get pricey. He is still thinking about ribs and was going to get the opinions of other family members as well. Dessa suggested being careful with potato salad unless it’s on ice because of the mayonnaise and heat. Dessa asked if the caterer was going to come to the park and grill the food. Richard said they will cook the food and bring it out there. He said depending on the price, he’d like to have a few of them stay out there and serve. He was told to call the park in May to reserve a softball field so he’s going to do that. There’s a nominal fee for the field which only includes the bases and them making the lines…the bats and balls are not included. The ball field is not next to the shelter but is in the park. Richard OK’d line dancing suggested by Sue. Huck clarified that Sue had gone line dancing and found that the instructor teaches line dancing in two hour blocks and thought this would be a great idea for the picnic. She was directed to Richard who agreed. Discussion was that two hours is a long time to dance but it was clarified that people don’t have to dance unless they want to…it’s just another activity that’s available to family. Dessa noted that Sue went out to the park, took pictures/videos and emailed them so Dessa and Huck could see it. We discussed that we were hoping they would paint before the reunion and Dessa suggested that we go to the dollar store to get table cloths to spruce the place up and Richard said that was the plan and that he’d get family banners as well. Dessa asked Richard what time he’d planned to be at the park and if he needed help setting up because she was volunteering. He accepted the help. Dessa asked what time the picnic should start – agreed on around 11 to dusk. Huck suggested that Richard also get a subcommittee of about 6 people to help him set up. Discussed what would be the best time to have the food brought out. Dessa volunteered to bring some chips and drinks from Sam’s or Costco’s prior to the food being brought out as something for family to snack on. Food would be brought out around 2. We could ask family members who live in the area to bring their coolers with ice to help house the drinks. Dessa inquired about dessert and we agreed to go with popsicles or push up/freeze pops and they can be frozen in advance and housed in the freezer section of the frig that comes with the shelter. Huck suggested that Richard check to make sure that the paper goods are included; Richard said he believed they were included but he’d check with his contact person. When discussing the music, Richard spoke with Dessa asked about alcohol restrictions at the park and Rich said beer/alcohol is not permitted but people generally know how to get around that. Richard inquired about games for children to play. Dessa suggested games like sack races, egg on a spoon, relay race, tug of war, and three legged race for the little kids. Have balls available for them to play with. Richard should ask a few adults to spearhead the children’s games. Richard will also check to see if toilet paper will be in the bathrooms! Financial Report: Kerry asked if the committee wanted her to get a checkcard from the bank because some vendors may not accept an out of state check. There is no charge for the card so the committee agreed that it would be necessary. Registration forms and payment received so far are: Sweetie, Huck and Keith, Dessa, Vince & Michelle, and Sherry Boler. We have a grand total of $1864.88. Kerry wanted it noted that $100 was deposited into our account at a branch that she’s never been in so she doesn’t know where the money came from. The bank wanted to charge $22 per hour and $8 per page to find out where it came from because it was such an even amount so she said no. The committee agreed that this sounds like a bank error so we won’t count on that $100. Following that discussion our balance is $1764.88. Dessa suggested that Kerry keep Huck informed of the people who pay so the website can be updated and the spreadsheet can be current. Kerry will create a spreadsheet with the paid family members, t-shirt sizes, and family branch and send it to Huck. Irene asked Kerry for a headcount so she could order the t-shirts. Huck will forward information to Irene when she’s ready to place the t-shirt order. Larry Stokes doesn’t want any money until he’s completed the photography. Kerry will bring the checkbook as well as Larry will take a check. T-Shirts: Irene asked Meet & Greet: Sue agreed to help Irene work the registration table. Agnes, her Croatian Club contact, said we can’t put tacks or anything on the walls but she’d set us up a table for memorabilia such as pictures, etc. beside the walls. We can be there an hour or two before to set up. Napkins and table cloths are chosen and all set. Irene said she needed help choosing the food for the affair. Huck asked Irene if she signed the contract and if the contract had cash bar and not open bar – Irene said yes. Irene and Huck will go over the hors d'oeuvres list together and come up with some ideas for the next meeting. Irene will check to see if wings are available. Irene stated that she wants a slide show available at the meet and greet so Huck agreed to put that together. Discussion became what activities would be in place to encourage people to interact with one another. Karaoke is on the list and make it so that family members sing together who don’t’ know each other. Irene asked for help with coming up with get-to know you games and will work with Huck to come up with some ideas. Welcome bags. Irene decided to go to the different the locations as opposed to calling them. She was starting to get the runaround on the phone so in an effort to eliminate frustrations will visit these places and solicit prizes/free stuff. Tina returned the 5 books that she was responsible for and we have yet to receive the books from Tara. Huck inquired about what specifically the committee wanted included in the reminder to be sent to family since we are slow at registering and paying. It was suggested that we include specifics about each event and encourage them. The letter should really encourage people to register and pay NOW so we can plan accordingly. As of today we have 82 days left to make this reunion successful. Next meeting will be held on Saturday, May 31 @ noon. |
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Cell phone companies are charging $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 Information calls. Since no one carries a telephone directory in their vehicle, they get away with it. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial 1(800) FREE 411, or 1 (800)373-3411; you will incur no charge. This works on your home telephone as well. If you enter this number into your cell phone you will always have a way now to get a phone number if you need one. This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass It on to your family and friends. |
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GRADUATING???
Graduation time is fast approaching and we’d like to honor our family graduates. If you or your child will be graduating in May or June 2008 whether it is kindergarten, eighth grade, high school or college, we’d like to feature you on our website. Please inform us using the “contact us” link with information to include full name, family branch, a current photograph and the information below: If you are graduating from kindergarten or eighth grade, please let us know the name of your present school, graduation date and place and the school you’ll attend next year. Please include any additional information that you feel the family should know such as awards, accolades, extra curricular activities, etc.
If you are graduating from high school, please let us know the name of your high school, graduation date and place and college (including location and start date as well as major) if you plan to attend. Please include any additional information that you feel the family should know such as awards, accolades, extra curricular activities, etc.
If you are graduating from college, please let us know the name of the college, degree(s) you are receiving to include subject area, graduation date and place. Please include any additional information that you feel the family should know such as awards, accolades, extra curricular activities, etc. In addition, if you have secured employment, please include the company and location, position, start date, and/or whatever information you’d like the family to know.
We are looking forward to showcasing our family’s accomplishments and will look to hear from you soon. Please pass our intentions on to family members as not all of us have internet access.
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Church Installation Date Change
Danny’s installation service to Lily Baptist Church will be held on Sunday, May 25, 2008 instead of Sunday, May 18, 2008. Please mark your calendars of this change. We are hoping that all family members who can will come out and show how supportive we are of this blessing from God. The address is Lily Baptist Church, 318 Kirkpatrick Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The phone number is 412-281-5463. |
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Running Out Of Time, taken from John 4:43-54, was the title of Jason’s sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2008. His message taught us that there are four points to keep in mind when you’re running out of time: 1) Seek the Savior (do whatever you need to do to get in the presence of Jesus); 2) Put your pride aside; 3) Examine your faith; 4) Trust His timing. What a blessing Jason’s message was and streaming faith is a great tool that allows family from all parts of the country to enjoy God’s teachings through one of our own!! Please remember that you can still download and/or watch Jason’s sermon from March 30, 2008 on the Macedonia website.
Click here to watch Jason Washington's "When Jesus Speaks" Live Sermon |
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Live Online Message
Our own Jason Washington delivered a powerful message on Sunday, March 30, 2008 entitled “When Jesus Speaks” with scripture taken from John 5:1-15. The sermon was broadcasted live on streamingfaith.com at 10:00 AM. If you missed the live broadcast, you can now view the sermon online! Just click on the link below then click on the online sermon. May God's message through Jason be a blessing to you or to someone you know!
Click below: Jason Washington's "When Jesus Speaks" Live Sermon. |
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Mt. Olive Drummer
Troy Moreland, son of Anna Ellis Shipp, was invited to play drums at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Aliquippa on Easter Sunday. At the time I thought it would be a one time deal but today was his 3rd week!! Our drums have sat empty for over a year and Troy blended in with our pianist, Stephanie, like they have been playing together for years! It is truly a blessing to have Troy in our church and it is a bonus that he is playing the drums. He is truly blessed! Please come visit Mt. Olive next Sunday, April 13, 2008 and see for yourself. Service starts at 11:00 and all are welcome to attend. Looking for a church home? Mt. Olive is the church for you! I just want to say how proud of Troy I am and how much he has added to our already blessed church!!
Sue Capel
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300 Game!!! |
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On Sunday, March 30 Jason Washington will preach at the 10 AM service at Macedonia Baptist Church. If you are in the area, please plan to attend and support his efforts. If you cannot attend in person, please log onto www.streamingfaith.com to hear him spread the Word.
Jason and the Macedonia family would like to thank those of you who attended their play "Devil Take Your Hands Off This Family" whether it was in person or online. The play was a huge success and well received by all. Jason thanks you in advance for your continued support. Please click here to log in to worship with Macedonia: www.streamingfaith.com JASON J. WASHINGTON PASTOR OF WORSHIP (412) 281-8437 EXT. 14 Good to Great in 2008! from"Pressing Toward The Mark" (Phil 3:12-14) |
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Macedonia Baptist Church's Jason J. Washington
Pastor of Worship Macedonia Church 2225 Bedford Ave. Pgh, PA 15219 412-281-8437 ext 14 www.macedoniapgh.org Good to Great in 2008!from"Pressing Toward The Mark" (Phil 3:12-14)
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Mary McBride McCoy, 97 year old biological maternal grandmother of Kelly Capel, peacefully went home to be with the Lord on Friday March 14, 2008 in the Medical Center of Beaver.
Mary McBride McCoy was born May 10, 1910 in Camden, Alabama. She was the eldest daughter of the late Allen, Sr. & Katie McBride. She was the oldest member of the First Baptist Church of Freedom and retired from the Pennsylvania railroad YMCA cafeteria where she was a faithful worker. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Willie McCoy, her sons Josephus, Cornelius & Jerry, and a daughter, Donna. Mary leaves to mourn her passing, three daughters, Beatrice "Honey" Garrett, Gloria Jean Tucker & Marjorie Strickland (Kelly Capel’s biological mother), two brothers, Sam & Frank McBride, of New York, one sister Annie Mae McBride Wheeler of Alabama, and a host of family & friends.
Friends will be received on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 at First Baptist Church, 101 First Street, Freedom, PA. Homegoing Celebration will be held at First Baptist Church in Freedom on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 2:00 PM.
Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mary McBride McCoy. Please keep this family in your prayers during this time of bereavement.
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Pastor Blessing!!! God has blessed the Bryant Family again as one of George & Mary Eva Bryant’s great-grandsons, Ernest “Danny” Genes, has been called to Pastor the Lily Baptist Church in Pittsburgh. PRAISE GOD!!! Danny was asked to preach there in September of 2007 as a guest minister because the church didn’t have a preacher; the church enjoyed his sermon so much that they asked him if he would come back the following week. After preaching that second sermon they asked him to come back to preach the next two weeks and so he did. Following the two sermons the church said “I know you’re tired of us but we were wondering if you could preach a month for us!” So he preached a month after which they asked him to preach yet another month!!! What’s ironic is the church had already decided on a preacher to be their pastor but while Danny was preaching for them the Lord steered them in a different direction. (We all know that WE may have a plan but our plan is not always God’s plan!!) It turned out that through Danny’s preaching the Lord decided that Danny should be their pastor!! The church board held an emergency meeting on a Thursday night and Danny was surprised to receive a call from the deacon that very same evening. The deacon told Danny that he’d ‘been elected’ to which Danny’s reply was “Excuse me? Elected to be what?!” to which the deacon replied “to be our pastor!” After a detailed conversation, the deacon asked Danny if he would accept and Danny said "yes!"...how can you say no when the Lord is at work?!!
Lily Baptist Church is located in the Hill District of Pittsburgh on Kirkpatrick Street. Kirkpatrick, which is off of Center Avenue, has always been a haven for drug activity and things of that nature for quite a few years. Danny also works with the Prison Ministry and will continue this ministry as well…Danny’s work has only just begun!!!
Danny’s inauguration will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008 and is hoping that all family members who can will come out and show how supportive we are of this blessing from God. The address is Lily Baptist Church, 318 Kirkpatrick Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The phone number is 412-281-5463.
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Attention Bryant Family
Singers and Dancers!!! As we plan for our family reunion, we’re looking for family members interested in participating in the church service by singing and/or dancing. If God has blessed you with an angelic voice and you’d like to share that gift during the service, please contact Huck via email at wildcarm@bellsouth.net or phone at 954-704-4761.
If you’d like to participate in a mime presentation to be performed during the service, please contact Sue via email at mrscapel@comcast.net or phone at (724) 650-9044. We look forward to your participation! |
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Minutes
for
9th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Saturday, January 26, 2008
12:02 - 1:27 PM
In attendance:
Karen Bryant Miller representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Sue Capel representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Irene Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis
Odessa Green Lazard committee chairperson
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Huck called and left meeting reminder message for Tina and spoke with Tara who planned to attend.
Discussion: The cost of the reunion was established without the majority of the committee members present so discussion was only among the three present members. Clarification was requested by Henry concerning family members being allowed to attend one event as opposed to all of them. If someone is only interested in attending the banquet or picnic or meet and greet should that person have to pay the entire $52 or could he/she only pay a designated amount per event. Discussion: Some family members felt that the price should be broken down so family members should be allowed to pay per event because maybe someone can’t make it to the meet & greet or the banquet so why should they pay for it. Others felt that it shouldn’t be broken down because it becomes a nightmare to keep track of who paid what and when the event happens, you’ll find family members showing up at events that they didn’t pay for.
Irene felt that $52 was a lot of money for people with families especially if they had teenagers because they’d be paying $52 quite a few times. She felt that someone with a large family will be paying a lot of money compared to someone with two people in the family. Conversation continued that $52 and $28 are fair prices for the events but the question is should it be broken down so that members can pay per event. Concern continued that there are some family members who don’t have jobs – no income at all – and would like to attend. How will they come? It was suggested that those family members live somehow and should make sacrifices for the reunion. If help is needed, those family members should go to various individual family members and ask for help. The reunion is six months away and if everyone starts planning now, there shouldn’t be a problem by the due date.
Results of the vote of whether to breakdown the cost for individual events:
Breakdown cost for each event:
Henry, Irene Don’t breakdown the cost for each event: Kerry, Richard, Sue Abstain: Dessa Vote passes to NOT breakdown the cost for each event.
Irene asked that if someone pays the $52 then can’t make all events, what will happen to the money. Response: it stays in the reunion fund…no refunds.
Reunion Cut-Off Date: We need to set a cut off date for when money is due for the reunion. We voted and agreed that the ultimate cut off date for the reunion registration is June 30, 2008. This will give us three weeks to make sure we have the money straight prior to the reunion.
Previously Richard asked Henry for Maureen Redd’s phone number as he was going to inquire about prices from her regarding music for the picnic. Henry informed Richard that Maureen does work on Saturday but said if it was worth her while, she’d take the day off. Henry asked Richard if he felt we really need a DJ at the picnic and wandered if people would want to hear her play two days in a row. Richard said that he has a system that would equal any DJ in the area and was thinking about bringing it and telling the family to bring whatever music they wanted to hear in record or CD form. Richard said the prices that he’d received from DJ’s were outrageous which is why he came up with using his own system. The committee felt that using Richard’s equipment would definitely save us some money. Henry still provided Richard with Maureen’s phone number: 724-378-3421.
Discussion of the reunion registration form and cover letter. Both were created and Huck suggested emailing it to committee members for their review. Suggestions/revisions are welcome. Members were asked to please respond with suggestions and/or corrections as soon as possible so packets can be corrected, if necessary, and mailed.
Kerry wanted to know if she’d be responsible for collecting the registration forms as well as the money and the response is yes. In order for her to keep track of who sent how much money, she’d need to be responsible for both. Discussion was that family members should pay by check, money order or credit card so they’ll already have a receipt of their payment. Cash is not suggested. Henry inquired about the people who register online. Huck said she’d create and put a registration form online for those who want to pay via credit card using the website. The website creates a spreadsheet of that same information and affords the opportunity to add and track money collected via mail. Kerry will forward the registration information she collects to Huck and all information will be put and kept on one master sheet.
Meeting Purpose: The main purpose of the meeting is to gather addresses of all family members so the registration packet for the family reunion can be sent out. Each branch committee member is asked to supply Huck with a list of current addresses as soon as possible. Cut-off dates to get addresses and send out packets Huck suggested that the likelihood of us getting every family member’s address is slim so when we, committee members, receive our packets, we should make copies to have them available to those whose addresses we don’t have because we don’t want any to feel left out. We should start spreading the word that the money is due by June 30 even though the packets haven’t gone out and to start saving now. We should also make it clear that people can send $5 a week if they need to that Kerry will keep track of it.
Hotel: Huck stated that in order for us to mail the registration forms out, we need the hotel information. Sue and Tara were responsible for this but, admittedly, have not worked together on this. Because of the upcoming meeting, Sue checked out three hotels in the area: Motel 6, Super 8, and LaQuinta all located near the old airport. The Motel 6 is presently cheaper than the quote she’d gotten previously. The previous quote was $41.99 and now their daily rate is $39.99 and this is NOT with a group discount – it’s their everyday price. She was told if she inquired on Monday that the manager may be able to give her a different rate. She wasn’t clear on how many rooms to block off so she said 10. Huck stated that according to the people who indicated they plan to attend the reunion via the website, 12 rooms are needed at this time. The Super8 rates are $69.99 daily but we could probably get them for $59.99 or cheaper as a group. The LaQuinta’s current daily rates are $85.00 but she’d need to talk with the manager to try to secure a group rate. We voted and decided on the Motel 6. Sue is to ask Motel 6 if they will block off 15 rooms. In addition she should find out when relatives could start reserving rooms and what the suggested cut off date will be before he opens the rooms up to others. When you call to make your reservations for this hotel, please mention the Bryant Family Reunion and plan your dates accordingly. Everyone should call as soon as possible to secure your rooms and should be cognizant of the cut off dates when reserving the rooms. It was clarified that the reunion committee will have nothing to do with the hotel costs. Our responsibility is to provide hotel information and family members can either use it or not. We, as a committee, will not collect money for hotels – family members will pay hotel directly.
Fundraiser: Huck brought up that there are still booklets that haven’t been accounted for and money is associated with those books. Tara still has five books which total $500, Tina still has five books which total $500 and Kerry still has two books which total $200. This is $1200 that would help defray the cost further. Dessa will contact Tina and Tara to ask for the booklets or the money.
Church Service: Sue indicated that the board at Mt. Olive gave us the go ahead to plan and run the church service during the reunion. She said they’re very excited to have us come and participate. Sue suggested that if we have someone to mime that we should make that happen as well.
Current bank balance is $1500.88
FYI: Larry Stokes doesn’t want to get paid for the photography until after the reunion. Huck will work with Irene on the meet and greet but Irene has the lead.
180 days are left before the reunion!
Next teleconference meeting will be determined at a later date.
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The 2008 Bryant Family Reunion Tickets are now on sale!! Ticket information can be found on the Reunion Tickets page where you can now purchase your tickets via credit card!!! The reunion committee has been diligently working to plan a wonderful reunion for our family. Please use the "contact us" link with any questions and/or comments. We look forward to your attendance! |
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Minutes
for
8th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Saturday, December 8, 2007
11:58 - 12:51 PM
Prayer by Kerry Bryant Miller
In attendance:
Karen Miller representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Kelly Capel representing Arthur Lee Bryant Capel
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Huck called and left meeting reminder messages for Tina, Irene, and Tara.
Fundraiser discussion: Sue sent in $100 for her Scratch & Help booklet; the Croatian Club cashed the $300 deposit check; account balance to date is $1900.88. Kerry still needs to return three booklets to Dessa from Tre’ and Anita. Tara has not yet returned 4 books or sent $100 for her booklet; nothing has been received or reported from Tina who has 5 booklets.
Discussion: In order to determine the cost of the reunion per person we discussed each event as follows:
Banquet: After much discussion we agreed that we’d serve two entrees which would cost $15.13 per person. This cost includes coffee, tea and iced tea. Additional beverages such as sodas, wine, and/or liquor will be available via a cash bar. In an agreement made between Henry and Maureen (catering manager at the Croatian Club), children’s meals between the ages of 6 and 12 will be half priced for the five hours of the buffet. If we don’t want dessert, we can choose an additional side dish. The Croatian Club does allow desserts to be brought in so we have options. In considering incidentals the total cost of the banquet will be $17 per person for family members 13 years and older, $8.50 for family members ages 6-12 and free for family members 5 and under.
