Happy New Year, Brat community!  We have some exciting news to share regarding the 2023 Reunion! 

via GIPHY

First, we are pleased to announce that Randa Chichakli has agreed to be the 2023 Reunion Chair! We are confident that Randa's extensive experience and appreciation for the reunions will provide for an excellent reunion.  Learn more about Randa in her own words:  "My family lived in Saudi Arabia from 1973 to 1995, and I graduated from 9th grade with the Dhahran Class of 1987.  After that was Marymount London for boarding school, then University of Texas for an engineering degree. Since the Aramco days, I’ve been based in the US and have traveled widely for work and fun. 2022 is the start of a new chapter as I move to Belize to enjoy island life in the Caribbean! I’ve been going to the Brat Reunions since 1999 and I hope to never miss one.  I love everything about the reunions… connecting face-to-face with my childhood friends and meeting new friends that expand my Brat family. I’m so excited to be a part of pulling the next reunion together… it’s gonna be great!!"  Thank you for taking up the charge of leading the next reunion, Randa! 

Second, the 2023 Reunion will be held the weekend of June 8-12 instead of the traditional Memorial Day weekend.  We understand change can be hard - especially of late - but, based on feedback from several members of the Brat community, we determined that holding the reunion a little later would allow for more of our brethren to attend.  We are excited to see how this change can improve attendance for more of our community.

We are excited about the new year and cannot wait to start planning for the event we all look forward to!  Stay tuned for more details! 

Hafla 2022 is Way More Than a Cruise- It's All About the People!

Hafla 2022 Cruise will be a five-night cruise leaving Miami on October 31 and returning to Miami on November 5, 2022.

The only good thing to come out of Covid-19 is the cruise lines are negotiating excellent cruise packages.

Click here for additional information on Hafla 2022.  Brats Welcome!

Note:  This is not an ABI event nor the Aramco Brat Reunion (more details on that coming in early 2022)!

Here are the results of the 2021-2023 Aramco Brats Board of Directors election which were announced at the reunion banquet on September 5th.  Thanks to the ease of online voting, we had fantastic participation - 240 votes were received! Shukran for participating in choosing your elected officers for next term!

How Brats Voted

Per ABI's bylaws, the winner was determined by simple majority. The election data and results have been reviewed and ratified by Lisa Lindeken, DH 89.  Full election results and description of voting processes can be viewed here.

Questions regarding nominations process or other volunteer opportunities should be directed to Paul Allen.

Interested in volunteering for the next reunion? You may not realize it, but the reunions are A LOT of work!  While the exact location has yet to be determined, we are hoping to host it in a major Texas city.  We know the Texas Brat contingent is as big as the state itself, so pull up your boot straps and lend a hand!  

If you possess the skills below, give us a holler!  Most volunteer work is done via conference call and/or by email approximately once month. Time commitment and meeting frequency increase with the planning cycle for the Bi-Annual Brat Reunion.

• Leadership skills
  
• Manage a budget
• Must be proficient in MS Office skills (Excel, Word)
• Zoom (virtual conference skills)
• Familiarity/previous attendance at reunions
• Ability to motivate a group of volunteers
• Sufficient free time to carry out duties
• Keen organizational skills

Marharba, Brats! Aramco Brats, Inc., began a new term, November 1, 2021. We are proud to present our board for the 2021-2023 term:

Liz Germani​ (RT '84). President
Sandra Kerr-Louchard​ (DH '84), Vice President
Tom Littlejohn​ (DH '84), Treasurer
Amber Perkins-Neal ​(DH '86), Secretary
Bridget Halpin ​(DH '84), Reunion Oversight Director
Paul Allen ​(DH '89), Director at Large (Nominations)
Dawn Kolb ​(DH '92), Website Director
Marie Littlejohn-Dunn ​(DH '77), Director at Large
Cynthia (Cindy) Metcalfe ​(DH '84), Publications Director
Selma Zein ​(DH '06), Database Director

Aramco Brats, Inc. welcomes 1 first-time board member:

Cynthia (Cindy) Metcalfe​ is joining the board as the Publications Director. The Metcalfes moved to Dhahran in 1976 and settled in to a fine tin-can house on 3rd Street before relocating to the Hills and living the dream in P-Section. Returning stateside to Houston in the early-'80s was less culture shock and more heat and humidity.

