Announcement

TAFRU 2014 - Disney World has been changed

It is now

 TAFRU 2014 - Disneyland 

 

 

 

The TAFRU planning committee members have dedicated a lot of time and energy into planning this event each year.  Because most of the committee members have family commitments over the next year that is pulling them away from planning and possibly attending TAFRU, we had to look at other options.  As a result, we felt it best to move the venue to a location nearer to committee members that could dedicate their time to TAFRU 2014.  Since TAFRU 2014 - Disney World was already underway and the Disneyland location would be much easier to plan, the decision was made to change the location from Florida to California.

 

To those who are unhappy with the change of venue, we sincerely apologize and hope to plan a future reunion at Disney World. 

 

We appreciate your understanding and will work hard to make TAFRU 2014 - Disneyland a truly memorable and magical event.

 

 

TAFRU 2014 - Disney World

Yes, the TAFRU planning committee has been working on arrangements for TAFRU 2014 - Disney World and are very excited about the plans.  Accommodations will be at one of the Disney World  Resorts and once the agreement has been received and signed, that information will be announced so families can begin making reservations.

Another big change to TAFRU 2014 are the dates.  Instead of a weekend event, we are extending TAFRU 2014 for an entire week.  While we would love to have families stay and participate all week, we realize this isn't feasible for most.  However, by making this a week long reunion, our hope is that more families will be able to attend at some point during the week.

The goal for TAFRU 2014 is a smaller agenda and a more relaxed event that allows families to gather in a fun location.  It's a wonderful opportunity to socialize and get to know each other in person instead of via Facebook or adoption forums.  Most of all, it will provide our children the chance to spend time together and build friendships with each other.

Please mark your calendars for June 27th - July 5th, 2014 and check back regularly for more details on TAFRU 2014 - Disney World.  You can also click on "Join this site" in the right hand column to receive updates.

What's New for TAFRU

Thanks again to all who participated in the TAFRU 2014 Cruise poll.  The planning committee was happy to see that there was interest in doing something a little different next year.  Unfortunately, to get the benefit of a group cruise, we need a minimum of 8 staterooms.  With only 6 votes for the winning cruise, it doesn't appear we will have enough participation to move forward with a group cruise at this time. 

Having skipped TAFRU 2013, we are committed to making sure that TAFRU 2014 happens.

While no definite plans have been made, we are working very hard on a reunion that we think families will be very excited about attending. 

Details will be posted once we have everything confirmed.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to make TAFRU 2014 a fun and memorable event for all.

Thanks.

 

Winner!

Thank you to those who participated in the poll to select the winning cruise.

And the winner is . . . . . .

Royal Caribbean 7-Night Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise

The planning committee will be working with the cruise lines and details will be posted here, so stay tuned.

Only Two More Days to Cast Your Vote

We had some good participation in the poll that gave us the top 4 cruise choices.  Now we ask that you please participate in the final poll to assist in selecting the cruise for TAFRU 2014.

Even if your family isn't sure you'll be able to cruise next year, we ask that you still participate in the selection process to help determine which cruise is of most interest.

You can read more information about each of the cruises here.

You can read more about each of the cruise lines here.

Thanks to all for your participation as we make plans for TAFRU 2014.

Top 4 Cruises

Thank you for participating in our "Where Do You Want to Cruise" poll. 

Your votes provided us with the Top 4 Cruise choices and now we are asking you to place your vote in one last poll to select the winning cruise.

The Top 4 Cruises are listed below.  To review the cruise details, click on the links and then go to the "Top 4 Cruises" poll in the right hand column and make your selection for the TAFRU 2014 Cruise. 

The poll will be open this week only and the winning cruise will be announced next Sunday, July 28th.

Norwegian Cruise Lines 3-Night Bahamas Cruise June 20th - 24th $349 - $989 http://www.ncl.com/vacations?loc=undefined&date_from=06%2F14&date_end=07%2F14&dur=N%3D8051%26Ne%3D12%26Nf%3Dp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CGTEQ%2B1401580800%257Cp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CLTEQ%2B1406851199%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_Record_Type%253AI%2529%26Nu%3Dp_Key%26q%3Dquery&from=undefined&ship=undefined&qs=N%3D8051%26Ne%3D12%26Nf%3Dp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CGTEQ%2B1401580800%257Cp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CLTEQ%2B1406851199%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_Record_Type%253AI%2529%26Nu%3Dp_Key&older=no&latitudes=no&location_select=Where+do+you+live%3F&location Royal Caribbean 4-Night Western Caribbean June 19th - 23rd $439 - $969 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=VI04W019&sailDate=1140619&selectedCurrencyCode=USD     Royal Caribbean 5-Night Western Caribbean June 28th - July 3rd $549 - $1169 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=VI05W040&sailDate=1140628&selectedCurrencyCode=USD     Royal Caribbean 7-Night Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise June 20th - 27th $809 - $2099 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=RH07A104&selectedCurrencyCode=USD

 

Where Do You Want to Cruise?