Meet & Greet: Huck received an email today from Maureen with attached price list for hors d’oeuvres. Any three hors d’oeuvres choices is $6.50 per person and any additional hors d’oeuvres would cost $1.00 each. $6.50 plus tax and gratuity will round up to $8 per person so by adding incidentals the total cost of the meet & greet will be $10 per person for family members 13 and older, $5 per person for family members ages 6-12 and free for family members 5 and under. Cash bar will be available. Note: We’re going to assume that Maureen will afford us the same deal as she did with the banquet and charge family members between the ages of 6 and 12 half price. We will check on this with her. ****Suggestion: Kerry had a friend suggest that the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce is contacted to see if they have non-specific giveaways like key chains, etc. available for us to add to our gift bags.
Photographer: Another thing needed to determine the cost would be the photographer which is $1000. With $1900.88 in the bank, we can use that money to pay for the photographer and not charge family members for that at all. $900.88 can be used for deposits, etc.
Picnic: Without Richard present to give his report, the picnic is the only other event we need to address to determine the family reunion costs. In order to make a decision today, we have to guess at the cost for the picnic. So if we guessed that the picnic is $15 per person for family members 13 years and older, $7.50 for family members ages 6-12 and free for family members 5 and under.
T-shirts: For 100 or more shirts – children’s to small adults are $5; adult – plus sizes are $8 - with the additional $2 per shirt for the logo, the shirt costs will be $7 & $10 respectively.
Church Service: No charge.
Website: We can accept Visa and MasterCard credit card payments on a completely secure payment page for our reunion right on our family website. A nominal fee is added to the ticket price and charged individually to each guest. The cost added to the ticket price is 8% and there is a .35 fee for each transaction.
EXAMPLE:If we decide that the actual cost for the reunion ticket is $50, we will put $50 in the field "Price of Ticket." 8% will be automatically added to that price for a total that will show up in the "Total Ticket Price" of $54. There will be .35 fee added for the total amount of the transaction. Therefore if a guest is buying 2 tickets (that you had determined would cost them $50 each), the total amount would be $108.35. To be clear, the fee is per person. Family members wanting to pay by check can still send their money to Kerry.
In summary, reunion cost will be as indicated in the chart below. The reunion will NOT be sold per event. Each person attending will need to pay for the entire reunion as it becomes unable to manage the events sold separately.
Next teleconference meeting will be determined at a later date.
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Barbara Jean Miller, grandmother of Devalle, Dominique, & Dante' Miller (children of Karen Bryant Miller) peacefully went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, November 29, 2007. Barbara Jean Miller was born August 16, 1940, in Columbus, Ga., the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Crawford and Eliza Nelms. Her parents relocated to Aliquippa, Pa., when she was very young. Barbara attended Aliquippa Public Schools and upon completion, received her high school diploma and furthered her education by attending Community College of Beaver County, where she studied Nursing. Barbara was a loyal employee of Friendship Ridge for 30 years until her retirement. She enjoyed traveling and the Fine Arts. |
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Minutes
for
7th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Saturday, November 17, 2007
12:15 - 12:56 PM
Prayer by Kerry Bryant Miller
In attendance:
Karen Miller representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Fundraiser discussion: Kerry deposited her $100 into the bank account and will be returning three booklets to Dessa from Tre’ and Anita.
Our current account balance is $1800.88. The $300 check sent to the Croatian Club has not been cashed yet so the bank’s balance actually reflects $2100.88. The check to the DJ was cashed.
Sue sent Huck an email saying she would not have her $100 until the end of the month. In a phone conversation with Huck, Tara said she’s going to return 4 books and will send $100 for her book. Nothing has been received or reported from Tina who has 5 booklets. Kerry has not received any checks from anyone since our last meeting.
Tre’ asked if we were going to have another fundraiser before the reunion. Discussion became that several people suggested selling tickets that will work off of the Pennsylvania lottery; others knew of successful raffles where a TV was the prize. Kerry, her mom, Lula Mae, and Huck all sent out for the PhoneRaiser info and whatever money is received as a result of sending in phones and empty ink cartridges will be helpful.
FYI: 36 people have RSVP’d indicating that 114 people are planning to attend the reunion.
T-shirts: Irene is responsible for t-shirts and has been diligently working to complete her task. Several questions were asked about the t-shirts and Irene went about finding the answers. The shirts will not shrink because they have been pre-shrunk. Irene inquired about an additional fee if we wanted to put a picture of our great-grandparents on the shirts or a tree or something and the response was there’s a $2 per shirt fee to add a picture if we purchase 100 or more shirts; and if we wanted a tree with family names, we would have to submit the design. For 100 or more shirts – children’s to small adults are $5; adult – plus sizes are $8 - with the additional $2 per shirt, the shirt costs will be $7 & $10 respectively. In addition, Irene was told in order to start the job, half of the money would be due; however, we won’t need that deposit at this time as we’re not ordering the shirts right now. Anna stated that her son Troy is an artist so Irene spoke with her about having Troy create a design for the t-shirts and Irene is presently awaiting a response. Kerry stated that her oldest son is also an artist and she’ll ask him about coming up with a design as well. If he agrees, he’ll send the design to Irene.
Church Service: At the last meeting we agreed that the service would be at Mt. Olive. We agreed that Sue would ask if we, as a family, could be an integral part of the service. A Mt. Olive board member asked Sue to submit a letter requesting what we wanted. So a letter was submitted asking if members from our family could be a part of the devotion, read the scripture, pray, preach, and provide the music/sing. We are waiting for them to have their official board meeting to let us know if our proposal is accepted. When Sue spoke with Debbie she said she didn’t see a problem but something had to be submitted in writing in order for them to consider our request.
Meet & Greet: Irene is responsible for this event and contacted Huck to help her because Henry went out of town. Huck contacted the Croatian Club and reserved Thursday, July 24, 2008 for this event. A $300 deposit is required to hold the date for us. Maureen stated that she would mail Huck a packet to include menus and prices as well as the do’s and don’ts but to date that information has not been received. Huck called several times to inquire about the packet without success. When she called again yesterday (November 16) the number for Maureen was no longer a working number. Huck will call Nick at the Croatian Club on Monday to find out what’s going on. Kerry asked if the check for the banquet should have been written to the caterer instead of the Croatian Club and Huck responded no because Maureen told her during their discussion that the check should be made to the Croatian Club/Center. When Huck calls to speak with Nick re: Maureen’s phone number and the packet, she’ll inquire as to why the check sent as a deposit for the banquet hasn’t been cashed.
Picnic: Richard did reserve shelter #13 at Brady’s Run for our event for a cost of $60 and will now check on reserving the softball field and the fee, if applicable. He didn’t have the information for the catering but went to check out a couple people. He will also have all information/costs needed for the next teleconference.
Banquet: no update
Videographer: Sweetie checked with Sam “Teekie” Jackson to find out if he’d be available to videotape our family reunion. His response was that he didn’t know when his family reunion would be held and didn’t want to commit to us and then leave us hanging. He also had concerns about traveling between Pgh and Quip and the cost to us. After considerable discussion, we decided that we’d just stick with the still photography and if family members wanted to use their video cameras they could. If digital video cameras are used, we could email the footage to each other, slice it and put together a CD that family members can enjoy – it won’t be professional but it’ll be free and represent the reunion! Richard stated that we ask family members to bring their video cameras and take it from there!!
Website: Huck stated that the website has the capability of collecting money for the reunion if members want to pay by credit card. There is a small fee (around $5) to use this service. Richard questioned if the $5 is per person or transaction and Huck responded that she thinks it’s per transaction. If we think this may be a service that we want to utilize, she will check into it and know specifically how that process works for the next reunion meeting. Family members wanting to pay by check can still send their money to Kerry.
In summary, we did not meet our goal for the purpose of this call because with only two voting members present and missing information about event costs, decisions could not be made. We need to meet soon so we can combine costs for the events and finalize what the cost will be for family members. As a committee, we should let the family members know the cost as soon as possible so they can plan accordingly.
Next teleconference meeting will be held on Saturday, December 8, 2007 @ 12:00.
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Minutes
for
6th Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Saturday, October 20, 2007
12:18 - 1:33 P.M.
In attendance:
Odessa Green Lazard - Chairperson
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel;
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Karen Bryant Miller representing Robert “Boot” Bryant
Irene Ellis Reddick representing Josephine “Lil Sis Ellis
Tina Ellis Sims representing Josephine “Lil Sis Ellis
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Fundraiser discussion:
Dessa stated that she has not received any Scratch & Help booklets from anyone. It is imperative that unused scratch-off booklets are returned to Dessa so we can keep track of them which will give us an actual money count.
Financial Report – given by Karen “Kerry” Bryant Miller
Money accounted for:
Arthur Lee Capel’s branch: Odessa Lazard - $200, Jason Washington - $100, Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder - $400, Rica Wallace - $400, Rosa Lee “Sweetie” Wallace - $120
Albert “Bud” Bryant’s branch: Richard Bryant - $500
Robert “Boot” Bryant’s branch: Jr. & Lulu Bryant - $100, Brenda Bryant Jenkins - $150
Louise Bryant Singleton’s branch: Mary Singleton - $100
Booklets/money NOT accounted for:
Ruth Bryant DuPree’s branch: Tara owes $500 for 5 booklets
Arthur Lee Capel’s branch: Henry owes $100 for one booklet and will return one booklet; Sue owes $100 for one booklet
Robert “Boot” Bryant’s branch: Kerry owes $100 for one booklet, Nita owes $100 for one booklet, Tre’ owes $200 for two booklets
Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis’ branch: Tina owes $500 for 5 booklets
Total amount in bank: $1700.88.
Final Count DEADLINE: Discussed needing a deadline for booklets/money so that actual planning can begin. By Saturday, November 10, 2007 Kerry should have all raised money OR Dessa should have received all unsold booklets.
Unscratched off booklets should be returned to Dessa at:
Odessa Green Lazard
1635 Sawyer Way
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909
Checks made out to the Bryant Family Reunion should be sent to Kerry at:
Karen Bryant Miller
141 Burning Tree Dr.
Hermitage, TN 37076
Booklets are still available if anyone wants to sell more – contact Dessa for booklets!!
