Hi friends,

Months are flying by and before we know it, it will be 2020 [sounds like a TV show!]. At our next General Meeting on Saturday November 9th, we will have our Election of Officers. It will be at 1pm at the Outback in Plano. Please send your meal requests and check to Paula Rose by November 1st.

Our nominating committee, Ray Enstam, Paula Rose and John Whaley, have nominated the five members to be officers next year. The proposals are listed below with the information about the meeting. I hope all FFD members will be there to vote.

In December we will be having our Holiday party at the Chimney Hill Clubhouse on Sunday, December 8th. We will have a potluck meal and entertainment. Come and enjoy the afternoon.

Next year we are gearing up for a big, fun year with Domestic inbounds and out bounds in the planning stages and several casual outings. We also have planned in late August/September an exciting international inbound Journey from a club in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. All kinds of different opportunities are available and it’s a great way to become involved, get to know other members and learn how an inbound Journey works. All for now. See you November 9th, In friendship

In friendship,

Julia Cooper, President

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Meetings coordinator – Paula Rose: paularose2000@hotmail.com

September Meeting

In September edward perez gave a presentation on the International Conference held in Boulder, CO in July. We had dinner at Banana Leaf following the meeting.
 
 A report on this conference appears in the September Newsletter and on the FFI  News page..





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October Meeting - Festival at Sea (rescheduled)

For our October meeting, Anne Neal presented a program on the Festival at Sea Cruise which took place in late February and early March on the Holland-American ship Zaandam.


150 Friendship Force members, among other passengers, sailed from Buenos Aires, Argentina around the southern tip of South America to Santiago, Chile. The presentation included photos Anne took with additional photos from Mary Williams and Patty Niemeyer.

In Buenos Aires they took a city tour that included the city cemetery, with a visit to the grave of Eva Peron (little Eva or Evita), and many other sights.

As they sailed southward to Cape Horn in ever chillier weather, Atlantic and Pacific storms affected the itierary. A planned excursion to the Falkland Islands had to be cancelled for inclement weather, as well as a stop at the Chilean fjords on the Pacific side. They did stop, however in Montevideo, Uruguay; Puerto Madryn to see wildlife; Puerto Arenas; and Ushuaia, Argentina – the end of the world. While on board, there were activities for the members arranged by FFI staff along with Jeremi Snook, CEO and President.

< Wendy Whaley with whale bones

There will be another cruise in 2020 to Japan from Vancouver. Look here for information:
https://www.thefriendshipforce.org/journeys/2020-festival-at-sea-cruise/



 
         

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Update from Cape of Good Hope

Update from Cape of Good Hope Club
by Mary Williams

At our Farewell dinner in Cape Town, we were presented with the boomerang sent around the world via several clubs, which was then residing in Cape Town. Since we had an Aussie in our visiting group - Tom Breitenbach - I decided it was time for the boomerang to return to Australia and gave it to him to take back. He did so and recently sent me an article from their newspaper welcoming home the boomerang.

Text of the article:
It is true that a boomerang always comes back. But some travel further than others.
A boomerang that left Newcastle in 2011 has landed in the hands of Sunshine Coast Friendship Force member Tom Breitenbach after eight years spinning around the world.
In that time, the native Aboriginal weapon has travelled to a number of countries including Peru, Brazil, Belgium and Turkey after beginning its journey with the club in Gifu, Japan with the intention of “spreading friendship between the countries of the world.”
Mr. Breitenbach said he saw an opportunity to travel to his birth place, South Africa, after almost 70 years away and was given the boomerang from the Friendship Force club in Cape Town earlier this year in the hope of returning it home to Australia.
1He said that coincidently the Newcastle club had a trip already planned for the Sunshine Coast.
“It worked out perfectly,” he said.
Mr. Breitenbach surprised the Newcastle club members by returning the boomerang to its rightful owners on Wednesday night before they returned home after their weeklong stay.
The inscription on the back of the boomerang reads: “The boomerang spins around the world by plane and train and bus from club to club in friendship and one day back to us.”
“I’ve read it numerous times and every time I read it, it makes a bigger impression,” Mr. Breitenbach said.
The 89-year old said the organization allocated the journeys the clubs could make each year so for the boomerang to make it back was remarkable.
The Sunshine Coast is one of 350 clubs across 65 counties whose mission is to make the world a better place through inter-cultural experiences.
Fellow Sunshine Coast Friendship Force member Robyn McFarlane said many of the 25 clubs within Australia have given boomerangs as a “pay it forward” symbol of friendship.
Mrs. McFarland said the organization promoted cultural exchange.

