Good Day!

I love the time of year when students start returning to school! There is something so promising about the start of a new school year-so much growth and memories waiting in the wings of our schools and universities. We are truly blessed to have so many institutions of learning in our area.

We at the Rock Island Arsenal Club and Post Restaurant enjoy our youth and have had the opportunity to host a number of events for the surrounding schools. I am an ex-teacher and I relish any opportunity to be a part of the faculty and student celebrations that come our way. I enjoy planning those events as much as any wedding reception!

For those of you who may not enjoy the planning as much as I, yet are in the position of coordinating such an event, I thought that I might drop some tips your way to help you with the task.

First, get organized to realize your needs and have a list of resources that addresses those needs. I am an ex-teacher, but I am always a parent. When I look at a place to hold an event for our youth, my first concern is their safety. That includes the facility and the chaperones that I can find to commit to the event. I am also concerned about the availability of alcohol. Alcohol and student events do not mix well at all. Does the place of the event have a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages? If there is a need for parking, then secured parking is a priority on my list. I look for a place that is big enough for the event, is convenient to as many guests as possible and, most importantly, is youth-friendly. The food must be good and offer a variety for the group's many tastes. If I am going to hire a DJ, then I go to the students to get recommendations. I also do investigative work on the DJ and anyone who will be interacting with the group. One can never be too careful concerning our youth.

Then comes the decorating. Will we decorate, will we have someone else do our decorating or will we have a combination? What about clean-up? Does the place of our event do the clean-up or must I organize a group to do that after the event?

There is one more thing that is not absolutely necessary, but makes a big difference in the entire event, and that is to enjoy yourself. You are not only creating an event for our youth, you are creating memories along the way and teaching young people very useful skills in the process. Well, I have only scratched the surface for planning your event, but I hope that you can use some of these tips. If you need more help with your event, please remember that there are people, like myself, to help you at the different venues in the area.

Good luck with our students and I hope that your events are truly memorable!

Until next month-
Greta Chaney