Visit New Family Web Site and Register to Win a Family Gathering Worth Up to $5,000

www.gatherings.info helps get-togethers get going by providing tools to make planning a family gathering simple and fun

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (July 15, 2002)…A resurgence of the importance of family is one result of the Sept. 11 tragedy. In fact, getting together with immediate family is considered important by 95 percent of Americans recently polled in a national Harris Interactive/Modern Woodmen of America survey. Ninety percent of those same Americans felt that spending time with extended family is also important; however, the same study shows that 75 percent feel staying in touch is difficult these days.

A new Web site, www.gatherings.info, is designed to give people the tools to more easily bring family and friends together. The site, developed and sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America, makes getting together easier by providing get-together checklists, timelines, recipes, games and tips. To encourage family togetherness, Modern Woodmen invites the public to register for its Gatherings Sweepstakes at www.gatherings.info.

Anyone who wants to hold a family gathering in 2003, but would like someone else to handle the details, can register to win this preplanned gathering, worth up to $5,000.

Gatherings.info will supply one lucky family with the gathering site, catering, plates, cups and flatware, invitations and postage, decorations, personalized T-shirts, an activity coordinator, cleaning service and a commemorative photograph for the event.

"When most of us think of gatherings, we tend to think about holiday get-togethers or reunions. Gatherings also include quick parties for family members or barbecues with friends," said Sharon Snawerdt, public relations coordinator at Modern Woodmen of America. "In fact, 87 percent of the participants surveyed have attended an informal family gathering in the past three years. It’s one of the most common ways people keep in contact with family."

When visitors enter the Gathering Sweepstakes, they are automatically entered into a monthly drawing for a Toshibaâ digital camera.

On gatherings.info, site users can ease the stress of planning a gathering by navigating through tips, lists and ideas on how to organize a gathering. The site provides not only planning checklists, but also location and travel advice, themes and photography tips, as well as suggestions on how to research your family tree.

To be eligible for the sweepstakes and digital camera giveaway, an entrant must be a legal resident of the United States and be 18 years or older. The sweepstakes ends March 31, 2003. A winner will be announced on or about April 5, 2003. The winning family can schedule its gathering for May – September of 2003. Employees and representatives of Modern Woodmen and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.

A drawing will be held monthly for the digital camera and will conclude Sept. 30, 2002.

Gatherings.info is developed and sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal life insurance organization based in Rock Island, Ill. Modern Woodmen serves more than 750,000 members nationwide, offering life insurance