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Outbound Journey to Madison, Wisconsin and Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Sept, 25 – Oct 7, 2019
Journey Coordinator edward perez - erperez54@gmail.com
This Journey has concluded.
Here are descriptions of both destinations with photos by Mary Williams and Sandy Kaiser.

Journey to Madison, WI
by Paula Rose



                                                                            Group in Madison


Domestic Journeys
Domestic Journey Coordinator – Sharri McIntosh
Several possible Domestic Journeys are being explored for our club.

Super Regional Conference

The regional conferences are held every other year, alternating with the International Conference. The Regional one for our area for 2020 will be in Minneapolis at: Embassy Suites downtown 12 Sixth St south, Minneapolis MN 55412 Sept 18-20, 2020 With a possible pre-trip TBA (not homestay) Further information will be forthcoming.

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Opportunities with Other Clubs

FF Oklahoma to Gold Coast, Australia and Horowhenua, New Zealand

FF Oklahoma is looking for ambassadors for a Journey to FF Gold Coast, Australia and FF Horowhenua, NZ (north of Wellington on North Island) in May 2020.

Journey fee for both clubs is still to be determined but will be $640-740+ (FFI fee $340; Hosting fees of $300-400) plus earned seat fee, administration fee, and contingency fee. International airfare, travel/medical insurance, and any extensions/trips before or afterward are extra. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Geneva Hancock at genevahancock7@gmail.com.




Traveling with other clubs

When you travel with another club you help fill their seats and make new friends in another club as well as your destination club. See the new openings on our Other Clubs page:

Glimpses of English History
June 3 to June 17, 2020

Global Youth Journey to Japan
Tokyo - excursion to Hiroshima

Art, Culture, and Gastronomy in Belem and Sao Paulo, Brazil
June 10 to June 21, 2020

Outdoor Adventure in Nebraska (Omaha)
July 12 to July 19, 2020

Eco-Journey in Brazil
August 7 to August 24, 2020

Escape to Wisconsin by Bike! (Madison)
September 14 to September 21, 2020

2020 Festival at Sea Cruise: Vancouver to Japan (Holland America Noordam)
September 27 to October 12, 2020

You can find more information on:  https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/

If you are interested in any of these journeys, contact the Coordinator listed ASAP. The decision for a journey to go or to cancel occurs at least 90 days preceding a scheduled date. Notice of remaining seats can be out of date as journeys fill and there are cancellations. Contact the coordinator concerned for the most current information.

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Board Meeting

The next Board meeting will be Monday, November 11th at 1:30 pm at Julia Cooper’s house.
All members are welcome to attend. There will not be a Board meeting in December.

Election of 2020 Officers

Ray Enstam chaired a committee made up of Ray, Paula Rose and John Whaley to find a slate of possible officers for 2020.  Nominated are:
- Carolyn McMurray - President
- Isabella Iverson -1st Vice-President
- Edward Perez  - 2nd Vice-President Membership
- Barbara Taylor - Secretary
- Lou Ann King - Treasurer
At our November General Meeting we will be having the election for these five offices. Nominations may also be made from the floor. Other committee chairs are appointed.

Shuttle Service Changes

FFD shuttle service for members and their families is staffed by several FFD members. It is mostly used to go to and from either airport with a suggested donation to the club of $30. The Board has recently decided to change the payment plan and asks that the driver be given $5 of the total donation to help defray the cost of his/her tolls and gas. Then pay the balance by check to FFDallas and send it to our Treasurer, LouAnn King. We also could use more drivers (see Yearbook).

Shuttle Service

The shuttle service is available to any FF of Dallas member who needs transportation from their home to either airport or from the airport to your home. You can also use this service to destinations other than airports. After your ride, you make a donation to FF of Dallas and your driver.

If you need a ride, send an email to ffDallas-shuttle@googleGroups.com and all club members who are shuttle drivers will receive your request.

If you would like to be a shuttle driver, contact edward perez at erperez@gmail.com 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.

If you would like to manage the shuttle driver list, contact edward perez and he'll help you learn how to manage the list. It's very easy - you just need access to email and the Internet.

In friendship,
edward perez
Shuttle Service Manager


FFD Business Cards

Remember - you can order your own FFD business cards from Mary Williams with your name and email address on them. Give them to people you tell about Friendship Force. This service is free.

Facebook

You can also let your friends and family know about Friendship Force by sharing yours experiences on your social media account(s). Invite them to attend an upcoming monthly meeting, an event or an inbound or outbound journey. FF Dallas has a Facebook page that you can like and follow as well as share with your other FB friends. https://www.facebook.com/FriendshipForceDallas/

However, remember Facebook rules: Anyone may post comments or photos on our page, but only posts about FF are acceptable. The club can get in trouble with the IRS for posts that advertise or endorse commercial products or businesses, so please do not do that.

