Hello everybody,

Hello everybody. Now that Labor Day is here, I do hope you’ve all had a good summer with interesting related travels.

The big news is that we have an incoming exchange from Vancouver October 17th- 24th. Pat Andeweg, the ED for this exchange, is going to India Sept 10th-30th, and her email access may be limited at times. Therefore, Mary Latham has kindly agreed to act on her part during Pat’s absence. There is a sign-up sheet now ready for you to choose activities in which you would like to participate. I highly encourage you to take part in as much as you can. It is always great fun to meet our ambassadors from other clubs.

Speaking of Vancouver, we had a very large contingent of Dallas members who attended the International Conference. Unfortunately, I was unable to be there, but I gather it was a great success and educational to boot.

All the best to you and I hope to see you at the upcoming meeting or during the October 17th – 24th exchange.


In friendship,
Felicity

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The exchange will take place October 17-24 and our events will be the Welcome and Farewell parties, as well as small group dinners.
Welcome dinner - Sunday Oct 18 - 5 pm at Chimneyhill Clubhouse, 9223 Emberglow . Potluck.
Farewell dinner - Friday Oct 23 at 6 pm at Sonny Bryan’s BBQ – 1251 W Campbell Rd, Richardson (east of Coit. Rd.) Buffet: BBQ, sides, peach cobbler. Price $20. Cash for beer, wine by the bottle - none by glass. Entertainment - Lorenzo Gonzalez, harp

Download a reservation form with schedule of events here. Please reserve by Oct 10.

Sat Oct 17 -. Hosts meet Ambassadors at DFW late afternoon/evening time TBD.
Home Host Coordinator: Mary Latham

Sun Oct 18 - Welcome
Free day. Hosts take Ambassadors to places of interest (list of places will be given to hosts).
5 pm - Welcome dinner at .Chimneyhill Clubhouse, 9223 Emberglow Dr. (off Abrams/ n of LBJ)
Club will provide ham and turkey, wine/beverages. Please bring appetizers, side dishes, desserts to serve 10. Free to members.
Coordinator: Felicity Sentance

Mon Oct 19 – Bishop/Kennedy
10 am - drive Ambassadors to Bishops Art District and /or Trinity Grove area.
Lunch on own.
1 pm - Meet at Sixth Floor Museum.
3:30 pm - Meet at Chase Tower, 2200 Ross Ave for a guided tour from the Observation deck, 55 stories high. If there is time before or after, Ambassadors may want to visit the Cathedral.
Coordinators: Lou Ann and Galen King
Evening free.

Tues Oct 20 – Downtown Dallas
10 am - meet at Union Station downtown. DART bus tour - Pioneer Plaza / Cemetery; Thanksgiving
Square; Arts District: Crow Asian museum; Dallas Museum of Art.
1 pm: Lunch at DMA - Quiche, salad, tea. Fee.
Afternoon free for Klyde Warren Park; DMA, McKinney Ave trolley, Dallas World Aquarium
Coordinator: Paula Rose
Evening free.

Wed Oct 21 – Bush Library
10 am – Meet at Bush Library for tour Group admission price.
Lunch on your own at Northpark Mall or other restaurant
Free afternoon: Shopping, Biblical Museum of Art; Meadows Museum (all close to Northpark)
Coordinator: .Julia Cooper.
Evening - Small dinners in homes. Reserve with Martha Durst - marleo9039@tx.rr.com

Thurs Oct 22 - Fort Worth Day
10 am – Meet at Visitor Center – Exchange Ave, FW for Stockyard tour. Fee.
11:30 am - Cattle Drive in front of Visitor Center
12 noon - lunch at Riscky’s Stockyard BB restaurant (east end of Stockyards) Fee.
   Choice of BBQ beef sandwich and side, 1/2 smoked chicken and side or loaded baked potato and side.
Afternoon - Sid Richardson Museum, Amon Carter Museum, or other museum
4 pm - tour Bass Performance Hall
Evening - suggest dinner on your own in Fort Worth with host or day host to avoid rush hour traffic.
Coordinator: Paula Rose

Fri Oct 23 – Arboretum Day
10 am – Meet at Arboretum entrance (3rd entrance coming from North) to tour garden in small
groups. Free; bring membership passes.
12 noon: Meet Patty at picnic area by restaurant for lunch. Fee.
  Choice of Italian Combo (salami, beef, greens on ciabatta); Mediterranean Veggie (sweet
  Peppdew peppers, cucumbers, LTO) on tomato basil; Sierra Turkey (smoked turkey w/chipotle
  mayo & LTO) on focaccia. Lunches include chips, cookie, water, diet or regular Pepsi.
Coordinator: Patty Niemeyer
Afternoon free. Continue to explore Arboretum, White Rock lake drive, Bathhouse.
6 pm: Farewell Dinner at Sonny Bryan’s BBQ – 1251 W Campbell Rd, Richardson (east of Coit. Rd)
  Buffet: BBQ, sides, peach cobbler. Fee. Cash for beer, wine by the bottle - none by glass.
Entertainment - Lorenzo Gonzalez. harp
Coordinators: Kathy/Richard Jacobs; edward perez.

