Ross Young – Chair

Katheryn Holmes – Vice-Chair

 

 

 

Notes on October 15 summarized form various meeting prior  to be used in the Conference call with committee members.

Sons and Daughters

Areas of needed attention

1)    Tours

a.    Mountain trip

b.    Race day and carowinds

c.    Beach trip and water park

Things needed from tour leaders:

a.    Complete itinerary

b.    Detailed budget

c.    Food menu and cost and where to eat when  how long etc, plan for cleanup trash etc if needed

d.    Plan for any special diets

e.    Exact times of daparture, drive time, arrival time

f.    Details on what to expect on the tour and in what order

g.    Numbers of  participants that can attend if there is a limitation

h.    Ages  that apply

i.    # shaperones needed and whether or not you have them lined up.  Ideally, who they are to go on the insurance.  We can probably get those names later.

j.    Clothing/ towels, shoes, sunscreen, bug spray, etc needed by participants

k.    Where they will change/store clothes

l.    What information you may have that needs to go in the registration as well as in any follow up mailings after registration

m.    Contracts that may need to be signed  and any deposits that have to be made

n.    Release forms from companies that may require them.

2)    Party’s

a)Ed Emory beach party.  As long as Ed will handle this and I think he has agreed to do it with his staff, I will handle all the coordination from our end.  Looking at a beach theme, nothing very elaborate because he will have to be flexible on numbers in case they are low.

b)Kathryn Holmes water park party.  Seems like a simple task since the park does it.  What will be our roles?  Will need two transportations back:  one that will bring folks back for the Banquet and one to bring back after the party.  Registration will have to tell us what their choice is so we will know how many buses to have available to come back.

We will need a description of each party and what it will look like, food menu, cost, entertainment, times, duration, etc.

3)    Transportation:  Buses:  until we know the total numbers on tours it will be difficult to determine the number of buses.  I think we have 5 assigned to us at the moment. Each hold 54 people.  We need to decide whether or not we would take a smaller bus or van on a trip.  One problem with that is with vans, we might need car seats. I took mine to Michigan but didn’t need it.  We were always on a big bus and didn’t have to have it.

Emergency vehicle. This one may be more difficult.  In the event someone gets sick or needs transportation other than an ambulance (God forbid).  It would be nice to have some sort of transportation at each event.  I am not sure as to the rules on this one.  4-H agents may have input.  Would a state vehicle make a difference over a personal vehicle?

4)    Communmication:

a.    cell numbers of all agents on a list that we all carry with us

b.     cell numbers of kids and parents whether or not they are with us.

c.     Walkie talkies,  I have asked for some, at least one per bus.

5)Photography:

    Karens son will take some pictures.  And a couple of othere need to agree to do the same especially when he is on one tour and there are two consecutive tours.  I am sure it will all be digital.  Whomever does this will need to take their camera to the main headquarters after each event to download into the system .

6)    Safety:  A safety sheet should be developed by Stanley and Eve that accompanies the code of conduct forms.  We may need to have a specific safety message in each daily newsarticle that describes the dangers associated with each tour and the measures that will have to be taken.  Identifying those qualified in first aid will also need to be done.

7)    Ratios/shaperones

We have discussed Ratios before:

At the beach and other highly dangerous tours:

1-4 for ages 8 – 14   80 kids would be 20 adults

1-9 for ages 15 – 19  80 kids would be 10 adults

Michigan had four total including me. Period.

I think we can be a little flexible on our numbers but not much.  If we have a group of 5 kids age 13 hanging out together. We do not need to split them up and we do not need to send two shaperones with them.

Let’s look at each tour/party and make a decision on the number for each age and each tour.  We will. Also need to discuss the potential of agents/spouses that may be attending with their children and whether or not we need to allow them to be leaders, do they need some sort of orientation?  I would suggest that during our orientation session we make an announcement that nay parents  going on the tours to meet with me while the kids are doing their get acquainted activities.  I would like to know who plans on grouping with some others that they know and give all of them a brief orientation of rules, safety etc.  

