American Chemical Society

A Suggestion for Your Local Section Seniors Group

Set up a regular seniors social meeting

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How to Do It

•Make it social with a “Dutch Treat” meal

•Either breakfast or lunch, not dinner

•Plan to meet regularly - quarterly to start

•Speaker or no speaker?

•Meet on a weekday

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The Venue

•Find a local restaurant with a meeting room (and no room charge, if possible)

•Local diner or family chain is good

•Parking ease is critical: in a shopping center is ideal

•Good start times: 9 am breakfast, 11:30 am lunch

•You need to work carefully and closely with the restaurant on details

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The Restaurant

•Order from the regular menu

•Everyone pays for his/her own meal

•Separate checks avoid trouble!!!

•Will section partially subsidize initially? Pay tax and tip?

•Emphasize, if it works out, you will return on a regular basis

•Set initial meeting day 3-4 months out

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Invitees

•Start with your 50 and 60 year member lists!

•Invite them with a personalized phone call; announcement in newsletter is NOT adequate!

•For each acceptance, ask if they want to bring a friend or spouse

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What to Discuss

•At the welcome, why you are doing this

•At the end, after everyone has had a good time socializing, shall we do it again?, here?, in X months?, change to breakfast instead of lunch or vice versa?, keep strictly social or invite a speaker for a 20 min. talk?

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Once You Are Going

•Then, only then, should you ask what else can the group do

•2nd Wed. of 3rd month, for example, works well

•Not everyone will attend every event

•Select a secretary to send out meeting reminders – necessary to do this

•Elect 1 or 2 other officers

•Now announce in your section newsletter

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Let Us Know

•What else you need to know for success

•How it is going?

•Can we visit?

•Share your experience with us on the ACS Network under Senior Chemists Groups or contact Cheryl Brown at c_brown@acs.org.