Hi, Mel:

Thanks for your input; sounds like you guys are having the same experiences we are. And I'm with you - it bugs the heck out of me that two of the students didn't even make the effort to attend. And if I could, I'd cancel the check we gave to the one who didn't even send a thank you card!

To answer your questions, we generate funds for the scholarship through the sales of our cookbook, individual gifts, and the previous reunion site is responsible for making a $1,000 donation for that current year's scholarship. We are currently working on a scholarship drive that would allow family members to pledge donations. Everyone is encouraged to give as much as they'd like, but we're really pushing the Dollar a Day plan where each person pledges $30 a month (or $1 per day) toward the success of our family. We'll kick this off with a direct mail campaign, which we announced at the last reunion a couple of months ago. One of our cousins is a tax attorney and is currently working on an application for non-profit status so that gifts will be tax-deductible.