Park Update: Richard went out to Brady’s Run, looked at all the shelters and found that #13 is the biggest shelter available and he’d like to reserve that one for the reunion. The shelter/pavilion has electricity and running water and also has a small kitchen in the back. He said the park doesn’t cost that much, about $75 or $80, and he’ll pay the deposit for the park and will get reimbursed later; the only reason he hasn’t reserved the park already is because he wanted to run the information by the committee first. He’ll go on Monday, October 22, 2007 to finalize the arrangements. The picnic menu is not completed yet but he will have suggestions ready for the next teleconference call as well as caterers/pricing. Richard wanted to know how much money we have and how many people we’re expecting. According to the website, to date 28 people RSVP’d indicating that 106 people are planning to attend. Richard will check to make sure the pavilion will hold at least 200 people and will plan the picnic for that number.
Banquet Update: Henry paid the deposit and is presently working on the banquet program.
Meet & Greet: Dessa asked Irene to take the lead on the Meet & Greet because Tina hasn’t made any progress. Irene agreed and Henry volunteered to help her. According to Henry, July 24, 2008 is still available at the Croatian Club. Henry will give Irene the contact person’s name and number and will accompany her to the Croatian Club to discuss arrangements/ideas if she wants him to – she accepted. Henry reminded us that you cannot bring food into the Croatian Club that you must use their catering service. We discussed that finger food was acceptable and a full meal was not necessary for this affair. Henry said they’d also try to make sure the marquee is available for the Meet & Greet.
Photography Update: Dessa has donated the deposit for the photographer so those dates are locked in.
Reunion Discussion: In order for us to tell family members the actual cost of the reunion, we’ll need to know the actual cost of the meals, decorations, and/or whatever money is needed for each event. We will then need to add that up and subtract the amount we’ve raised from our fundraiser(s) in order to determine reunion costs. Note: the fee for children will be less than the fee for adults.
Clarification: When people RSVP on the website that only means they PLAN to attend the reunion. The actual registration for the event – that includes sending in money - has not started because we don’t know how much to charge yet. When the reunion registration (which includes collecting money) starts, the registration should end in June. Discussion included that after the actual cost of the reunion has been determined, the number of family members may increase or decrease. Our goal should be to charge the cheapest amount that we can so family members will be encouraged to attend.
Transportation: Danny (Ernest Genes) volunteered to donate a 15 passenger van for the reunion. He feels that some family members will need transportation to the Croatian Club, Brady’s Run, and/or church and he wants that transportation available. Thanks Danny – your generosity is greatly appreciated!
Church Service Changes: Discussion came up of whether it makes sense to have the church service in Pittsburgh since we decided not to have the Meet & Greet up there because of the distance from Aliquippa. In addition, even though Mt. Olive is small, it’s still the church where a large number of our family members grew up and if we had to sit close to each other to fit, then that would be wonderful. Also, attending Mt. Olive means there’s a big possibility that our family members could be a part of the service. We could ask if someone from our family could preach the sermon, read the scriptures, pray, sing and play instruments – this wouldn’t be an option at Macedonia. Huck will ask Sue if she’ll take the lead on the church service and organize our family participation throughout the service.
T-shirts Update: Reeds Tees in Pittsburgh seems to be the logical option for us. The contact person said the different shades of blue t-shirts that we’re interested in and the costs are available (and is already posted on the family website from the last meeting.) The more t-shirts we order, the better discount we get. Irene will call the contact person to verify that the cost of the logo is already included in the cost of the shirt and if not, find out the cost and what discounts are available. We discussed what we wanted on the t-shirt such as date, family name, location, etc. – we also discussed a family slogan. Huck suggested since Troy is an artist, to give him the information that we want on the shirt and ask him to design something for us. Irene said she’d do this.
Discussion of reunion attendees: The committee previously decided that only family members and significant others should attend. This reunion is NOT for long time family friends – family members and significant others ONLY. In order for this decision/rule to be effective, each family branch representative is responsible for letting their family branch members know that they can’t bring their friends. The committee members should explain that the purpose of THIS reunion is for the Bryant family members to get reacquainted with and meet each other without having to decipher who is related and who is not.
Videography Discussion: Huck inquired as to whether or not we are still interested in having a videographer for the reunion and if so, what’s happening with that. Irene suggested that her neighbor, Sammy “Teekie” Jackson, does a very good job videotaping events including weddings. Huck suggested asking Sweetie to take this task as she knows him well and he may give her a discount. Kerry commented that at her mom’s reunion that the videographer is at the door taping and everyone that came in announced themselves and the branch they are from – great idea!
Family News: Henry quit smoking! Kerry is also trying to quit smoking! Woohoo!!!
Next teleconference meeting will be held on Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 12:00.
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On Sunday, September 30, 2007 Odessa Green Lazard joined Independence Missionary Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado!!! She had been looking for a church home for quite a while and Independence won her heart as it reminds her of growing up at Mt. Olive in Aliquippa.
Odessa was recently honored at work by having her picture housed on a wall specifically for United States Veterans. As a manager at the United States Post Office, she’s accomplished in seven years what usually takes most managers 15 years!! Here’s her journey: Odessa worked for IBM for several years and was laid off twice so at 47 years of age, she decided to start a new career. She was encouraged to try the post office because her husband, Vince, worked there. On October 31, 1996 Odessa was the first African American female temp worker hired at the United States Postal Service in the Human Resources Department in Colorado Springs. She held this position for three years enduring resistance because this job allowed her access to personal files which was unacceptable to some of the workers mainly because she was a temp and African American to boot!
For her first 3 ½ years at the USPS, during the hiring season she continued to work in HR but would work in the plant (the mail processing center) as a clerk or mail handler after hiring season ended. She couldn’t get hired in Colorado Springs because that post office favored Veterans. She was hired fulltime in January of 2000 in Denver as a clerk and traveled 157 miles round trip everyday for eight months before getting transferred to Colorado Springs. After 8 months in Colorado Springs, Odessa was approached about going into management and became an “acting” supervisor in 2000 in the Human Resources department.
Odessa then went to school to get certified as a manager in 2005 and graduated from the ASP program at the top of her class at 52 years of age!! She was recently chosen to become “acting MDO” (manager of distribution operations) and currently manages over 140 clerks, mail handlers, and maintenance crews. Odessa will be in Oregon from Oct. 26 – Nov. 6, 2007 taking additional classes to aid in her advancement in the United States Postal Service.
Nice job Dessa!!! We're very proud of you and your accomplishments!!! |
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Huck’s Trivial Updates
Hello Everyone,
I’ve decided to share some of my trivial updates with you! I bowl on a league every Thursday. So needless to say, weekly my ego forces me to believe that, even though my average is 135, a 300 game is in my future!! I must admit that the 300 game has eluded me so far but I’m still working on it! However, occasionally I’ll show signs of skill and actually bowl a decent game and/or series. Yesterday I bowled a 153, 136, and 202!! Woohoo!!! I started that 202 game with four strikes in a row!!! As you can imagine, I was talking big smack!!!
Also, because I tend not to push back from the table, as an older female some of my body parts are starting to spread!! In an effort to stop the unwanted fat from overtaking my body, I’ve decided to dust off my treadmill and actually use it!! Because I’m lazy, I will only stay on the treadmill for 20 minutes but I’m starting to make good strides! My best time to date is a 12:41 minute mile with my 20 minute distance being 1.52 miles! Woohoo!!! For a lazy old bird that time and distance has made me proud!!!
I’d love to know what you guys are up to and look forward to hearing some trivial updates from the rest of you!!
Love you all!
Huck
September 28, 2007 |
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Minister Ernest "Danny" Genes will be preaching Sunday, September 23, 2007 at 11:00 at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Aliquippa. We encourage family members in the area to come support Danny as he spreads the gospel. In addition your support will also help the Mt. Olive Family as they rebuild on a firm foundation grounded in Christ. (,,,on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18 NIV) |
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A Sports Message Board has been added!!! Let's talk sports...football, golf, basketball, baseball, etc...let's chat!! |
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Minutes
for
Bryant Family Reunion Committee Teleconference
Saturday, September 8, 2007
1:05 - 1:43 P.M.
In attendance:
Odessa Green Lazard - Chairperson
Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel
Richard Bryant representing Albert “Bud” Bryant
Tara DuPree Parks representing Ruth Bryant Stanford
Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker
Discussion: As per Dessa’s request, Huck called reunion members prior to the meeting to confirm their attendance at the teleconference. She called Tina, Kerry, Tara, Richard, and Irene. Tina indicated that they were having difficulty selling their booklets and that either she or Vail would attend the conference. Kerry will be unable to attend as she has a prior commitment from 8 AM to 3 PM. She indicated that her five booklets will be paid for and that $500 will be deposited into the family account. Tara and Richard said they’d attend the meeting and a message was left on Irene’s cell phone.
Fundraiser discussion:
Richard Bryant ordered 5 booklets and will send a check for $500 to Kerry.
Henry Green ordered 8 booklets and he has four books remaining. He will send Sue’s $100 check to Kerry ASAP. He will send his donation of $100 to Kerry as soon as he can and Dessa will send $100 for the book that Jason has. There is one book remaining to be sent back to Dessa.
Tara DuPree-Parks ordered 5 booklets and will send $100 to Kerry. She will continue to try to sell two of the books and will return the remaining two booklets to Dessa.
Antonio “Vail” and/or Tina (Ellis) Sims ordered 5 booklets – no report
Karen Bryant Miller ordered 5 booklets and will deposit $500 in the account.
Odessa Green Lazard ordered 10 booklets and sent a check for $200 to Karen. Reminder: Dessa purchased the fundraiser booklets for $800. The reunion committee agreed that she was to get her money back first so after selling her first eight books, this cleared our $800 cost debt. After deducting $800 from her sold booklets, Dessa sent the remaining $200 to Kerry.
It is imperative that unused scratch-off booklets are returned to Dessa so we can keep track of them which will give us an actual money count. The amount of money sent to Kerry should reflect the amount of booklets that you had OR the amount of money sent to Kerry should reflect the number of booklets sold + the booklets returned to Dessa.
Dessa will keep the booklets and we, as a committee, will decide when the best time will be to redo the fundraiser to see if we can raise additional money – maybe in about six months or so. We still have free booklets available for sale plus whatever booklets are returned.
Unscratched off booklets should be returned to Dessa at:
Odessa Green Lazard
1635 Sawyer Way
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909
Checks should be sent to Kerry at:
Karen Bryant Miller
141 Burning Tree Dr.
Hermitage, TN 37076
Huck reported that Kerry opened the family reunion bank account using the $1020 check sent by Huck. It cost $5 to open the account and the checks cost $14 totaling $19. The balance in the account is now $1001. After reports, ($500 – Richard; $500 – Kerry; $200 – Dessa; $100 – Tara; $100 – Sue; $100 – Jason) $1500 should be added to the account which will give us a total of $2501. After Kerry sends Henry two checks ($300 + $50) our balance should be $2151.00
Banquet discussion: Henry requested a check for $300 to be made out to the Croatian Club to hold the facility for the banquet. He also requested a $50 check to be made out to Maureen Redd to lock her in as the DJ for the banquet. It was agreed that Henry would be sent the checks.