The planning committee has been busy gathering information and looking at cruise options for the last few weeks.  We have narrowed down our choices and would like to now present all the information to you so you can help choose our TAFRU 2014 Cruise.

Our two choices of cruise lines are Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.  Our reasons for selecting cruises from these two lines were simple - committee members have cruised with them before and have had enjoyable experiences.  In addition, they have prices more reasonable than some other cruise lines and we wanted to keep costs down as much as possible in each cruise category.

This post will provide you information regarding group services on the two cruise lines and a choice of 8 different cruises along with links to the cruise information.  After looking thru all the information, please participate in the poll on the right hand side of the page.  The poll is broken up into 2 separate polls (4 each).  You can choose up to 3 cruises total between the 2 polls.  Please vote no later than July 20th.

If anyone has any questions or would like to leave a comment, please click on Comments in the gray area at the end of this post.  We will be checking comments on a regular basis and will respond.

So, let's sail right along with the information now!!!

Norwegian

 - For every 8 staterooms booked, the 16th passenger price will be credited back to our group.
 - 7 Day cruises require a $250 deposit per passenger
 - Cruises shorter than 7 days require a $100 deposit per passenger
 - Reservations must be made 120 days prior to sailing
 - Final cruise payment on 7 day cruises are due within 75 days prior to sailing
 - Final cruise payment on cruises under 7 days are due within 60 days prior to final payment
 - Until final cruise payment is due, passengers can make payments in any amount or make no additional payments at all until the final due date

To get more information about programs and services on Norwegian Cruise Lines, click here.

Royal Caribbean

 - For every 8 staterooms booked, the group will receive a credit for the price of 1 passenger
 - Cruises 1-5 days in length require a $200 deposit
 - Cruises 6 days or longer require a $500 deposit
 - To lock in the price, reservations must be made within 30 days of the group being set up
 - A full refund will be given to any passenger that cancels prior to the final payment being made
 - Discounts are given to the 3rd and 4th passenger in a stateroom
 - Final payment is due 69-75 days prior to sailing

To get more information about programs and services on Royal Caribbean, click here.


Cruise Choices

Following are 2 choices each of 3-Night, 4-Night, 5-Night and 7-Night Cruises, including the cruise dates, price range and a link to the website to view all details about the cruise. 
**Please note, the two 5-Night Western Caribbean Cruises sail to different destinations.  Please click on the link to see details.

Norwegian Cruise Lines 3-Night Bahamas Cruise  June 20th - 24th $349 - $989 http://www.ncl.com/vacations?loc=undefined&date_from=06%2F14&date_end=07%2F14&dur=N%3D8051%26Ne%3D12%26Nf%3Dp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CGTEQ%2B1401580800%257Cp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CLTEQ%2B1406851199%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_Record_Type%253AI%2529%26Nu%3Dp_Key%26q%3Dquery&from=undefined&ship=undefined&qs=N%3D8051%26Ne%3D12%26Nf%3Dp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CGTEQ%2B1401580800%257Cp_Sail_Date_Epoch%257CLTEQ%2B1406851199%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_Record_Type%253AI%2529%26Nu%3Dp_Key&older=no&latitudes=no&location_select=Where+do+you+live%3F&location Royal Caribbean 3-Night Bahamas Cruise June 20th - 24th $369 - $759 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=MJ03S043&sailDate=1140620&selectedCurrencyCode=USD&state=NA Royal Caribbean 4-Night Western Caribbean June 19th - 23rd $439 - $969 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=VI04W019&sailDate=1140619&selectedCurrencyCode=USD Royal Caribbean 4-Night Bahamas Cruise June 23rd - 27th $449 - $929 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=MJ04S097&sailDate=1140623&selectedCurrencyCode=USD Royal Caribbean 5-Night Western Caribbean June 23rd - 28th $549 - $1169 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=VI05W041&sailDate=1140623&selectedCurrencyCode=USD Royal Caribbean 5-Night Western Caribbean June 28th - July 3rd $549 - $1169 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=VI05W040&sailDate=1140628&selectedCurrencyCode=USD Norwegian Cruise Lines 7-Night Bermuda Cruise June 22nd - 29th $1179 - $3249 http://www.ncl.com/VACATIONS?N=4294963125&Ne=11&Ns=p_Itinerary_Featured%7C1%7C%7Cp_Itinerary_Featured_Weight%7C0%7C%7Cp_Duration%7C0&Nu=p_Key#tab_detail Royal Caribbean 7-Night Alaska Sawyer Glacier Cruise June 20th - 27th $809 - $2099 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do?packageCode=RH07A104&selectedCurrencyCode=USD

We hope to have everything set up by next month so everyone who wants to sail along at TAFRU 2014 will have plenty of time to plan.