Each tour leader needs to be responsible for a fair number of vols that may meet us on site. I think we will have several agents and committee members that will be counted as shaperones.  We may just need to do a mock head count for each tour and determine what the needs are.  Our only assumption will be the number of kids attending which is a very important variable.

8)Food:  For each tour we need a menu. Ideally coordinate that so we don’t offer the same thing all the time.  Beach is chic fila, Mountain day is BBQ,  The kids did say they wanted things like watermelon, and a desert of some sort is also enjoyed.

As for breakfast.  I am pretty sure that will be handled by the hospitality committee, not from our budget of money or people.  Our job will be to simply hand out the bags before trips and clean up the bus afterwards.

Snacks will also be handled by the hospitality committee, coolers of drinks and boxes of snacks should be provided for each bus each day.

9)Budget:  As long as you give me what your need in detail and let me know of any changes as soon as you can I will handle all the budgeting information.  As for your expenses,  I will need to know things like who to pay and when for deposits and balances.  Check for parking fees for buses, those may have to be paid by cash as you enter a gate.

10) Get Acquainted Party:  I am hoping that the 4-H and youth inclined folks will volunteer to do this event.  Complaints I heard this year was that they were too kiddie.  For the most part the kids at Michigan were very mature people, even the young ones seemed to relate to more mature activities and conversation.  We will need a couple of folks to adopt this role and provide some sort of description prior to the written report in Nov.

11) Registration:  Feb 1 Gerda has to have all the registration info that goes in the magazine and on the web.  If you have an old magazine please look at it and give input.

As registrations come in I will get reports from Scott Hawbaker.  My office will handle all the follow up information that needs to be sent out as well as grouping tours etc.  I will keep you all in the know as the numbers come in.

The registration table will have to be manned for several hours.  It is my  hope that Kathryn can take the lead on this one with Elizabeth.  Kathryn has lots of experience and Elizabeth will have been deeply involved in receiving all the forms that were mailed to my office.  Others will need to volunteer to help with this.  Sat and Sun will be needed basically all day and up into the evening.  As the week progresses the time needed at this role will decrease.  Gerda has a for that I need to fill out.  Let’s discuss who will be available and when.

12) Volunteers:  Folks can register as a volunteer only.  No charge but Ray Harris has to know their name and what they will be doing so he can add them to the insurance policy.  All your shaperones will have to fall under this category even if they are agents that are meeting us on a tour site.

13)    Report Written and Oral:  I plan on doing both of these but will be very dependent upon you providing the information needed. Written report due on Nov 23 and Oral report due on Dec 13 in the am.

14) Gifts  backpacks not our budget,  Shirts our budget   need someone to handle shirts.  Barry is handling the backpacks and I believe the shirts.  He has to use the same logo.  I assume we can choose a color and will have to give him sizes.  I may have to handle this one since my office will have all the registration info which should include shirt sizes.

14)    Grouping of participants with each other and with shaperones,  can they change tours?  Can a parent adopt a group?  Sign up board for groups?  Someone to handle all that.  Also, if possible to group ages on buses.  Even if all going to same place, it is good to have them with older kids on one bus and younger on another bus.  Not critical but could help.

15)    Forms:

a.    Release forms

b.    Individual company forms

c.    Code of conduct

d.    Health forms

e.    Insurance information

f.    Cell phone number for each parent and child

g.    Photo release forms

Stanley is in charge of this prior to the meeting.  I would like for him to work with Eve on making sure all the documents are in place.  When the meeting starts his role as President will not allow him to do much on site.

What can we mail out or email out to registered participants prior to have them send in?  Can Elizabeth, Eve and I help with the emailing out of information to folks and have them mailed back to my office and Elizabeth, Eve and I gather, keep, file them. Since we are all in the same office.

16)    Rooms available:

Oak and Cedar we have the whole time.  1700 sq ft but low ceiling and narrow but enough sq. ft. to suffice.  May section off during the day to allow for other meetings. There are 6 sections to the area we have.  Bathrooms are directly across the hall.  We are located on Level 2 up the stairs in front of the Imperial Ballroom.

Need a bigger room for orientation and get acquainted party.  Ideally the Imperial Ballroom (I have requested)  Since this is in the same general location.  Our daily room (Cedar and Oak) are near pool and right above Entry F, where we will pick up breakfast bags and load busses.  Good location.