Henry also stated that now that he has more time on his hands that he’s willing to help others complete their tasks. If Vail wants him to do something to help secure the Croatian Club for the meet and greet, let him know what to do and he’ll do it.
Hotel Discussion: Tara indicated that it’s not beneficial to get rooms this early and that we should wait until it’s closer to the reunion. We informed Tara that Sue had made efforts to contact her via email to find out if there were any hotels that Tara wanted Sue to go visit. It was suggested that Tara check her junk email folder to find out if Sue’s mail is going there. In addition, Tara was informed that Sue is willing to work with her to do whatever is necessary to secure rooms for the reunion.
Tara inquired about how many of the people who registered so far will need hotel rooms and asked if she could be updated regularly with that number. To date: 8 people required rooms with one person needing three rooms and one person needing four rooms. She will be provided monthly with updates.
Photography and videography discussion: Huck inquired as to whether Dessa was given an actual amount of money that would be acceptable for a deposit for the photographer. Dessa was told that Larry would get back with her on that but between her vacations, they have not connected. She’ll call him and work on it. Huck also questioned if we were going to get any information about the videographer from Larry’s son Michael. Dessa tried without success to contact Michael but she will continue to work on it to see if this is something that we’d like available for our reunion.
Reunion Discussion: To date 16 people have registered on the website indicating 67 family members will be attending the reunion. Everyone was happy that the people are starting to register. It was also commented that some family members don’t have computer access and other family members are RSVP’ing for them. We hope that other family members will offer to register “non-computer having” relatives as well. Comments were positive about the website changes/additions. The reunion events page was well received. In an effort to keep the page uniform, the event locations weren’t identified because all of the facilities aren’t secured.
Park Discussion: Richard should be contacted and asked to secure the park that he thinks will best fit our needs so we can lock that in. Richard stated previously that he’d put the deposit down and get reimbursed later. Discussed whether Brady’s Run or Economy Park would be better – discussion continued that it’s important for people to register so we will know what size facility is needed!
Next meeting will be determined at a later date and committee members will be notified for the next teleconference.
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Wanted: Quiz Questions??? |
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Minutes for Bryant Family Saturday, August 25, 2007 12:13 - 12:55 P.M. In attendance: Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel; Sue Capel representing Arthur Lee Capel Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker Note: Irene Reddick was not in attendance because she was having difficult connecting to the teleconference. Opening prayer: Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder Fundraiser discussion: Huck reviewed list of books ordered: Richard Bryant ordered 5 booklets Tara DuPree-Parks ordered 5 booklets Antonio Vel Sims ordered 5 booklets Odessa Green Lazard ordered 10 booklets Louise Singleton ordered 1 booklet Total 39 booklets – Dessa ordered 40 booklets. We get one free booklet for each 10 booklets ordered and because we’re paying up front, we get an additional 10% which means we’ll receive four more free booklets totaling eight free booklets. Calculation: 40 booklets mean we should raise $4000. + $800 (8 free booklets) - $800 (initial cost of the booklets) = $4000 net profit. Discussion: Henry received four books: he distributed one to Sue, one to Jason, and he kept two. Sue will be giving Henry a check (made out to The Bryant Family Reunion) for $100 for the book that she had and will sell the book later. Henry will donate the $100 for the two books that he has (when he can.) He has been unable to get in touch with Jason but will and plans to give an account at the next meeting. He will send checks to Kerry – made out to the Bryant Family Reunion - as soon as he gets them. Huck received five books: Sweetie was given one which she sold for $120; Huck’s four books were $400 and Rica donated $400 which was a total of $920. Mary Louise Singleton also had a book which was sold for $100. Huck sent a total of $1020 to Karen - $920 from Arthur Lee Capel’s branch; $100 from Louise Singleton’s branch. Comment: Henry stated that a lot of the places on the coupons are not in the Quip area and Sue agreed. They felt the coupons weren’t good. Banquet: The deposit required to hold the Croatian Club for the banquet is $300. This is the last thing that Henry needs to do to lock in the facility. Kerry will be contacted to send a check for $300 to the Croatian Club. Henry and Vail never hooked up to discuss using the Croatian Club for both the banquet and meet and greet. Henry checked with the Croatian Club and Thursday, July 24 is still available so Vail should call and make arrangements. Henry has also changed DJ’s for the affair to Maureen Reed. She’s charging $200 to play for us (which is due on the day of the affair) and doesn’t require a deposit; however, we decided to find out what she’ll accept as a deposit so when she brings the contract to Henry to sign, she’ll get the deposit which will lock in the date and time for us. Hotel information: Sue called three hotels for information. She called Motel 6, Super 8, and LaQuinta all out by the old airport on T-shirts: Irene has been diligently working to get information about t-shirts for the reunion. She’s in contact with REEDS TEES located in REEDS TEES CUSTOM T-SHIRTS AT REASONABLE PRICES.
Henry questioned whether we, as family members, get a vote on how the t-shirts would look. Huck suggested that we look for an artist in the family or find someone who can draw the concept/picture for us whether it be a picture of a tree with names branching out or create a family logo then have the family vote on it. We discussed the design being sent out via email or placed on the website and have family members vote on it there. Henry stated that if we do have family vote on it or anything else, that we should have a limited amount of time for voting. If you don’t vote by a specific time then you don’t get a vote, you’ll have to go by what the majority chose. Discussion: Disappointment was discussed as to there only being three people on the teleconference. It was commented that we’re all busy and still made sacrifices to be apart of this call. In addition reminders were sent out earlier in the week. That said, we couldn’t discuss picnic or meet & greet because their representatives weren’t present. Also, the main goal of this teleconference was not met because we were to find out how successful the fundraiser was and then determine if another fundraiser was needed to cover reunion costs. The reason this date was chosen was because the fundraiser would end on August 11 and then family branch representatives would have two weeks to collect the money and get it to Kerry. She would then have information from everyone to report today. Huck went onto the PhoneRaiser website (the other fundraiser that we have going on) to register. When registering, an event name, reason for fundraiser, who they are to make the check out to, etc. was required. Kerry stated that the fundraiser would be on the honor system with each family member logging on and registering and sending in their old phones and empty ink cartridges. Huck questioned if many of us registered under the Bryant Family Reunion wouldn’t that look suspicious. She suggested that we get more information on this fundraiser before pushing it. It wasn’t felt that family would participate in this fundraiser and that we should rethink it. Henry suggested a simple fundraiser like making up some tickets, selling them for one or two dollars, and offering money off of the Pennsylvania Lottery on a specific date. He feels that people play the lottery and will purchase the tickets. We decided that we should discuss it at the next meeting and determine if it’s something we want to do. We agreed that we need to first find out about the results of the Scratch & Help fundraiser. Sue questioned the amount of people that have registered for the family reunion. To date 13 people registered indicating 47 family members will be attending. We discussed having committee members pushing family members in their branch to register on the website so we can plan accordingly. Huck commented that committee members should have already registered but some haven’t – how do we push family members to register when the people planning it haven’t registered!! We also discussed adding a page on the website that will list family members who’ve registered. Discussion to be continued… Next meeting will be held on September 8, 2007 at 1:00 PM |
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CNN ANNOUNCED the WORST VIRUS EVER ---
PLEASE INFORM EVERYONE OF THIS THREAT! A new virus has just been discovered that has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee. This virus simply destroys Sector Zero from the hard disk, where vital information for its functioning is stored. This virus acts in the following manner: It sends itself automatically to all contacts on your list with the title: "A Card for You" or “You have just received a card from a family member”, etc. As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened the computer freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+del keys or the reset button are pressed, the virus destroys Sector Zero, thus permanently destroying the hard disk. In just a few hours this virus caused panic in New York, according to news broadcast by CNN. This alert was received by an employee of Microsoft itself. So don't open any mails with subject: "A Virtual Card for You." As soon as you get the mail, delete it!! Even if you know the sender!!! Verified on Snopes.com as of Aug 16, 2007. Please check out at the list of subject lines used with the virus at: http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp |
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On this Sunday at 12:00 NOON, I'll be preaching a message entitled, "I've Got Something To Prove." I welcome and invite everyone to tune in to watch the service at www.macedoniapgh.org this Sunday, August 12, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. E.S.T. |
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Julia Heather Steele and John Renzulli were married on July 13, 2007 in |
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Just a few things to share: Deah and I are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary on Friday, July 20. Also, I'll be preaching at JASON J. WASHINGTON |
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On Thursday, July 5, 2007, |
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The Bryant Family will be held from |
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Minutes for Bryant Family Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:10 - 1:50 P.M. In attendance: Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel; Antonio “Vail” Sims representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis Tara DuPree Parks representing Ruth DuPree Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker RSVP - Huck reported that as of today (June 30, 2007), eleven family members RSVP’d on the website indicating 45 people are planning to attend. Photography/Videography: Dessa has hired Larry Stokes as the photographer for the reunion. He charges $100 per hour. He will be at the reunion for each of the four days for a couple hours each day. Dessa discussed with Larry that he may not be able to take pictures inside the church on Sunday but he said no problem - he’d take pictures of us going inside the church! Jason will check to see if picture taking is allowed and let us know. After much discussion between Dessa and Larry it was agreed that the ceiling amount would be $1000. Huck asked about getting this in writing and Dessa said absolutely. When asked about videography, Dessa stated that Larry’s son, Michael, was a videographer. Henry asked if the videography is included in the price and the answer is no, if we want videos, we need to contact Michael and make arrangements with him. When asked how much the pictures were going to cost, Dessa said they’re free. She stated that Larry wanted to develop the pictures and have them ready for the people who live out of town so they can take pictures home with them. Vail asked for clarification that he was going to print pictures for everyone and Dessa said yes. Dessa stated that he won’t print every picture but that a small committee, probably the people on the phone, would get together and choose which pictures to print. Huck suggested that we get the pictures from him in digital form. Vail agreed and suggested we put them on the website so we can look at them later and download whichever ones we want. Huck asked if a deposit was required and Dessa said no. Huck suggested we give him at least $100 deposit so he has to hold those dates for us. The committee voted that Larry Stokes will be the photographer for our 2008 Bryant Family Reunion and will be given $100 deposit when the contract is signed to solidify the dates. Cake: We’re all set with the cake and the person making the cake for us is Sue Grayden. The cake is free for us and Dessa reiterated that free things are welcome so whatever we can get free, we should make it happen! Picnic: Richard commented that he had seen the website and saw that someone had already priced the parks and that we just needed to decide where to have the picnic and he would reserve whatever area we decide on. Richard was asked if he went out to check out the condition of the suggested parks and he didn’t feel there was a need because he knows all the parks and has been out to them. Henry had suggested checking out T-Shirts: Irene was given the name Meet & Greet: Vail reported that he and Tina were looking into a motel up by Greentree that has a big, spacious area that’s supposed to be real nice. He and Tina planned to check it out while they were in the area this upcoming weekend. They were also going to check out the distance from Greentree to Aliquippa and figured since we were going to church in Banquet: Henry checked three places: The Croatian Club, Center Stage, and The Elks. The Elks is not an option because the