Sat Oct 24 - Ambassadors depart from Love Field for San Antonio. Time TDB.

Deadline to reserve places for events: October 10.
Volunteer to be a small dinner host to Martha Durst by Oct 5; reserve a place at a dinner by Oct 10.
Download a pdf form for reservations and prices.

Committee:
Exchange Director…Pat Andeweg
Home Hosts...Mary Latham
Day Hosts...Sharri McIntosh
Gift Bags...Pat Peters
Welcome Party...Felicity Sentance; host Mary Williams/Chimneyhill
Sixth Floor Museum…Lou/Galen King
Downtown Dallas Day...Paula Rose
Bush Library...Julia Cooper
Small dinners...Martha Durst
Fort Worth...Paula Rose
Arboretum…Patty Niemeyer
Farewell Dinner...Kathy/Richard Jacobs, edward perez
Treasurer...Raymond Enstam
Publications... Mary Williams

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November Meeting – 2015 Conference Report

We may be hosting our new club, Georgetown, TX on the weekend of Nov 13, 14 and 15. This mini-exchange is still iffy due to an insufficient number of people wanting to come. Paula Rose is Exchange Director. Whether they come or not, our November meeting will be:

Date/Time: November 15, 6:30 pm
Place: El Fenix Restaurant, 9090 Skillman Ave (just S of LBJ)
Food: Fajita Buffet, drink, tip - $16.
Reservation to Paula Rose - paularose2000@hotmail.com by Nov. 5.
A reservation form and flyer will be sent later.

Program: edward perez will present an overall view of the 2015 International Conference just completed in Vancouver.

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December Party

Date/Time: December 13 - 3-5 pm
Place: Chimneyhill Clubhouse, 9223 Emberglow, Dallas (off Abrams, north of LBJ)
Program: Holiday party
Food: Snacks brought by members
Cost: Free

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On September 13 at 6 pm the club met at Cedars Restaurant for a delicious Mediterranean buffet and a presentation on the Outbound Exchange to Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Mary Williams showed some pictures she and other participants took on the two-week homestay to Baku and Tbilisi clubs plus two weeks travel in each country. Zia Shamsy also talked about the makeup of the participant group and some of the cultural differences the group experienced.




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International Exchange Update

Nineteen of our members have just returned as delegates to the International Conference of Friendship Force International in Vancouver and hosted by the Vancouver Club. It is now our turn to repay the hospitality! We have one more international exchange for this year, which is the inbound from our friends from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada October 17 to 24. It should be like old friends coming to visit us! The Exchange Director for this exchange is Pat Andeweg. Earlier in this newsletter is a calendar of events and you can download a reservation sheet here. Be ready to join us for this exchange.

If you would like to volunteer to work on the committee for this exchange, or simply want to know more about it, please contact Pat at pja72@sbcglobal.net or Mary Latham at  mary_m_latham@yahoo.com.

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International Exchanges for 2016

We now have our exchanges for 2016. We have an inbound from the Nor Peru club (located in Trujillo, Peru) and an outbound to Santiago, Chile. The inbound from Nor Peru will be here from Feb 3 to 9 [change of dates]. Felicity Sentance has been appointed the Exchange Director for the inbound from Nor Peru. For questions or to volunteer please contact Felicity at fsentance@gmail.com.

The outbound exchange for 2016 is to Santiago, Chile and will be April 20 to 28. The club in Santiago has limited hosting and can host only 16. The exchange is now fully subscribed and we are maintaining a stand-by list. It will be followed by a week in the Peruvian Amazon, starting with two nights in Iquitos, Peru and then three nights at the Tahuayo Lodge deep in the Amazon rainforest. Ray Enstam has been appointed Exchange Director for this exchange. For more information please contact him at enstam@sbcglobal.net.

There are also two other FFI exchanges led by FFD members and an exchanges for 2016 or 2017 to Israel in planning stages. These members have contacts in these countries.

Panama: Michael Wald will be leading his third trip to Panama January 20 to 27, 2016, which is sponsored by Friendship Force International. The trip includes 5 home hosted nights in Santiago, Panama, touring of Panama City, and an optional extension of touring to Boquete, Chiriqui (the most popular ex-pat location, high in the cool mountains of Western Panama, close to Costa Rica) and surroundings. Deadline has been extended to October 15th. Contact Michael at mwald999@gmail.com. Contact Michael if you are interested. A flyer is available here.