Please vote now.

Thanks!!!

Cruising in 2014

63% of those who voted, are in favor of a TAFRU 2014 Cruise. 

A new poll will be posted soon so those who are interested can vote on potential cruises. 

We hope to have plans solidified quickly so you can begin making plans for next summer.

To Cruise or Not to Cruise

That is the question in our newest TAFRU poll.

The planning committee thought it would be fun to try something different for TAFRU 2014 and take the reunion from land to sea.

Before we move ahead with arrangements for next year, we need to make sure we have enough families interested. 

While there are no definite plans made at this time, we do know this will be a summer 2014 cruise.  The cruise lines provide a credit to groups.  The amount of credit is based on the number of staterooms booked, so the more rooms booked, the higher the credit.

We are not asking for a commitment, but are simply requesting that families participate in the poll so we can determine if there is enough interest for us to move ahead in planning.

Please vote yes if you are interested in a TAFRU 2014 Cruise.  Vote no if you are not interested in a TAFRU 2014 Cruise.  The poll will close in 10 days.

Thank you!

TAFRU 2014 In Process

As the committee began discussing plans for TAFRU 2013 we began to discover that interest was waning.  Maybe it was the location.  Maybe it was economy.  Maybe it was lack of interest.  Ultimately, we decided to skip TAFRU 2013 and recently began discussing plans for 2014.  We would like to shake it up a bit for next year and will be putting a poll on this blog very soon. 

Check back for more details.

Registration and Exciting News About TAFRU 2012.

Hello fellow TAFRU attendees!!!!

Registration for TAFRU 2012 - Washington D.C. is now open.  Here are the instructions for accessing the form.


1. Click this link: TAFRU Registration Form

2. Click "Download" on the right side of the screen to download the form to your computer to print out later or you can print and complete by clicking the print icon on the page.


The fees for the reunion include the Friday night Meet-n-Greet and dinner; fees for our Ethiopian Cultural event on Saturday; lunch on Saturday; and an Ethiopian dinner Saturday night. 

Once your registration form and fees have been received, you will be sent an email confirmation along with a copy of the agenda for TAFRU 2012 - Washington D.C.   A printed agenda will be provided to each family upon arrival at the Meet-n-Greet on Friday evening of TAFRU.
**Please note, registration forms and fees must be post-marked by May 25, 2012.  Registrations and fees will be accepted after Mary 25, 2012 with a $25 late fee.**

We are very, very, very excited about TAFRU this year and are thrilled to share the news that we will have a surprise guest from Toukoul in attendance.  It is someone that many of you have met and love.  We hope to have a big turn-out to welcome our surprise guest and thank them for flying in to attend.  A small portion of this year's fees are going to our surprise guest who will be speaking to us Friday evening during our Meet-n-Greet.

Our surprise guest is also going to bring some items from the Toukoul gift shop for purchase.  In addition, we are trying to make arrangements for families to place orders for Ethiopian clothing that our guest will bring from Ethiopia for purchase at the reunion.  Please stay tuned for more information.

We are also doing something a little different this year.  Over the past 2 years we have created a TAFRU directory which included participant's names, addresses, email addresses and/or phone numbers.  This year we would like to include a family photo with the information.  Instructions are included on the registration form. 

For those who are not able to attend TAFRU this year, but would like to have their information included in the directory, please feel free to complete that section of the registration form and we will e-mail you a copy of the directory. 

Another thing we would like to do is put together a Toukoul photo album/scrapbook for our surprise guest to take back to Toukoul and share with all of the nannies who so lovingly cared for our children during their stay.  Instructions for submitting photos for the photo album/scrapbook are included on the registration form as well. 

If your family is not able to attend TAFRU but would like to submit photos, please follow the instructions on the registration form.

We will continue to post more information between now and the reunion, so keep checking in for more information.

TAFRU 2012 Attendees!!!

We just found out that all the rooms we set aside have been booked!!!  This is wonderful and exciting news!  But don't fret, we are booking more!

TAFRU Addendum

Please note that if you are going to be staying at the hotel an extra day or two, you will have to call them to make reservations so that you can get the discount for those other days!!!

BOOK YOUR HOTEL FOR TAFRU 2012!!!

You are now able to book your hotel room for this summer's reunion!  
Go to: http://www.grandwashington.hyatt.com/


When you go to the hotel website, you'll see a reservations window.  Families can enter the dates where the calendar is and then this code under "Corporate/Group #."  If families are planning on staying longer, they will have to call to make their reservations as the group number online does not allow extended stay reservations.  