date is already taken. Most of the places range from $250 - $300 to hold the place. All three places cater their own food and run from around $10.50 - $15 per plate and it depends on how many entrees we want. Henry looked at Center Stage and the menu was ok. One thing he didn’t like about Center Stage is that they use those long tables and he feels that tables of six are more intimate. Henry met with a representative from the Croatian Club yesterday (by Sheffield Bowling Lanes) and found that it’s really nice. The prices are much cheaper and they have the linen colors that Henry wants, Janet will do center pieces but the Croatian Club will as well. We’d have to hire a DJ and Henry has already locked the DJ in for that date next year. Dave, the DJ, does a lot of parties around the area and doesn’t require a deposit but Henry feels that giving him a deposit definitely locks him in for that date. Henry will find out about getting a contract from him and let us know at the next teleconference how much of a deposit they agreed upon. As part of the banquet program, Henry would like to buy balloons and have them filled with helium. The minimum number of balloons that people sell at a discount is 200 but he’s still looking. He’s also checking to see what the cost will be to get our name put on the balloons. Henry stated that he really needs a head count to determine the actual cost and hopefully the banquet will cost no more than $20. He feels that $20 is a really good price considering you’re getting a program, food, and entertainment. Dessa agreed that we need a head count to come up with the cost for adults, and children for the entire reunion so we need to get family members to RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Henry stated that he won’t need to let the Croatian Club representative know exactly how many meals we need until two weeks before the event. Henry also wanted to know if we wanted a table for the committee at the banquet or not and if we wanted a table for the older members of the family. We agreed on a table for the older family members but everyone else could sit with whomever they like. Henry suggested that there should be no cost to any affair for the oldest members of the family – everyone agreed after clarification of “old’ was established to be the branch members and/or wives such as Lil Sis, Aunt Louise, Aunt Maree, and Aunt Lucille. Discussion of an adult banquet vs. a family banquet was warranted. Henry felt that everyone should be able to attend and a decision needs to be made so he can plan accordingly by checking prices for kid’s meals. He already knows that adults will have a choice of three meals and needs to do research regarding the children. Being that we don’t have the numbers as of yet, Henry has given them a head count of 200 people realizing that number may change in either direction. The committee agreed on a family banquet where everyone is invited. Vail suggested that we should consider having the Meet & Greet in the same place as the banquet which will keep everything in a central location and out-of-town family members won’t have to worry about getting lost. Everyone felt that this is a great idea. Henry commented that all the places required you to use their catering and they had an hors d’oeuvres menu that was not very expensive at all. He felt that it would be nice if the reunion committee could pay for this event out of our fundraising funds. Vail suggested that if we use the location for two events we may get a price break on the costs. Henry suggested getting back to the Croatian Club quickly so the representative can block both of those dates. It was clarified that the two days are Thursday, July 24 for the Meet & Greet and Saturday, July 26 for the banquet. Henry clarified that the decorations for the banquet won’t be up for the Meet & Greet affair. In addition, there’s a marquee that will display the Bryant Family Reunion and he’ll make sure to have that put up on Thursday for the Meet & Greet as well. The theme for the banquet will be shades of blue and the background will be cream. Henry stated that the program (which he has great ideas for) will last for about an hour and a half and then the party will get started. Henry was asked by the Croatian Club representative if we wanted to have a cash bar or open bar – we agreed on a cash bar which will include sodas; FYI: coffee, tea, and iced tea comes with the meal. Henry feels the affair should not be formal but no jeans and sneakers – dress up nicely in shades of blue!! He would like to see everyone attend the banquet and asks that all family members try to participate in the “shades of blue” theme. Richard questioned if we were talking about everyone paying for their own plate because now we’re getting into a lot of money. Richard also wanted it clarified that each family member will be paying for two events and the picnic. Huck commented that the cost of the reunion per person depends on the success of the fundraisers. Hopefully we’ll raise enough money to cover the costs for the photographer, halls, decorations, some food, etc. but if the fundraisers aren’t successful then the cost per person will be more expensive. In clarifying the comment, if the cost for the meet & greet is $10, $15 for the picnic, and $20 for the banquet, add extra $$ per person for the cost of the photographer, decorations, etc., instead of each person paying $60, the total per person may be $40 because the fundraisers were successful and will absorb some of the costs - which is why it’s important to push the fundraisers. Henry questioned if someone he’s working with wants a deposit, what should he do? Dessa told him to contact her and she’d send him a check. Fundraising: Huck and Dessa explained Scratch & Help fundraiser to Richard and Tara. Clarification: As Huck was typing the minutes, a few items needed clarifying so she called the company to get questions answered. First question was how much extra would it cost to have our family name put on the booklets; answer: there’s no extra charge - the name being put on the booklets is a part of the $20 fee per booklet. The additional cost is if we wanted specialized coupons and not the coupons that they offer (which we don’t). Second question was how would we get 90% of the profits and how would we go about giving them their 10%. Answer: Turns out that since we're paying for the booklets in advance, all the money we collect is ours!!! In addition, for each 10 booklets that we buy, we get one booklet free which totals to an additional $100, hence 90% profit for us. In addition, if we pay for the booklets up front (with a credit card) we get an additional 10% free booklets. So if we purchase 60 booklets, instead of getting 6 free booklets we'll get 12 free booklets, hence, 20% additional money from them. Third question was what is the process for returning unused booklets and getting a refund as a result; answer: if we purchase 60 booklets and want to return 6, we then have to return the free booklets that they sent us because otherwise they would be giving us money!! SO, if we have extra booklets left over, it's to our advantage to keep them to use later on (even if it's six years later) and they'll send us updated coupons to go with them free of charge!!! Dessa stated that we are planning to order the books today (June 30, 2007) and the anticipated cost of ordering 60 booklets is $1200. So that Dessa won’t have to pay interest on her credit card, she would pay $600 and Huck would pay $600 to her credit card immediately. The first $1200 earned from the fundraiser would be returned. In order to place the Scratch & Help booklet order, all family branch representatives need to be present. Dessa called Tina who represents Lil Sis, Tara who represents Ruth, and Karen who represents Boot to remind them of the call and get their booklet order. Antonio (Tina’s husband) joined the call as did Tara DuPree-Parks ordered 5 booklets Antonio Vel Sims ordered 5 booklets Odessa Green Lazard ordered 10 booklets Louise Singleton ordered 1 booklet Total 39 booklets – Dessa ordered 40 booklets. We get one free booklet for each 10 booklets ordered and because we’re paying up front, we get an additional 10% which means we’ll receive four more free booklets totaling eight free booklets. Calculation: 40 booklets mean we should raise $4000. + $800 (8 free booklets) - $800 (initial cost of the booklets) = $4000 net profit Dessa suggested we run the fundraiser for five weeks. Richard felt that that wasn’t long enough. Huck stated that the company recommends two weeks because if you have two people scratch off two or more circles a day, you will have completed the book in two weeks. The fundraiser will end on August 11, 2007. Each participating family member should return all money and booklets to their family reunion committee member by Saturday, August 11, 2007 who in turn will send all booklets and money, via check or money order, to: 141 Burning The booklets should take a week to arrive. As soon as Dessa gets them, she’ll mail them certified so everyone will have to sign for them. Huck will send Dessa a list of addresses for committee members ASAP. It was noted that there’s a big difference between our estimated profit with 60 books vs. 40 books. Dessa stated that we’d planned on ordering 60 books and Richard commented that that would be taking a risk and that we should start small and if it’s successful, do the fundraiser again. Dessa commented that hopefully with this fundraiser, donations, and the phoneraiser fundraiser, maybe we’ll be successful in keeping the cost down for the family members. Next teleconference will be held on Saturday, August 25, 2007 @ 12 PM. We will then know the success of the fundraiser. An invitation will be sent out shortly. The next teleconference will also address updated information for each reunion event. |
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Julia Heather Steele, daughter of Jim and Ann (Bryant) Steele, is engaged to John Renzulli and will be married on July 13, 2007 in |
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Minutes for Bryant Family Saturday, June 9, 2007 12:10 - 1:52 P.M. Prayer: Karen Bryant Miller In attendance: Henry Green representing Arthur Lee Capel; Janet Green – family guest (wife of Henry Green) Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker Henry asked if when the minutes are written to include who said what so if there are any questions or comments that people will know who to contact and not always contact Huck. Clarification: In the minutes from the last teleconference, it states that Henry and his siblings volunteered to donate the food for the reunion. Henry clarified that they were willing to prepare/cook the food not pay for and donate the food. RSVP - was added to website on May 19, 2007: Huck reported that as of today (June 9, 2007), only seven family members responded indicating 26 people are planning to attend. It was noted that of the seven people who RSVP’d, only two of them were reunion committee members! We discussed actually talking with family members in our branches to encourage them to go out on the website and RSVP because maybe they’re not aware of how important it is for us to have actual numbers to work with so we can plan accordingly. Website: We discussed the website and Huck reported that the minutes from the last meeting were posted in the news section as well as the fact that a count down to the reunion had also been added to the front page which indicates the number of days left to the reunion. Kerry commented that this was good because we won’t be fooled as to how much time we actually have left in the planning process. Photography/Videography: Dessa spoke with Larry Stokes and he doesn’t see a problem videotaping our reunion, however, he’s not sure if he’ll be available all three days so Dessa looked up some videographers in the city of Cake: Dessa reported that the cake is all taken care of and it’s at no cost to the family. The picture of Mama and Papa sitting in the church in the chairs is the photo that will be used on the cake. Dessa was asked if she wanted tiers on the cake because her friend wants to do something really nice/special for us. Fundraising: Kerry checked out ABC Fundraising on the web and sent for the free sample of the scratch-off booklet discussed at the last teleconference. She found that each scratch-off booklet costs $20. If we buy ten or more booklets, we will receive 10% free scratch and help booklets. The way the fundraiser works is the donor scratches off two or more circles on the card; donates the uncovered amount; and receives a coupon sheet with various coupons (which vary from state to state but the coupons all seem pretty common such as Subway, Pizza Hut, Jiffy Lube, Blimpies, etc.) There are three no money up front options: 1) check by phone with a $20 fee 2) purchase order but this is usually used by businesses or schools 3) financing by any major credit card. 10 orders or less must be paid up front with a major credit card. Kerry asked: 1) how will the booklets be purchased? Dessa agreed to use her credit card to pay for them; 2) how will the booklets be passed out to family members? Huck asked several questions for clarification such as after selling the entire scratch-off booklet, how much money would be raised? Answer: $100; of that $100 how much would the family get? Answer: $90 because if we paid for the booklets up front, then we send them 10% of each booklet sold. Kerry asked who would sell the books – should the committee sell the books or should each family member get a book to sell. Huck suggested it would be easier to track if a committee member from each branch take charge of a certain number of booklets and take the responsibility of passing them out to the family members in that branch and collecting the money for each booklet. Kerry informed us that if the booklets are personalized saying “Bryant Family Reunion” then there’s an additional fee. However, if they’re not personalized, we can return any unused booklets. We agreed not to have them personalized so they can be returned for a refund. Henry requested the website for the fundraiser: www.abcfundraising.com Kerry suggested we come up with a monetary goal to shoot for. She asked the question so she’ll know how many fundraisers to organize so we’ll find success for our upcoming family reunion. After much discussion a minimum goal of $5,000 was agreed upon. Without knowing the costs for the individual events, it’s difficult to know what to shoot for. Finalizing the details of the scratch-off fundraiser discussion: Kerry suggested we come up with a definite number of booklets to sell for each branch of the family. Discussion became to whom we should give the booklets to sell – should