At the Houston Brat Reunion in 2015, Cynthia reconnected with her 3rd Street neighbor, and fellow board member, Tom Littlejohn and the two have been together since.  As part of her work for Housing & Residence Life at Tulane University, Cynthia created and managed content for department and committee newsletters. When not traveling with Tom, she enjoys cooking, crafting and walking Audubon Park in their home city of New Orleans.

ABI's Board of Directors hosted a town hall on Saturday, September 4th at the reunion hotel.  Attendees were given a handout showing reunion and database facts and figures as well as Q2 2021 financials. Reunion facts and figures have been updated since to reflect our final numbers for Tucson.

Shukran to the Brats who joined us and provided their valuable feedback and suggestions.  Read the Town Hall minutes to see what they had to say!

This year at the 18^th Biennial reunion, Bridget Halpin & Liz Germani created a new BrAt Lifetime Achievement Award, “The Dammam Well #7 Award.”  Going forward at each reunion, the ABI will present this award to a BrAt that has gone above and beyond to the Aramco Brat organization.

This year’s recipient has a long tenure with the ABI:

• Bylaws Committee: 2002
• Reunion Committee Chair Houston: 2005
• Reunion Oversight Director:  2005 – 2007
• Vice President: 2007-2009
• President: 2009 – 2013
• Publications Director: 2013 – 2017
• Director at Large: 2017 – Present
• Reunion Committee Member: 2017, 2019, 2021

The inaugural recipient of the Dammam Well #7 award is: Marie Littlejohn-Dunn, Dhahran class of 1977!

Marie has dedicated her own time & money to make quilts that she has donated to the ABI live auction for the last 11 reunions.  She also helped design many reunion logos.  She is a woman of many talents!

Going forward we will ask all BrAts to nominate a deserving BrAt leader to award at the 2023 reunion.  Look for details next year. 

SHUKRAN MARIE!

2021 reunion swag is now available for purchase in the online suq!  We've got tees, totes, towels, tumblers and pint glasses.  Get you some!

We have updated the information available in the Wild Apricot Member app, so you'll have some useful information at your fingertips during the reunion.

If you go to the 18th Biennial Reunion in the Events tab, you will pull up a page entitled Event details with 3 tabs - Overview, Info, and Registrants.

Overview has the basic calendar information and registration options.

The Info tab has links to the reunion schedule, a map of the reunion venues, reunion brochure, Tucson area attractions/dining, and the latest Loews COVID19 protocols. 

The Registrants tab shows a list of everyone currently registered for the reunion. It is organized alphabetically.  You can scroll the screen to find someone in particular.  Want to connect? Click on a name to pull up their directory information, including any contact info they have made available to Brats.

TIP: The IOS version of the Member app is a little quirky when using the Info tab.  If you click through one of the buttons on the Info tab then want to go back to the Info tab, the "back" button is not your friend. It will take you out of the reunion Event and back to the Events page.  You can toggle to another tab (Overview or Registrants) then back to Info tab and avoid that.  The Android version works like it's supposed to.

To minimize the time you spend in the Registration room, we're making purchases at the reunion available online (desktop and mobile devices)!  

The "Registration Shop" on your Events tab in the Member App will allow you to purchase raffle tickets and other items without getting up from your chaise lounge or barstool.  Any leftover reunion swag will be made available through the app Saturday and Sunday only. 

Shop in your app, pay in your app. The QR code in your "ticket" (Tickets tab)  is your receipt for picking up your order in Registration.  Registration personnel will scan it and get your items for you. It's not quite curbside pickup, but it's close!  You may also pay offline (cash or check) in registration, but we much prefer touchless credit card transactions! 

Registration Shop will go live when Registration room opens - 12PM Thursday, Sept. 2.