The code is: G-TOUK


Happy Booking and can't wait to see you/meet you there!!!

Hotel Booked for Reunion!!!

I am thrilled to let you know that we have been successful in solidifying a contract with the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC for the reunion this year. As such, NOW IS THE TIME to reserve your rooms! 

The dates are June 22-24th, in Washington, DC. We will have a Meet-N-Greet dinner at the Hyatt on Friday, June 22nd. We’ll provide you with more details about that in the coming weeks. There will be a few events scheduled for Saturday and a farewell “soiree” on Sunday! The deal with the hotel this year is a bit different than in years past. We actually have a contract that holds us financially responsible if the minimum is not met. As a result we have blocked off fewer rooms. We can add to them if we need to, but there is an expiration date on that! So sign up and sign up soon! Here is the info:

The hotel we have selected is the Grand Hyatt Washington. http://grandwashington.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

The guest room rates are as follows:
Single occupancy $129 per night
Double occupancy $129 per night
Triple occupancy $154 per night
Quadruple occupancy $179 per night (A GREAT deal for families who want to room together!)
Regency club is an additional $60 per room per night based on availability

Note: Occupancy is based on the number of adults in the room.

The rates are GREAT given the typical DC rates and the hotel itself! It is a great location that has a metro stop (The Blue Line) right in the hotel lobby! The Blue Line on the Metro provides transportation from Reagan Airport. He location of the hotel is also excellent as it is only a four blocks from the White House and just a few more to the National Mall!

Because of the special arrangements this year, we strongly encourage families to reserve their rooms sooner rather than later. You can do this beginning Wednesday, February 15th. I will send out an email reminder with specific instructions. There will be a way for you to take care of it online with a Group ID number. You can also call the hotel directly.

While this reunion began as a reunion for families whose children were adopted through Toukoul Orphanage, Adoption Avenues and Tree of Life has changed their policy and are not using Toukoul Orphanage for the moment to complete their adoptions. As such, we want to extend the invitation of participation to all families of Adoption Avenues, Tree of Life, and Dove adoption agencies. The more, the merrier!

We are really excited about this year’s reunion! It is sure to be rich with Ethiopian and American culture; and more importantly, a wonderful opportunity for our children to celebrate all that they are!

All the best~
TAFRU Planning Committee
Debbie, Lori, Char, Diana, & Jenna

More details coming soon!!! Promise!!!

Hi friends!  We are wrapping up the details for hotels and whatnot!  We hope to have all this information to you soon!  Be on the lookout! 

Hi Friends,
I just wanted to see if anyone had questions about TAFRU?!

The committee is working to solidify information and once we have that--rest assured that you will have it as well!!!

We can't wait to see everyone June 22-24!  It's going to be a blast!!!

We Now Have Dates for TAFRU 2012

TAFRU 2012 - D.C. will be held June 22nd - 24th

Mark your calendars and begin making plans for a trip to D.C. next summer!!! 

TAFRU 2012 - D.C.

A poll was posted on our Toukoul Adoptive Families Facebook group.  We had a total of 70 votes and with only 1 vote separating the top two, D.C. was the winner.

Now it's time to choose a date for TAFRU 2012.  Because Facebook polls only allow one choice and because families typically have more than one date that will work for them, I have created a poll here on the blog which will allow everyone to choose multiple dates.  The poll is located on the right hand side of the blog page.  Choose the date(s) that are best for your family and cast your vote(s). 

The poll will close on August 17th, so let the voting begin.

Registration Time

Plans for TAFRU 2011 - Chicago are mostly made and here is what we have planned.

 - Friday night Meet-n-Greet at Gino's East
 - Saturday morning - Music, dance, writing in Amharic and games with the Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago (ECAC)
 - Saturday lunch @ Ethiopian Diamond
 - Saturday dinner - still working on the details
 - Sunday - Gathering at Millennium Park (weather permitting)

Because the plans are mostly made and there are only 9 weeks left to TAFRU, it's time to get registration started. 

The registration fees include dinner Friday night, lunch and dinner Saturday, and money to ECAC for their services to our group Saturday morning. 

Unfortunately, I'm having a little trouble getting the registration form link to work so I'm asking those who plan to attend TAFRU to please send me an email asking for the registration form and I'll email the form to you.  My email address is debweeks@mchsi.com.

Also, I want to let everyone know that we have a few hotel rooms left.  Reservations must be made by June 23rd to get the reduced room rate of $89 per night and the reduced parking rate of $12 per night.  Please see the February 15th post here for more detail.

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. 

Hope to see many of you at TAFRU!