only the committee members sell them or should we give them to individual family members to sell. Huck suggested giving a pre-selected number of the scratch-off booklets to the selected committee member, and that person is responsible for distributing the books to members in his/her family and collecting the money. For example, Henry may be given eight books. Henry will then decide who in Granny’s branch of the family he will give the books to to sell. Henry, then, collects the money from those family members and sends the collected money via check or money order to Kerry. Huck’s suggestion includes not just giving the books to different family members at random – that in order to easily keep track, the committee member for that branch has that sole responsibility. Since Dessa volunteered to pay for these booklets in advance on her credit card, she expressed concern that some of the family branches were not represented on this call. Her concern is that she would spend the money and those not represented would not buy into the fundraising concept. Janet asked whether or not we were planning to start the fundraiser right away and if so, when Huck puts the minutes on the website that maybe the committee members would read the minutes and know that a decision needs to be made; then maybe have another teleconference to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Huck suggested the committee decide on a number of books for each branch to sell then she would send out an email to the reunion committee members asking them to respond as to whether or not they’re willing take on the responsibility of the fundraiser for their branch of the family. Upon hearing an acceptance response from the committee members we should then come together again to finalize the plan. If the committee members don’t respond to the email, Huck will call them on the phone and speak with them about the family fundraiser and their responsibilities. Present committee members agreed. Dessa suggested that she be the last to be paid back after the fundraiser is completed meaning pay for the activities/events and needs of the reunion first. She suggested this because her goal is for everything to go smoothly and for us to have a successful reunion. Huck took issue with this and stated that Dessa should be paid back first and we work with whatever we have left to meet the needs of the reunion as it’s not her responsibility to pay for this reunion. Janet agreed that Dessa should get her money back first so we’d know what true figures we’re working with. Kerry suggested that after Dessa sells her booklets that she returns to Kerry the remaining amount minus what she’s owed. Everyone agreed that Dessa should get her money back first. Discussion moved to the actual number of books to purchase; Dessa suggested 10 books per branch. Huck informed us that we’re not working with six branches; we’re working with five because Aunt Louise is not represented on the committee because she only has two people in her entire branch. We agreed five branches would each sell 10 booklets and Dessa would sell an additional 10 booklets which totals 60 booklets. This means the cost to the family that Dessa has agreed to pay for up front is $1200. It should be noted that the $1200 is an approximate amount as the actual depends on the exact number of books ordered and this won’t be known until after the next teleconference. Being that Dessa is providing the deposit, Kerry will give her the necessary ordering information and she (Dessa) will order the booklets (so as to keep her credit card information private). Huck will provide Dessa with home addresses of the committee members so she can send the booklets immediately after receiving them. Janet asked what happens if someone gets a book and does nothing with it or loses the booklet - is the committee member ultimately responsible for paying for that booklet. Huck’s response was no and the committee agreed – you can’t hold a committee member financially responsible for someone else’s negligence. Janet: if that scenario comes true, then what happens? The family will lose the $20 that we paid for that booklet – that’s why every effort should be made to give the books to responsible family members. Kerry also asked if she should open a bank account at her bank to put the money raised in – the committee agreed that she should do this. She stated that the account will be set up in the Bryant Family Kerry stated that if this fundraiser is the success that we think it’ll be, we can do it again! Phone Raiser was another idea presented by Kerry. This fundraiser is set up to collect broken or old cell phones and empty inkjet cartridges. We can earn at least $5 for each inkjet cartridge and each qualifying cell phone can be worth up to $300 depending on if they can fix/refurbish it. The best way to push this fundraiser is to advertise that you’re going to do it by putting up flyers, letting people know at your job, church, etc., then go out and collect them! Other suggestions on getting people to give up their old/broken phones would be to inform them that we’re collecting them to help raise money for our family reunion or appeal to their conscience by telling them that by discarding one cell phone that they’re polluting 132,000 liters of drinking water which would give them the impression that they’re helping the environment as well. The company will send you the information on how to approach people; they send you the labels; there’s no shipping and handling costs - you in turn put the cell phones and empty inkjet cartridges in a box, send it to them, and send you a check! This is not a major fundraiser but even if we don’t get a lot of money from it, it won’t cost us anything and will give us more than we would have if we just tossed our inkjet cartridges away and left our old cell phones in a drawer. The committee agreed to do this but the first focus will be the scratch-off booklets. Kerry suggested that Huck put something on the website to encourage people to donate their cell phones and inkjet cartridges. Huck agreed and suggested that in addition the reunion committee members contact people in their family branch to encourage this because we’re not sure if people are actually reading the information put on the website. Kerry volunteered to get information to Boot’s branch and Huck volunteered to pass information along to the people in Arthur’s branch. The website address for this fundraiser is www.phoneraiser.com. Other fundraisers: Kerry received a forwarded email from Sue about a couple fundraisers she found out from Alee’s school but hasn’t checked them out yet. She acknowledges that she hasn’t addressed them yet but says that one of them was about reunion t-shirts. She’ll follow-up with Sue. Kerry also requested Jason’s phone number so she can coordinate the CD fundraiser; Dessa gave it to her: 412-519-2704. T-Shirts: Dessa felt that the cost of the t-shirts should come out of the fundraisers and Henry disagreed saying that each family member should pay for his/her own shirt. Discussion continued that some people want the t-shirts as souvenirs and will buy them for that reason. The committee agreed with Henry. Discussed briefly making sure we get the t-shirts in a timely manner as well as when to wear the t-shirts. Dessa felt that everyone should wear the t-shirts at the picnic because of the group picture that we plan to take and we won’t be the only ones at the park so the t-shirts will separate us from everyone else. In addition, if one of our children gets away from us, the shirt will let whoever sees him/her know that the child is a part of the Bryant Family Reunion. Henry brought up that Irene was calling him about the t-shirts and he wasn’t clear as to why. Apparently Irene was trying to get in touch with Teenie and couldn’t so then tried to get in touch with her through Henry. It was clarified that at our last teleconference Dessa suggested contacting Teenie because she worked with Dave’s catering for so many years and knew how and where to get nice t-shirts for a reasonable price. Henry stated that nobody informed Teenie about this. Henry felt that it’s easy not to know what you’re supposed to do if you’re not on the teleconference and it was clarified that Irene wasn’t on the teleconference because she didn’t have long distance phone service. Dessa further clarified that for this teleconference Tina volunteered to call Irene and patch her into the conference via three-way calling but Tina didn’t call into the meeting today which is why Irene wasn’t on the line. Huck stated that in Irene’s defense, she has been out on the internet diligently working trying to find different companies that make family reunion t-shirts. Irene sent Huck a link asking for an opinion about some t-shirts that she was considering presenting to the committee. So even though Irene wasn’t on the teleconference, it’s known that she’s taking her role seriously. Kerry asked if Sue and Irene were working on the t-shirts together and Huck responded that Sue was just throwing some ideas out there and is not responsible for the t-shirts at all. Huck also suggested that Irene be given Teenie’s email address so she can contact her directly and Henry stated that Irene has been emailing Teenie. Hotels: Sue and Tara are responsible for checking out hotels for the reunion. Sue couldn’t attend the teleconference and I only got information on the 2 that we have here locally - kinda steep you ask me. Hampton Inn -- they can block any amt. of rooms for us, minimum 10; $94.50 plus tax each; no discounts for more than 10 rooms; each room has 2 queen beds; they have a meeting room, but holds comfortably 36 people; July next year is available at this time; they have indoor pool & have continental breakfast; free parking. Holiday Inn Express -- can block any amt. of rooms for us - minimum 5; $106 plus tax; they do have a meeting room, but its $150 a day and holds about 64 people; they also have indoor pool & continental breakfast; free parking. p.s. - The Hampton & Holiday Inn Express are both nice hotels - we have stayed in both of them - they are the ones by the mall. There are 2 other hotels being built by Center Stage, but I don't know the names of them - I will check those out as well. Dessa suggested that whatever hotel we as a committee choose, all family members should try to stay there if they’re not staying with relatives because this would help us in possibly getting a free hospitality suite and/or discount on the rooms. In addition, we would all be close together and not spread out everywhere. Henry asked for clarification that we will block off the hotel rooms but that we, as a committee, are not collecting money for the hotel. Response is that he is correct - each family member is responsible for reserving/paying for his/her own room(s) but the committee will choose the best hotel for the reunion. Banquet: Henry stated that he has more questions to ask rather than ideas to present. He feels it’s difficult for him to come up with ideas because he’s not sure what other people have found out for example, he needs to know what hotel are we going to use so he can find out if they have banquet facilities and if those facilities will accommodate our needs. He’d like to keep the banquet around the realm of where the other activities will be held. Given that Sue has checked out the two hotels in Center, Henry will now check them for banquet facilities. Dessa suggested that since everyone should be there at the reunion by the third day that Henry needs to make sure that the facility will hold everyone and accommodate dancing as well. Janet stated to keep in mind that if we’re trying to keep down costs that having the banquet in the hotel would be better because we won’t incur that additional rental fee of an outside facility and we’ll only have to pay for meals as opposed to rental fee and meals. Dessa clarified that on our last teleconference we discussed the banquet being adult only which is why Huck suggested checking out the Gateway Clipper as a possibility. Henry suggested whatever hotel is being used would be better because if the affair is adult only the children will have to be somewhere nearby and if the banquet is in the hotel, the parents will be there if needed. Henry stated that Metro catering will probably be used for the affair. After much discussion, Henry has a much better understanding of the direction he needs to go and will have valuable information such as which banquet facilities will meet our needs as far as size, if we will be allowed to bring in our own caterer or if we’ll have to use their caterer, etc., for us at the next teleconference. Huck clarified that Henry is responsible for everything related to the banquet not just location and food but also entertainment, the program for the evening, decorations, etc. Kerry informed Henry that she’d need to know all of his projected costs so she can plan fundraisers accordingly. Henry stated that he had one idea that he wanted everyone to wear the same color so he’d come up with the theme “Shades of Blue” and the hall would be decorated accordingly – it’s an idea that’s not etched in stone but he’s working on it. Parks: Dessa commented that she threw Comments: Dessa stated, and the committee agrees, that since we all volunteered to work together on the family reunion committee that we should all make the effort to attend the teleconferences. One or more of us not showing up hinders the progress of the entire group so let’s try to encourage each other to work together. Next teleconference will be held on Saturday, June 30, 2007 @ 12 PM. An invitation will be sent out shortly. Note: the booklets will be ordered on that day immediately following the teleconference if we get the go ahead from each branch with the desired number of booklets. The next teleconference will also address information that was to be presented today and wasn’t, such as meet and greet, picnic, and t-shirts information. |
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Hey Family, At Love ya, J JASON J. WASHINGTON 2225 Bedford Ave. Pgh. PA 15219 |
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Minutes for Bryant Family Saturday, May 19, 2007 In attendance: Tara DuPree Parks representing Ruth Bryant Dupree; Tina Ellis Sims representing Josephine “Lil Sis” Ellis Carmelita “Huck” Wallace Wilder – minutes taker Discussion of the length and dates of the reunion was as follows: discussed having a three day reunion vs. a four day reunion. The rationale behind a four day reunion is a three day reunion doesn’t give us enough time to be with each other and do all the activities that we want to do. We discussed if the four days should be Thursday thru Sunday or Friday thru Monday – decided on Thursday thru Sunday.
