2003 Gatherings Sweepstakes winners take to the beach
Importance of reuniting and reconnecting evident in Burns family

Staying in touch with family is complicated in today’s world.  With everyone’s busy schedules, it is sometimes easier to stop trying.  However, Cecilia Burns’ family wouldn’t even think of it! Cecilia of Aurora Colo., is the Gatherings 2003 Sweepstakes winner and one of nine children. With her parents in Texas and siblings in Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Florida and Spain, it would be easy for this family to lose touch … but they don’t.

“It all started with my grandfather,” said Cecilia, “He felt it was very important the family stay together, so he organized annual reunions in Florida. After he passed away, we continued the tradition, only now it’s every other year.  However, different parts of the family get together on a much smaller scale during the off years.”

A study sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America and conducted by Harris Interactive confirms that Cecilia’s family isn’t much different from others. Ninety-six percent of Americans feel very strongly that spending time with immediate and extended family is one of the most important parts of their lives. However, 75 percent agree it can be hard to stay in touch with family today.

Even when the Burns family is not getting together, it is staying in touch using today’s technological conveniences. “In some instances technology can be cold and dividing, but for our family email makes it easier for us to stay in touch,” said Cecilia. “Because of it, we’ve all gotten much closer than before.”

Americans are increasingly seeing the potential for the Internet to bring extended families together more frequently. Nearly three in four Americans are interested in staying in touch with extended family via email or online bulletin boards.

When Cecilia learned she was drawn as this year’s Gatherings Sweepstakes winner, she contacted her whole family via email. “I instantly knew I wanted to do something for my entire family while we were all together in Florida,” she recalls.

This year the families rented condominiums on the beautiful white sands of Pensacola Beach. With the help of her mother and aunt, she chose events that the whole family would enjoy – young and old. With 30 or more people, which included immediate and extended family, going places as one group can be difficult.

“Our group is usually so big we don’t go out to dinner during these reunions,” said Cecilia. “Each family typically takes turns cooking for the whole group, so when I told everyone we would be having a night off and eating dinner at Jubilee Restaurant they were quite pleased.”

In addition to dinner, Gatherings treated her family to a three-hour sunset cruise of the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay. 

Cecilia’s f