Up & Coming Weekly

SENIOR CORNER SENIOR CORNER Seniors Planning a Reunion Should Start Early by MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY Summer is a very popular time for fam- ily reunions. Since school is out for summer break, grandchildren are more available. Vacation spots like the coast or the moun- tains just seem to be calling to you to bring your family to “visit and relax.” Planning a family reunion is a big job at any age that requires plenty of advance plan- ning. But, if you’re in good health, there’s no reason why you can’t play an important part in this process. We researched this topic and most resources we found suggest that you ask yourself the following questions when you’re laying the groundwork for a reunion: • Who should attend? Determine how big of an event you’d like to host. If you have a large family, should all the children, grand- children, great-grandchildren be included, or do you want immediate family only? • Where should the event be held? Select the city that is most centrally located for all who will be attending and then think about a site within that city. Many communi- ties have senior centers that will open their doors for events such as this. Is a vacation • Will this be a day-long event or activities that span a weekend? If the reunion will be a several-day event, lodging will be another important consideration in the planning. • Who will help? This is among the most important ques- tions. If you’re planning a bigger event, the best way to handle that is by establishing a committee. Put individuals in charge of various aspects of the event. That way, all your bases are covered. Why not enlist the help of some friends who could be a sounding board for your ideas and give you advice? Or if you’d like to invest a considerable amount of time your- self, consider hiring assistance from a non-medical caregiver. Family reunions are a great way to reconnect with family members, but careful planning can help ensure a successful event. spot the location that will encourage better attendance? Will young children be there? If so, pick a place that includes some sort of recreation area for them. MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY Contributing Writers COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com Fayetteville’s First CTA of the Year Star Award Goes to Leisa Greathouse by STEPHANIE CRIDER Let’s just be honest here, Fayetteville is known for a lot of things — being a top notch tourist destination is probably not one of them though. There are plenty of people working hard to change that, and Curator of Education at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Leisa Greathouse is one of them. She is a Fayetteville native, a team player with a drive to showcase the best that the area has to offer, a staunch supporter of the art, culture and history that abounds here, and a valuable asset to the community. Her hard work and contributions have not gone unnoticed. Greathouse was recently awarded the first national Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) of the Year Star Award for her tire- less work on Fayetteville area history, tour- ism, marketing and visitor service. Leisa Greathouse has spent more than 20 years serving Fayetteville and promoting tourism locally. “I was just giddy inside when I found out,” said Greathouse. “I was tickled, and I won’t make any bones about it. It has been rejuvenating. Professionally, it is probably the top thing I’ve ever achieved and it solidi- fies my more than 20 years of service to the state of North Carolina. It really meant a lot.” The CTA program is fairly new to Fayetteville — Greathouse is a member of the first local graduating class. The program aims to increase tourism by inspiring front line hospitality workers to work together to make every visi- tor encounter a pleasant one. According to www.tourismambassadorinstitute. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM com. The premise is simple: If front-line employees and volunteers (those who come into immediate contact with the visitor) provide quality service to visitors (convention attendees, visitors, business travelers, etc.), the visi- tor is more likely to have a positive experience. Visitors who have a positive experience are more likely to return at some point in the future. They will share their perceptions with their friends. Everyone benefits – the tourist, the hospitality industry, the local economy and, most importantly, the front- line ambassador. For Greathouse this program has been a long time coming. “In one sense we’ve been waiting for something like this to come to the community,” said Greathouse. “I think it will unite us. The tourism industry is made up of so many organizations — businesses, nonprofits, cultural orga- nizations — it was really hard otherwise to get all these groups together and that was a real problem in our community for a long time. The CTA program brings us all together and helps us learn about each other and the result is better service to our visitors and our customers.” So we don’t have a leaning tower, a sandy shore, an uber-large canyon or a snowy mountain peak to draw visitors this way. We’ve got our history, heroes and a hometown feeling going for us, and a growing number of tour- ism ambassadors who are looking to impress, befriend and inform visitors as they pass through, and hopefully inspire them to return and even spread the word about the great folks that live here, the interesting events and things to do in the area and the hospitality of the folks that make this such a unique community. To find out more or become a Certified Tourism Ambassador visit http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com/ or call the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at 888-98-HEROES. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or Stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com JULY 14-20, 2010 UCW 17

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