17)    After registration information.  Other than just the forms but included in the mailing.  We need to discuss what information we will email/mail out.  i.e. particulars of the tours and what their needs are so they pack what they need when they leave home.

18)  Newsletter:  At our last committee meeting we discussed doing a daily newsletter.  We need someone to handle this.  It needs to be done during the day and made available to the kids the day before.  i.e. they would get Mondays on Sunday at the orientation,  Tuesdays would be given to them on Monday when they finish their tour.

 Items on that would be a weather report,  how things went the day before, exactly what to expect the day of the toru.  What to bring with you, how long the drive, when we leave and when we will get back.  Setting up a template to cover most of this would be great so it would only take about 30 minutes to prepare.  The problem is that we need all the help we can get on tours so I am not sure who can help with this.  Maybe someone that has an on site responsibility that is not too demanding.  I could even call in some of the variable information that needed to be printed to someone on site that can print and copy and have available when we get back.

19)Division of labor

    List of committee members and tasks

List of other agents who help out and tasks

Eve Kindley

Tyrone Fisher on Tues and Thursday

Other West district agents,  ask at agents meeting.

List of volunteers and tasks

Some tasks that need leaders:

d.    t shirts

e.    registration (Kathryn Elizabeth and me)

f.    ID tags  Ken McCaskill

g.    Grouping of tours with Shaperones (4-H) people.  Including bus splits with ages.

h.    Get acquainted party and games (4-H people)

i.    Oritntation  Me

j.    Newsletter

k.    Safety officer, nurse, paramedic.  Who has qualifications? First aid kit on all buses/tours.

l.    Photography,  Karen’s son and someone else when tours are split

j.  Forms:  Stanley and Eve and Elizabeth to develop get on line/mailed out, etc.  Forms mailed back to my office and Eve/Elizabeth and I will handle them.

k. Going away party,  Kathryn,  Ed Emory, and me.

20) Tours can leave later or get back sooner if needed.  Kids liked some down time to go to the pool etc.  We would be responsible for keeping younger kids entertained at the room until parents get out at 5  or between the time the meetings start and when we leave on a tour.  As long as it is not over 30 minutes we may not need to entertain them.  They really enjoy hanging out with each other and not being told what to do all the time.

21)    Signs,  Need to give to Kathy??  All I can think of is

a.    Two signs that say Sons and Daughters  One at the bottom of the stairs and one at the room entrance.

b.    One sign that says Sons and Daughters Orientation/Get Acquainted party

c.     One sign that says Sons and Daughters Tours

d.    Signs to go on each bus that says the name of the tour.  Not knowing how many will show up, we can just have 4 signs for each toru prior to the meeting to make sure each bus has one in the window.  These are just paper signs.

22)    Ages.  Last time we met we decided ages 7 and under must be accompanied by a guardian, which in my opinion can be one parent appointing another parent to be responsible for their child.  This happens.  At one of our earlier meetings we said that kids 6 and under would not be charged.  Is this still true?  It is a little confusing to have two ages that close with stipulations.

23)    I D tags,  Ken McCaskill said he has the ability to produce the old drivers license style of tags.  I don’t know cost but will check.  It may be too time consuming.  My original thought of tags may be too expensive and time consuming.  The simple type of many tag works fine but I thought it might be nicer to have something they could take home and remember the trip. I have an example of what my kids had during a NY mission trip.

24)    Reports  written and oral.  Written due next month,  Oral due Dec.  I will do but will need input as well as a template.

Report will need to include a detailed budget with % of national and state money. Tour details, brochure, safety protocal, forms, ratios, itinerary.

26) Games in room?  Whomever does the get acquainted party,  would be great to also give input and maybe handle games for the room if any.  Had none in Michigan and don’t think they were missed.  Another option is the pool. It is right beside our room.  Kids could keep trunks in the room and when they get back from a tour and had nowhere to go, they could change and we could watch them in the pool instead of in the room.  Typically there is not much time to do things like that.  The family is usually waiting on them to get back and have to get ready for some type of evening event.  It could be an option though.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sons & Daughters Brochure