Dear Friends,

Happy New Year to all! May you have good health, happiness and new travel adventures in the coming year. 2020 brings some changes in our board. Many thanks to Julia Cooper, President and to Pat Andeweg, Secretary who have served for the last 2 years. Both have completed their terms of office and are moving on to other roles with FFD. I’m happy to be the incoming President and delighted that Barbara Taylor will be our new Secretary.
 
2019 was a busy year with Festival at Sea, a 15 day cruise in February, an outbound journey to Cape of Good Hope and a safari led by Mary Williams in March; the International Conference in Boulder, CO in July; and visits with clubs in Madison, WI and Cedar Rapids, IA with Edward Perez as coordinator in September.

In 2020, we will be hosting ambassadors from Taiwan in August or September. We do not have any outbound journeys scheduled yet, but Julia Cooper is working on domestic journeys and Sandy Kaiser is looking into international journeys for us.

Our next meeting is on January 11 from 3 to 5 pm at the Renner Frankford Library. I hope to see you there.
Remember, Friendship Force is a volunteer organization and we need everyone to participate as they can. There will be many opportunities to contribute in 2020 so please make participation one of your New Year’s Resolutions.

In Friendship,

Carolyn McMurray, President

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Meetings coordinator – Paula Rose: paularose2000@hotmail.com

November - Brazil

Our November meeting featured Jackie Wald, who traveled with Michael and the Baton Rouge club, Vickie Vance - Journey coordinator, to Salvador de Bahia and Sao Paolo Brazil this past year. She showed slides of a very colorful culture. Highlights included seaside fish meals, local dance groups, city tours, market places, welcoming and farewell parties with local foods and music, a Brazilian cooking class with a nationally known chef and FF Sao Paolo member, and a Sao Paolo symphony performance.

Thank you, Jackie!

 

Two smiling girls in Bahia	Neighborhood mural in Sao Paolo

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December Party

On December 9th Dallas Friendship Force celebrated the holidays with a potluck lunch and entertainment at Chimneyhill Clubhouse.

Food was excellent, as usual, and a gift of thanks was given to outgoing President Julia Cooper.

Edward Perez introduced new members and guests.

New officers were introduced (see below left to right) – Secretary, Barbara Taylor; Vice-president, Isabella Iverson; President, Carolyn McMurray; Treasurer, Lou Ann King: Membership, edward perez.

Following the lunch and meeting we were treated to a variety of old-time and country music, with the occasional Christmas jingly songs by Johnnie Tincher. A few dancers took advantage of some of the songs.



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Journeys 2021

International
Sandy Kaiser is the new International Journey Coordinator

Domestic

Julia Cooper is the new Domestic Journey Coordinaor

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Opportunities 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 FFI openings:
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/

They are also listed on our website at http://www.friendshipforcedallas.org
If you are interested in any of these journeys, contact the Coordinator 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. Some new opportunities are:

Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova
September 29 - October 14, 2020
FFI Journey, Cost TBD
Contact: Jim Kerr - Judgejwkerr@gmail.com

Hi!
From September 29 through October 14, 2020, I will serve as journey coordinator for a FFI trip to Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova. As this is not a Dallas FF tour it will not be possible to have a registration period exclusively for our club. Probably the tour will be listed in the FFI catalog early next year. Consequently, this advance notice is being provided. We anticipate spending time with FF of Bucharest (Romania).
Any member who is interested may contact me for a copy of the itinerary. I will be out of the country January 4-13, 2020.
Jim Kerr

Invitation from Madison club - to Christchurch, NZ
April 23-30, 2020
Cost: around $500 plus your international airfare
Five (5) spaces available.
Apply: applications by email or mail plus $25 non-refundable application fee to Daniel
Contact: Daniel Eggerding, NZ Ambassador Coordinator - de_news@hotmail.com
See more on Other Clubs page.

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Badges

Need to replace a lost or damaged badge? Need a replacement magnet? If so, please contact edward perez who will order a new one. Replacement badges are $14 (mailed to your home) or $11 (pickup in Richardson). Magnets are free.

Shuttle Rides
Shuttle Coordinator Aurora Madrigal - aurora487@sbcglobal.net

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). Send an email to ffdallas-shuttle@googlegroups.com with info on date, time, and place for pickup and/or drop-off. Want to become a shuttle driver? Send an email to Aurora Madrigal aurora487@sbcglobal.net for more info.

Business Cards

Remember - you can order your own FFD business cards from Mary Williams. Give them to people who ask 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 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/

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.

Board Meetings

Board meetings are being held via Zoom. All members are welcome to attend. Please contact our president, Carolyn McMurray for dates, times and a link to Zoom should you wish to attend any meeting. The next Board meeting is on Monday January 13 at 1:30 pm.

Other News

Mary Williams still has a cake server left after the December party. She will bring it to the upcoming meeting on Saturday, Jan, 11th.

Culture Pass

For arts lovers – the Dallas Public Library now has a Culture Pass available to members to enable them to obtain free, or greatly reduced, tickets for local performances. Further information can be obtained at https://culturepass.dallasculture.org

Sunshine News
Chair Cathy Ignatin, cignatin@hotmail.com

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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by Vice-President Membership - edward perez, erperez54@gmail.com
 
A Happy and Friendly New Year 2020!

A new year, a new decade (depends on how you count them), and new opportunities to "experience different views and discover common grounds!" I'm looking forward to our meetings, events, inbound, and other experiences.

