For many reasons (but mostly safety), we are not making the guest list of the reunion public. We expect that this reunion will sell out as did the 2002 event. Most of the people who have responded attended the 2002 event and are actively networking and assembling tables etc. From a practical standpoint, the committee (small group of volunteers) does not have the resources to field these inquiries.
Think of it this way, if you wanted to attend a concert that you knew an old friend would like to go to, would you call the Wachovia Center to find out if that person bought a ticket or would you pick up the phone or try some other method to contact that old friend and say "hey let's go to that show together?"
If you want to find out if a certain person is coming to the reunion, your best bet would either be to try to contact that person or try to contact someone else who is still close to that person and find out that way. Another option is to put a message on the message board and say something like "looking for So and So from the class of whatever". In the message, be sure to include a way for that person to contact you either on the board or privately. As an organization it is inappropriate for us to give out personal information on the web. It is also true that our committee does not have the resources to field such requests.
2. What do you mean "for safety reasons" you cannot publish the guest list?
The web and the OLOLPA Website are completely public. We are a member organization but we have no security protection on the website to keep it limited to members only access. If , for example, we published that Mary Smith from Havertown, Class of 88 was going to be attending, anyone could find that information out and know that Mary would not be home that night and her house could get robbed. This is only one scenario that could play out when dealing with the internet. Believe it or not, not everyone in the OLOL community or in our neighborhoods loves each other. This is 2007. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out why it is our duty to keep attendees confidential from our end.
You are all perfectly free to announce your own attendance to attract others from your class or group of friends and we strongly encourage everyone to do so but we are not permitted to release this information and we do not have the resources to field messages back and forth.
3. I would like to sit with some of my family or with certain people I hung around with. How can I ensure a good seat at the reunion?
There is only 1 way to make seating arrangements. You MUST contact Jennifer Vinci directly either through email, by phone or include this information in writing when submitting your ticket order. The email address is reuniontickets@verizon.net.Requests for special seating posted on the Message Board or through any other method that does not involve Jen Vinci cannot be guaranteed to even be seen, so they cannot be honored. If you have seating requests, get them to Jen, ASAP. Thanks for your understanding.
4. I have special needs (vegetarian, have special dietary requirements, am handicapped, or require other specific assistance). What should I do?
If you have special needs of any kind, and are attending the reunion, please contact us at ololpa@gmail.com and we will do our best to accommodate your needs in any way possible.
5. Why does the reunion cost more than other events that I have attended at the Oaks recently?
The OLOLPA is an IRS recognized charitable organization hosting this reunion as a fund raiser to support our Catholic Elementary School Scholarship Fund. Giving scholarships to Catholic Elementary School students is the primary mission of the OLOLPA and a full $20 per ticket is deductible on your 2007 IRS tax form (for those who itemize deductions) as a charitable contribution. Your ticket will be your receipt of the contribution. For your reference, please find our IRS Determination Letter and our Certificate of Registration with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The OLOLPA is independent of other organizations and cannot comment about any other organization's activities.
6. I had a good time in 2002 but I don't feel like attending this year. Will there be another reunion next year?
No. The OLOLPA is small and supported mostly by membership dues. We do not have the resources to make the reunion an annual event. If you are thinking about going, go.
7. If I buy a ticket and cannot attend at the last minute can I get a refund?
No. Ticket sales are final. The ONLY reason that we would issue a refund is if for some catastrophic reason, the event had to be cancelled. The event will not be cancelled for low ticket sales, only for extremely serious reasons that would absolutely require cancellation. If you buy at ticket and cannot attend, you can either try to sell your ticket to another person.
8. My tickets are numbered. Does the highest number printed on the ticket mean that is the number of tickets sold?
No. The tickets are not being sold in numerical order because they are being sold by different people on the committee, they are being sold online and they are being sold by mail. Whoever actually receives your order, sells out of his or her stock and that is all. The ticket numbers are not important in any way other than for seating (see the seating question above #3).
9. I would like to bring my child. Is there a special rate for children's tickets?
No. Children are certainly welcomed to attend this reunion and we believe this will be a great way to introduce them to the people who meant so much to us growing up. Unfortunately, children will be required to pay full price ($45 per person) for this event. We thank you for your understanding.
10. Why did the date and location change? Our original plan was to have the event on October 5 at the Crystal Tea Room in Center City. Due to the cost of the event at this location we would have had to charge $75 per ticket AND we were responsible to the venue to guarantee them an $18,000 minimum for the party. After multiple discussions, the committee opted for a different venue that would allow us to charge less per ticket (this benefits our guests) and not worry about a minimum number of attendees (covers the organization). We apologize for the confusion and any scheduling conflicts that resulted from the changes.
11. The last reunion had open bar included in the ticket price, why isn't open bar included in the ticket price this time? This issue was thoroughly discussed by the committee. When the first reunion was held in 2002, it was located in the ballroom of a hotel. This allowed our guests to have the option of staying on site if they had too much to drink and didn't feel comfortable driving. Since the location this year does not have a hotel associated with it, all guests will be required to leave the premises at the end. We opted to not have open bar included with the ticket price to both save cost for each ticket and to encourage responsible drinking for the safety of our beloved family and friends. The current ticket price includes unlimited soda, coffee & tea.
12. Why didn't we just go back to the Ramada? The reasons are too numerous to list here but this location was dismissed very early in the discussions. We may utilize them for future events but the current choice was determined to offer the best benefit to both our attendees and the organization.
13. I'm coming in from out of town. How do I find a hotel nearby? We did an online search for hotels local to the Oaks. Please feel free to use one of these locations or search independently. We do not endorse any particular hotel and we are not blocking off rooms at any of these locations. Hotels serving near the Oaks.
15. I have a question that is not addressed in the list above. How can I get the answer to my question?
Please contact us at ololpa@gmail.com or call Annamarie 215-662-4291 during regular business hours and we will do the best to get you an answer. Thank you.