Sunshine Report
Cathy Ignatin, Sunshine Chair cignatin@hotmail.com

Unfortunately, Lee Latham has had to be readmitted to Clements University Hospital with a bad pulmonary infection.

Ruth Barrow is at home recuperating from surgery.

Nancy Hicks has been sidelined in Hendersonville, NC with lymphoma. The type is not yet known, and she and Al should have more information on further tests so that she can be properly treated. Keep Nancy in your thoughts.

Jim Bourn has been released from the hospital after amputation of some toes. He is up and walking again. Please let me know if you have any news of our members that might need a little Sunshine.

If you know of anyone who needs anything from Sunshine, please give me a call: sometimes I don’t hear of a need until they are well. Thanks.

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Photography Clusters

Don’t forget the Photography clusters
Presently, we don’t have a cluster in our club but that shouldn’t stop you from forming one if you’re interested. The person to contact is Roz Worrall in California. Here’s a message from Roz:

You are always welcome to contact Roz at FFIPhotoCC@gmail.com if you are interested about what FFI Photography Club Clusters are all about, in signing up to start a cluster, or need some help and inspiration in getting your photo cluster started.

Likewise, I would love to hear from you if you have photography resources to share, suggestions, ideas to contribute, or would like to be a part of the FFI Photo CC volunteer leadership team. We eat together and pose for group photos in interesting destinations (most common and least interesting photographs to non-members), but we may also be engaged in activities that are of higher interest to potential members who are looking for cultural experiences beyond what they would see and do with travel clubs or accommodation services organizations.

As an ambassador, you may experience a wedding, a birthday party, a first day of school celebration, a game night, harvest, floral arranging, cooking, sports activity, milking a cow, fixing a fence, grocery shopping, setting the table, teaching in a classroom, service or art project with your host family. These are shared experiences that distinguish Friendship Force hosted home stays. You become a member of your host family.

Shared experiences change casual acquaintance relationships into friendships. If you have not experienced these types of home stays as an ambassador, think about how as a host club you could create these types of experiences for inbound journeys. Once a shared experience is happening, step back from your involvement and with your camera take the photos of others that capture the moment of the Shared Experience. These are the unique photos that FFI would love to share on a global stage. In the Spirit of Friendship and Photography.

Rozlynn Worrall FFI Photography Club Cluster Coordinator FFIPhotoCC@gmail.com

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by Vice-President Membership - edward perez, erperez54@gmail.com

Membership Renewal Time

It's that time of year again to renew your Friendship Force of Dallas membership. This year, annual dues are $40 per person (due to an increase in FFI dues). Deadline is December 15.

With your membership, you will receive:
+ A copy of the Friendship Force of Dallas Yearbook with your name listed
+ Six Newsletters a year
+ Announcements for Dallas club meetings & events
+ Participation in FFD's meetings and events
+ News bulletins about Friendship Force, Regional & World Conferences and other events
+ Participation in FFD's international & domestic journeys, as well as other clubs’ Journey invitations

Download a form here. Print and return to edward perez with your check.
When you fill out your form, please review and signup to offer your skills and services to FFD. If you didn't receive a renewal form or you need a paper copy, please let me know. edward perez vice president, membership erperez54@gmail.com

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Membership Updates and News

                    

Membership Updates

The Canadians recently celebrated Thanksgiving and the USA will be doing so in a few weeks. I'm thankful for all the friendships I made over the past 18 years in Friendship Force. What friendships & experiences are you thankful for?

We now have 94 members (including 3 emeritus and 2 associate members). Remember to extend your hand of friendship to ALL OUR 2019 NEW MEMBERS at an upcoming meeting or event!

Please welcome new Fairview members:
Brian Moore & Sandy Mixson
Cathy & George Mangarelli
Launa Fackrell & Becky Price
Anne & Jack Young
Amy Allen
Vicki Hubbard
Sally Dyer
Barbara Reyes
Lisa Stripling
Charlotte Tarell

From Richardson:
Mary Weis

From Dallas:
Carolyn Cole
Marilyn Caperton
Mary Driver

From Hutchins:
Aurora & Felix Madrigal

THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE INVITED YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO MEETINGS AND EVENTS. Word of mouth is one of our best ways to attract new members!! Invite your friends and family to attend an upcoming monthly meeting, an event, or an inbound or outbound journey. Just forward our emails to them about an upcoming meeting and/or our newsletters. Or share your experiences on your social media account(s). FF of Dallas has a Facebook page that you can like and follow as well as share with your other FB friends. https://www.facebook.com/FriendshipForceDallas/

Don’t forget all our activities can be seen on the FFD website at http://www.friendshipforcedallas.org/ If you know of a group or organization to which we can present info about Friendship Force of Dallas, or if you know of any advertising media where we can get out the word on Friendship Force, please let me know (see contact info below).

