The Idea
A few years ago, a group of alumnae met up at a lake house on the shores of Lake Michigan for a weekend of laying out on the beach, eating popcorn and sharing updates on life and memories of their time sharing a cottage Senior year. When they arrived at the house, they were greeted by a Hope College glass for each of them and orange and blue pom poms, gifts from the Alumni Association after being notified of the gathering. The weekend was a success and the glasses were a hit. Everyone returned to their corners of the country with new tan lines, new laugh lines, new memories and a little piece of Hope.
This simple event planted the seed of an idea to create a program supporting smaller alumni-planned reunions. We love having our alumni join us for our two big events of the year on campus – Homecoming & Alumni Weekend – but we know it’s not always possible to coordinate schedules and travel plans to make it back at the same time as your former fraternity brothers, suitemates or ultimate frisbee squad. So we wanted to create a way for our alumni to connect with the College, no matter where or when they gather.
So we turned to our amazing graphic designer to create a design for an exclusive t-shirt, available only to alumni who participate in these “mini-reunions.” Then we gathered all of our favorite Hope goodies (mints! playing cards! pens!) and created passes for a meal at Phelps and use of the Dow. It turned out to be a pretty great pile of Hope swag, but we had to figure out a way to get to the location of the little reunions. Thanks to our love of online shopping, we fully recognized the joy receiving a box full of clothing in the mail can bring. We circled back to that same amazing graphic designer who whipped up a super cool box to ship off our goods in, and Reunion in a Box was born!
The Program
Whether the venue be Universal Studios, a cabin in the mountains of Colorado, the fairway of a golf course or a backyard full of babies and barbeque, we can help turn it into a Hope reunion!
Once you’ve made your plans to reconnect with your Hope crew, sign up to receive a Reunion in a Box using this form. We’ll need to know the date and location of your event, as well as the name, email address and t-shirt size of each of the alumni participants. Be sure to give us at least ten business days before your event to ensure we can get you the box in time.
We’d love for you to share photos and memories of your reunion on social media using #HopeReunions. Hopefully, other alumni in your networks will be inspired to participate in the program as well!
The Fine Print
Each alumnus is eligible to participate in a Reunion in a Box one time. The minimum number of attendees (including organizer) is three with a maximum of 20. Have more than 20 alum who want to get together? Email us and let us know!
We will either ship the box to you or hold it here in our office for you to pick up if your reunion happens to be in Holland. Quantities are limited, so order yours today!
Reunion in a Box materials are intended to be used at events whose primary focus is a gathering of Hope alumni.