Myanmar: Tour Myanmar with Tin Aung Moe - our speaker at a recent meeting; optional 5 days at Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Dates are February 13-25, 2016. Jim Kerr, ED. Included are sights you saw in Moe's presentation: Yangon city tour, Pindaya, Taunggyi, Inle Lake, Bagan, Mandalay, Mingon, Maymyo.
There are no clubs in Myanmar at this point, so all accommodations are in 3-star hotels with all breakfasts and some other meals included (8 lunches, 6 dinners). Also included are all transfers and transportation within the country (air and bus), baggage handling, English speaking tour guide, entrance fees, tips, FFI fee.

See the complete itinerary here. An International Application is available on both the Dallas and FFI websites; you can complete it online and send it from your computer. Exchange Application Form - International

Israel: In addition, Haiya Naftali has contacts in Israel and is working to create both an inbound and an outbound exchange with Israel. Israel already has a Friendship Force club and the members of that club are very interested in working out the exchanges with Dallas. They both would welcome any help or will answer any questions about the plans.

Contact Ray Enstam at enstam@sbcglobal.net.

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International Exchanges for 2017

It is hard to believe but we are now in the selection process of exchanges for 2017. In September or October the Board will decide and submit our requests for outbound exchanges(s) for 2017 and by mid-January we should have our proposed destination(s). If you have any questions, suggestions or requests, please contact me or any member of the Board. We value your input.

Ray Enstam, International Exchange Coordinator, enstam@sbcglobal.net

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Georgetown TX is our newest club. We are scheduled to host them for a weekend - November 13-15.
Contact Paula Rose to volunteer - paularose2000@hotmail.com.

We expect to host Columbia-Cascade Club from October 22-29, 2016 for a return visit (we visited them last summer). Contact Patty Niemeyer, Domestic Exchange Coordinator, if you are interested in being the Exchange Director or would like to help with the exchange. Peanutpatti1@verizon.net.

Possible reciprocal exchanges are being discussed with Birmingham, AL for 2016 and 17.

Please suggest to Patty any other U.S. clubs who might be interested in an mutual exchange with the Dallas club. Contact her at peanutpatti1@verizon.net.

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Remember that you are welcome to join other clubs on their exchanges if there is room. Please contact clubs well in advance, as an exchange may cancel if the Exchange Director doesn’t know about your interest.

See where some clubs are going on the Other Clubs page.

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Dates are September 15-18, 2016, at the Kenzi Farah Hotel. (Plan to arrive on September 14 in order to fully participate.) Note: These are NEW DATES. Previous dates in October conflicted with some religious holidays.

2016 Southwest Regional Conference

The next SW Conference is scheduled for April 1-3 in Austin. Details later.



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Welcome back:
Ava Vorosmarty Rowe
(no e-mail)

Gini Nichols
gypsyGini@yahoo.com

Mary Suther
mary.suther@sbcglobal.net

Please welcome new members:
Peggy & Jay Luippold
PLuippold@hotmail.com
They were introduced to Friendship Force by Sandy Kaiser.

C.W. Smith and Marcia Smith
cwsmith@smu.edu

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The Dallas Club normally reimburses the President $1000 for attending the International Conference as a delegate from our club. Our President, Felicity Sentance, did not attend this year, but 19 other members did. The Board voted to return this money to our general fund. At the Board meeting in September, the Board voted to donate this $1000 to FFI for database/website renewal.

John Heard, our Regional Rep, announced that a regional survey was made of SW clubs and Dallas received 4-stars for being a "strong, active club that enjoys excellent leadership."

Slate of Officers for Next Election

Due to our exchange in October, election of officers will be held at our November meeting.
Proposed candidates are:
President – Felicity Sentance
Vice President – Mary Latham
Vice President Membership – Pat Andeweg
Secretary – Ruth Barrow
Treasurer – Lou Ann King

By-Laws Revisions / Strategic Planning

The Board is meeting to revise by-laws and establish a strategic plan that carries out the wishes of our parent organization. If you have suggestions, please contact Mary Latham - mary_m_latham@yahoo.com.

Newsletter

Let Dale Klosterman know your news - daleklost@gmail.com.

Sunshine

Let Cathy Ignatin know who needs a card or a call.

Shuttle Service

Remember to support our airport shuttle service. The passenger(s) make a donation of $25 per ride ($30 north of Plano), helping our club. See page 42 in the Yearbook for detailed information or to be a driver. Or, just go to ffdallas-shuttle@googlegroups.com

If you would like to be a shuttle driver, send an email to edward perez (erperez@acm.org) and he'll add you to the list. Take this opportunity to help out your club while meeting and learning about your fellow club members. You are not obligated to handle every request, but please do what you can. We need more drivers.

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Our international organization is anticipating a deficit and your support is needed. Consider making a donation of $50 to the database/website updating project at FFI.

Consider paying exchange fees with a check rather than credit card in order for FFI to save on credit card fees. Your help in keeping FFI solvent is appreciated.

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