Replacement Badges

Need to replace a lost or damaged badge? Need a replacement magnet? If so, please contact edward perez erperez@acm.org and he'll order a new one. Replacement badges are $14 (mailed to your home) or $11 (pickup in Richardson). Magnets are free.

Gatherings

* Meals with Gatherings
We hold these casual events (either at lunch or dinner time and either on weekdays or weekends) to allow you time to meet with other club members and share stories about our lives and journeys. Our next gathering will be in October - brunch and then a visit to "Autumn at the Arboretum". (October announcement above)

* Wine Tastings Update
Contact edward perez if you’d like to host one of these. They are small groups of people who enjoy wine at a small get together. One person hosts and buys the wines. The attendees bring hors d’oeuvres to go with the wine and pay a contribution to the host for the purchase of the wines. These will be small groups.
Dates, times, and costs to be announced.

* "How can I help?"
Know of a restaurant than can accommodate 10-20 in a separate space?? Want to host a "Meals with Gatherings" or a "Tastings with Friends"?? Have an idea for a different kind of friendship gathering (food tasting, arts event, festival, etc)?? Want to coordinate one of these events?? Want to contribute/serve on a committee or on our board?? If so, please let me know (see contact info above). 
Invite your family & friends to attend an upcoming monthly meeting, an event or an inbound or outbound journey. Just forward our emails to them about an upcoming meeting and/or our newsletters. Or share your experiences on your social media account(s).

You can also visit with another member by using or being a driver in our volunteer shuttle service to go to/from a local airport or to/from an appointment (see page 43 in your 2019 yearbook).

FF Dallas has a Facebook page that you can like and follow as well as share with your other FB friends. https://www.facebook.com/FriendshipForceDallas/

"CH, CH, CH, Changes..." (David Bowie)
Let me know via email to erperez54@gmail.com if ...
+ you move or change your contact information (phone number, email address(es), etc.)
+ you need a replacement badge ($14, $10.50 if you pick it up in Richardson).

Wishing you a great autumn with friendships and fun!

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2020 Journey Fee Announcement

After nearly a year-long discussion about the rising cost of doing business, the International Board of Directors unanimously approved a small increase to FFI Journey fees starting in January 2020.

It has been five years since Journey fees have increased, and in that time, global inflation has increased nearly 8%. Friendship Force International continues to use both Journey fees and donations in efficient, cost-effective ways. These funds support existing clubs, create and sustain exceptional friendship-building programs, and help establish new opportunities to encourage peace through friendship around the globe. This small increase in Journey fees will help us to remain in step with rising business costs worldwide and better support our mission now and for years to come.

The Board is optimistic about the upcoming launch of FFI’s new strategic plan as well as several new clubs that are currently in development. Although we cannot avoid fee increases from time to time, our greatest strength remains the sustainability of our clubs and growth of new ones to carry us into the future. Thank you for your continued involvement and support of Friendship Force!

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Additional Address for FFI

In an effort to expedite mailed checks, letters, and other items to FFI Headquarters, we have acquired a P.O. box designated for immediate receipt of mail. Please use this mailing address for any and all payments or other mailings that you need us to receive immediately:

Friendship Force International
Attn: Finance Department
P.O. Box 570
Asheville, NC 28802
U.S.A.

Please note that our current mailing address is still active and open for use; this new P.O. box is just to supplement that. Be sure to have both addresses in your address book! Our current mailing address is still:

Friendship Force International
400 West Peachtree Street NW
Suite #4-980, Atlanta, GA 30308
U.S.A.

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e-checks

As an alternative form of payment, FFI has introduced e-checks for payment for travel insurance, Journeys and club dues. This will be a form of payment directly from your bank to theirs. Unlike credit card payment, which are immediate, the process will take up to 7 days to process but, like credit card payments, are secure. For more information look for the ‘Payments’ tab under the member resources section of their website here https://www.thefriendshipforce.org/resources/

If you have any questions, please contact finance@friendshipforce.org.

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Member Resources

The Member Resources page is here to help make your involvement with Friendship Force easier!
If you have any questions, please contact finance@friendshipforce.org.

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Stories of Friendship

Send stories of your FF experiences that have helped eliminate barriers that separate us and bring us closer together. Send to: http://storiesoffriendship.org/

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