Gatherings.info brings family together on Independence Day as youngest son leaves for final military training

A hug and a kiss goodbye were all Tracy Mulheron had hoped to give her 18-year-old son before he shipped out for advanced Army training and possible deployment overseas. Instead, Mulheron and more than 30 members of her family gave her son a once-in-a-lifetime Independence Day gathering celebration and send off, courtesy of Gatherings.info, sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America.

“Gatherings.info has given our family an opportunity to get together in a way that would never have been possible otherwise,” Mulheron said. “Our family is large and rather spread out, so bringing everyone together is truly unforgettable.”

Mulheron, a resident of Bangor, Maine, was selected from nearly 291,000 entries registered to win an expenses-paid family gathering worth up to $5,000 in the annual Gatherings Sweepstakes. With planning and financial assistance from Gatherings.info, Mulheron was reunited with family members from across the East Coast in Bar Harbor, Maine, for a Fourth of July celebration in honor of her son, Pvt. Travis E. Heath of the U.S. Army.

On July 17, Heath will report to Fort Lee, Va., for 13 weeks of advanced military training in water purification before probable deployment overseas. Heath, who has spent little time in Maine after moving to Kalispell, Mont., with his father, was originally scheduled to return to Montana in late June, but was able to adjust his travel plans several days to attend the gathering.

“I’m grateful to get to see my family members, many of whom I haven’t seen in five or more years,” Heath said. “It will mean a lot to spend extra time together before heading to Virginia.”

This event brought together members of Mulheron’s immediate and extended family. At the gathering, Heath was reunited with his brother, sister and grandparents for the first time in several years.

Mulheron’s family started the day off with a luncheon at Rupununi’s Bar and Grill, before gathering at Grant Park for a family photograph by the seashore. The family planned to cap the day off with a four-hour whale watching tour with the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co. However, Mother Nature had other ideas, and the tour was cancelled. To make up for the weather, Modern Woodmen will help Tracy host a gathering for her parents at a later date.

“The Gatherings.info site was developed to encourage people to gather together with their family and friends by providing visitors with tools to make these gatherings easier,” said Sharon Snawerdt, public relations coordinator at Modern Woodmen. “We are delighted that our sweepstakes has been able to p

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