Discussed location being Discussion of the reunion activities was as follows: Agreed to have a meet and greet, picnic, banquet for adults, and church service. Initial discussion of the reunion activities sparked a question of whether a meal would be shared after church services. Response was “if there was money left over, we could get together and go out to a restaurant afterwards.” In addition, after discussion with his siblings, Henry volunteered to donate the food for all activities – he said some of the food would be cooked and some would be catered. No caterer had been identified - the thought was buying cooked food from grocery stores, etc. The discussion was that donating food for all events is too big of an undertaking. The discussion was tabled. After later discussions, it would be more feasible for Henry and his siblings to volunteer to donate the food for the meet and greet instead of the whole affair. Discussion of the meet and greet was as follows: Spearhead: Tina Ellis Sims. Date: Thursday, July, 24, 2008 from 7 PM – 11PM. Discussion was where the meet and greet should be held. We couldn’t think of anyone with a backyard big enough to accommodate everyone so a hotel or community center was suggested. A community center seems to be the best place for us. Whatever location we choose should be a private facility that’s open only to us – not a bar. A community center in Coraopolis was suggested and should be researched. Overall discussion included whatever services that we could get free are welcome! One of our objectives is to keep the costs down so free is our family friend! Discussion of the picnic for the reunion was as follows: Spearhead: Discussion of the adult banquet for the reunion was as follows: Spearhead: Discussion of the church service for the reunion was as follows: Spearhead: Odessa Lazard Date: Sunday, July 27, 2008. Discussion was what church should be able to accommodate all of us; Discussion of the fundraisers for the reunion was as follows: Spearhead: The purpose of fundraising is to offset the cost of the reunion such as paying for the halls, food, goodie bags, etc. so that the reunion cost for family members is minimal. Its purpose is not for purchasing airline tickets, hotel reservations, etc. Discussion about who is invited to the family reunion was as follows: The family reunion is for family – not friends!! Just because you’ve had a friend for 40 years and he/she knows your family doesn’t mean that they should attend the family reunion. Two examples were provided to support the discussion: In Denver at a family reunion a shooting occurred because a friend of a family member saw another person (not a family member) that they didn’t like and several people were shot as a result. Also, Danny’s daughter was having a party to celebrate her 21st birthday that was going nicely; they even had an off-duty officer there for security purposes. A thirty one year old non family member came to the party wanting to shoot her brother! A ruckus broke out and police from several towns were needed to break things up. Our concern is for our family’s safety. Our older relatives shouldn’t have to worry about chaos breaking out because of someone who isn’t even related to us. It was agreed that only family members and significant others are invited to the reunion because the line has to be drawn somewhere. Discussion of the t-shirts for the reunion was as follows: Spearhead: Irene Reddick. Information needed: costs of t-shirts per size, suggestions of colors, logos, etc. Suggestion was to ask Teenie Genes for help because as a caterer for so many years, she knows how to get good t-shirts for a bargain. Discussion of the hotels for the reunion was as follows: Co-Spearheads: Tara DuPree Parks & Sue Capel. Hotels that were suggested were near the Discussion of travel for the reunion: Co-Spearheads: Tara and Tim Parks They are travel agents and will be available to get the best deals on airline tickets, as well as car rentals. Discussion of the photographer/videographer for the reunion was as follows: Dessa will contact Larry Stokes to video our reunion “free” or discounted for all four days. If this happens, the DVD’s will be available for sale. Huck will work with Dessa to find a photographer for the reunion. RSVP’s: It was suggested that we start getting a head count so we will know how to plan accordingly. In order to order food, know how many rooms to block off in hotels, etc., we need to find out who is actually planning on attending. The website has a RSVP feature that will be activated immediately so family members can go on and let us know if they’re planning to attend. Website Discussion: In addition to the RSVP page, the website is available for family communication. If you’re looking for someone to help you do legwork, use message boards, guestbook, etc. to get help. Dessa would like to survey the family about what they’d like to see at the family reunion. Questions will be sent to Huck and a poll will be uploaded. A notice will be put on the first page to inform family of the new poll. Poll section is available to all committee members. Website Comments: The website is obviously being used but not for communication. Family members are looking at pictures but aren’t communicating. This can be a valuable communication tool if we would just use it! The quiz is enjoyable and looking forward to the next one. Cost per person/family: Discussed not being able to come up with cost per family or per person until we get details from each particular activity/event chairperson. Hopefully at the next teleconference, we’ll be in a better position to make that decision. Next teleconference will be held on Saturday, June 9, 2007 @ 12 noon. The purpose will be to get details from spear-headers on the various events so decisions can be made as to locations, entertainment, menus, etc. for our 2008 reunion events/activities. |
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Kelly Capel and his family are mourning the loss of his aunt, Donna McCoy. Donna, 58, was a nurse in Detroit, Michigan. She died Tuesday, May 15, 2007 of a seizure. Her homegoing services will be held on Saturday, May 19 at 1 PM in Detroit. Our sincere condolences go out to Kelly and his family. Please keep them in your prayers. |
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Snopes.com (submitted by Jack Bryant - son of Ducy Woods, grandson of Albert "Bud" Bryant, great-grandson of George & Mary Eva Bryant) |
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21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge[a] of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. 1 Peter 3:21-22 (NIV) |
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The future bride is a graduate of Aliquippa High School and Robert Morris University in Moon Township. She is a teacher at Hope Christian Academy in Aliquippa. Her fiance is a graduate of Aliquippa High School and California University of Pennsylvania. He is an assistant football coach at California University. They are planning a July 7 wedding. (Ernest Genes, III is the son of Ernest Genes, grandson of Mary Ella Genes, great-grandson of Arthur Lee Capel, great-great grandson of George & Mary Eva Bryant) |
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April 8, 2007: Hey Everyone, On March 21, 2007 I was released from a North Carolina prison. I am currently living in Sanford, Florida with my mother, Alberta Pope McNeely. I'm also doing volunteer carpentry work at the Central Florida Dream Center. In additon to volunteering, I will function as a mentor to the fatherless youth as well as children on the wrong path by sharing my experiences and encouraging them not to make the same choices that I did. I am excited about the family website and am looking forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming family reunion!! Please keep me in your prayers. Love to you all...Shawn |
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Please go to the family links page to find a link to TNT Parks Travel. |
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Hey FAM....I know those of you who are out of town won't be able to make this, but I wanted to invite everyone who can come....This is our church's annual drama production. My wife, Deah, has the lead role in the play and I will be singing. I am in charge over the production as a whole....it's gonna be really nice....Love you all!
Jay The Prodigal Daughter - A drama production about faith, hope, and change. Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7 beginning at 7:30 each night. minister Jason J. Washington
Pastor of worship macedonia church 2225 Bedford ave pgh pa 15219 (412) 281-8437 ext 14 |
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Below you will see pictures of family members who attended George Dupree's Homegoing Service. |
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Minister Jason Washington is the Pastor of Worship at the Jason delivered his first sermon entitled “The Sure Factor” in September, 2005 on a Wednesday night. His second sermon was delivered in November of 2006. His third sermon, entitled “The Qualifications of a Keeper” was delivered on January 28, 2007. This was a very exciting occasion for Jason for two reasons. It was his first sermon delivered on Sunday, and his mother, Odessa Green Lazard, traveled from |
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Ashley Bryant is a graduate student at Yale University majoring in drama. She starred as Roberta Flack in the "Donny Hathaway Story" play on February 24, 2007 at the Yale Cabaret which is required "work" for the School of Drama. She is required to do several roles per year. Below please enjoy pictures from her performance. |
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