Loss of Two Long-term Members

Near the end of 2019 our club lost 2 long-standing members to cancer: Lee Latham and Nancy Hicks. Below you’ll find the link to the obituary for Nancy and a note of thanks to our club from Mary Latham, Lee’s wife.


https://jacksonfuneralservice.com/obituaries/11-25-19-nancy-lee-hicks/

Our family thanks all of you for kind wishes, visits and support for Lee and all of us during his illness and on his passing. We think of Friendship Force for making new friends and working for world peace but your kindness as we traveled this recent journey really showed the true meaning of friendship as you were there for Lee and all of our family.

Thank you,
Mary Latham

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Friends Meet

Recently long-time FF friends had lunch and a great visit in Dallas.
Mary Williams (computer Mary), Mary Suther (nurse Mary); Mary Latham (lawyer Mary) Paula Rose
Mary Suther is doing well living in FL with husband Dean Morganthaler. She has recently won a great lifetime award from the Visiting Nurses Association.

Membership Updates

THANKS to the 79 members who renewed their membership (including 3 emeritus and 2 associate members). We have members who joined in 2019 and those who joined back in 1994! Regardless of when we joined, each of us have great experiences, history, and stories to share. Meet your fellow members and learn from and share with them. They might have grown up in the same city or state, visited the same city or country, had a similar career or employer, or have a similar hobby or interest.

New and Anniversary Members

Thanks to Sandy & Roger Kaiser and Leslie Parker for inviting FF of Dallas to Fairview residents. And thanks to those who invited your friends to join us. At an upcoming meeting or event, extend your hand of friendship to these members who joined in 2019:

Tonia Biggs
Marilyn Caperton
Carolyn Cole
Mary Driver
Sally Dyer
Launa Fackrell & Becky Price
Rebecca Fogel
Andy & Margaret Lepine
Sheila & Tony Levatino
Aurora & Felix Madrigal
Cathy & George Mangarelli
Brian Moore & Sandy Mixson
Barbara Reyes
Jodi Rothwell
Lisa Stripling
Sandy Stromberg
Anne & Jack Young

Also, meet or re-introduce yourself to these special anniversary members!
> 15 years
Ruth Barrow
Gerda Kreyer
> 24 years (3rd most senior original members)
Ray Enstam
Mary Williams
> 25 years (2nd most senior original member)
Elizabeth Umana
> 26 years (most senior original member)
Ana-Marie Grundner Lee
> Emeritus (joined in 1993 and 1994)
Diana Bosworth (lives in Tyler, TX)
Jackie Bluhm (lives in Plano, TX)
Brud Kisner (lives in Temple, TX)

Spread the Word

Help us get the word out about FF of Dallas

THANKS to those members who have invited your friends and family to meetings and events.

Word of mouth is one of our best ways to attract new members! So, 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/

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).

Friendship Gatherings
Gatherings are smaller group meetings that allow more time to visit and catch up with other FFD members, as well as introduce your friends to FF. Dates, times, and costs to be announced.

Meals with Friends
Enjoy visiting with your friends while enjoying a delicious meal? Throughout the year, we will meet at a local restaurant for a weekday or weekend lunch (each pays at the restaurant).

Tastings with Friends
Enjoy sampling wines, beer, or beverages along with savory and sweet appetizers/snacks? Throughout the year, we will meet in a member's home or a local business (cost will be split among attendees).
First one of the year will be in late February.

Explorations with Friends
Want to check out a new small business, visit nature preserves/gardens, learn some local history? Let's explore our local area (either in Dallas or an easy day-trip to and from). We have some good ideas for this spring.

How Can I Help?

If you
• know of a restaurant that has a separate space or room, can accommodate 10-30 folks, and has reasonable prices
• would like to host a wine tasting in your home or clubhouse, or know of a local winery, brewhouse, or tea room that can accommodate up to 30 folks and has reasonable prices
• know of a place that we can visit and has reasonable prices then, please let me know and we'll arranging a "Gathering with Friends."
Let us know about a restaurant or beverage place.

• Host a "Meals with Friends" or a "Tastings with Friends."
• Suggest a different kind of friendship gathering (food tasting, arts event, festival, etc.).
• Coordinate one of these events.
• Start a book club or service project.
• Contribute/serve on a committee or on our board

Changes and Updates

If you move or change your contact information (phone number, email address(es), etc., let edward perez know via email to erperez54@gmail.com or via phone at 214-675-3063. Wishing you a happy new year with friends and fun!
edward perez

Replacement Badges

Need to replace a lost or damaged badge? Need a replacement magnet? If so, please contact edward perez who will order a new one. Replacement badges are $14 (mailed to your home) or $11 (pickup in Richardson). Magnets are free.
    
edward perez, vice president, membership:  erperez54@gmail.com

                                 **********MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT SURVEY**********

As a volunteer organization, the planning, coordinating, and carrying out of our events, meetings, and activities depend on US. Over the last few months, your board members have been communicating with members about how you can help support our club. Thanks to those members who spent some time visiting with a board member.

And THANKS to the 70% of our households who volunteered to help with one or more roles or activities. Your time and energy will be appreciated!!! Over the next few months, the respective board officer and/or committee chair will contact you about helping out.

If you have not been contacted by a board member, are interested in helping out, or have ideas for our club, please contact any of us and let us know how YOU can support YOUR club and the Friendship Force Mission (see list of board members in front of the new 2020 yearbook, available at the January 11 meeting).

On behalf of your board,
THANK YOU!
edward perez
Friendship Force International (FFI)                               

                    

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