New Membership Information

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Interested in becoming a member? Our membership is a family membership, which means if you have a spouse and/or children under 21, you will all be under one membership. If you are married or have children (under 21), you must sign up for a family membership. We have a single membership for those with no spouse and/or children under 21.

We have two types of membership; active or passive. Both memberships allow you to enjoy our many themed dances (about once a month) at a discounted price, dance in our groups, receive a quarterly newsletter, and be part of our continuing growing family.

The difference between the two types of membership is that active members may participate in our annual elections. The cost to become a passive member is $90 for passive family ($50 activation fee and $40 yearly fee) or $80 for passive single ($50 activation fee and $30 yearly fee). Each year you will pay the yearly fee to renew the membership. To become an active member, it costs $130 for active family ($100 activation fee and $30 yearly fee) or $120 for active single ($100 activation fee and $20 yearly fee). Each year you will pay the yearly fee to renew the membership.

It is easy to join. Just ask for a New Member application form and fill it out entirely. Since we are an all-volunteer organization, we will also ask for volunteering. If you are able to volunteer, please indicate where you would like to work. Your information will be given to board members in charge of those areas and will contact you. If you already know an active member, they can sign the proposed by, if not, Lisa Sommers (the membership secretary) will help you. Once the application is complete, send it along with your check to:

German Family Society

3871 Ranfield Rd

Kent, Oh 44240.

Your application will be voted on during our next meeting (once a month), then your membership card will be sent to you and your check cashed.

Questions:

Contact Lisa Sommers (Membership Secretary)

Phone: (330) 933-2491

E-Mail: LisaSommers1107@gmail.com

New Membership Application:

Please email Lisa Sommers

No, all of our events are open to the public unless otherwise stated as a "Members Only" event" (volunteer picnic, annual elections, etc.) Some indoor events may require reservations, but you need not be a member to attend. 

Not at all! All we ask is that if you are new to the German Family Society, we hope you love our customs just as much as our Oma and Opa do! 

Yes, our organization is run entirely by volunteer help. All members are required to volunteer throughout the year for multiple events. If you are unable to volunteer in person or aid in online organization, due to any reason, please clarify with our Membership Secretary. 

Volunteering at the Akron GFS is providing a few hours of your time assisting in the preparation or running of an event. Duties may vary by hours and effort. The Akron GFS is run entirely by volunteers to allow every penny to go back into maintaining our heritage, history and traditions. By lending a hand during our events, festivals and occasions, you can help to make sure we are around for many more years. 

There are many volunteer opportunities all year round, including: 

-Kitchen (cooking, prepping, cleaning, serving, taking tickets, cashiering, etc.)

-Bar/Biergarten (serving, cashiering, cleaning, stocking, etc.)

-Grounds (lawn-care and maintenance, leaf cleanup, pond maintenance, etc.)

-Parking (during large festivals)

-Facility (cleaning, repairs, maintenance, etc.)

-Tickets/Entry (cashiering events, greeting, ticket booth, etc.)

-Children's/Fundraising Booth (parents of dancers, supervise, cashier, etc.) 

-Online Event Help (committees for elections, fundraisers, charities, etc.) 

-Secretarial (correspondence, letters of condolence, PR, etc.)

-Wedding/Event help (serving, bartending, cleaning, etc. during hall rentals)

-Misc. 

Our largest Volunteer day is our annual Spring Cleaning (April 13, 2024 9am) 

Interested or have a specialty in any of the above? Please let us know! 

Our mission is to share our history, traditions and heritage through dance, food, song, language, costume and more to future generations. Whether you have German heritage yourself, or are looking to be part of something bigger, the Akron German Family society will welcome you like family. Your yearly dues help support the on-going needs of our organization's maintenance, and makes you eligible to participate in our groups, active voting, and members-only events with special perks!