Dear
Friends,
As we say ‘Good Bye’ to 2020 and welcome in 2021 let’s stay positive
that one day, hopefully soon, we can again visit and host our friends
around the world. With all the challenges of 2020, also came
opportunities. Let us look for the opportunities in 2021.
Friendship Force International (FFI), our central organizing office, is
working with staff and worldwide club members in hosting Virtual
Experiences. You can find a list of upcoming events at
https://blog.friendshipforce.org/virtual-experiences/.
Toward the bottom of that page is a list of previously recorded events.
FFI also has a blog at https://blog.friendshipforce.org/ with many
articles about plans, events, journeys, and more. You can view their
‘Friendship Connection Newsletter’ (find links on right; if viewing on a
smartphone/tablet, they're at the bottom). Lots of new ideas to
consider.
At this time, all of our meetings will continue to be on Zoom. Paula
Rose has worked hard to coordinate interesting programs. Edward will
continue to host 3rd Thursday meetings and Barbara Taylor is the contact
person for our book club. I am honored to be your president for 2021.
Friendship Force Dallas has an excellent board of committed members and
we’re here to serve you. Please let us know how we can help.
In Friendship,
Isabella Iverson, President
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Because of the pandemic, all journeys, both international and
domestic, continue to be cancelled or pended for 2021. The journeys
below are pending Covid-19 trends and, now, the possible
availability of vaccines.
International Journeys
Coordinator
–
Kaiser, coachsandykaiser@gmail.com
Outbound – October, 2021 - Dallas TX to Coatepec,
Mexico
Domestic
Journeys
Coordinator – Julia Cooper acjc1804@hotmail.com
Inbound – May, 2021 - Wisconsin-Madison to Dallas
Outbound
–
May, 2021 – Dallas to Charleston, West Virginia
Don’t foget to check the FFI website for other possible adventures
for 2021 as travel begins to open up
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/
UPDATE: See COVID regulations on the
Journeys page.
Travel Tips
Here
are a couple of travel hints from two of our members: From Isabella
Iverson: If you charge your cell phone at a public charging station,
you might consider buying a data blocker to preserve the security of
your phone. These blockers can be found at most retailers and online
for around $7 - $30.
From Mary Latham: October 1st is the new starting date for use of
approved ID for travel. For information go to
https://www.tsa.gov/real-id
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FFI Tours
Remember, we won’t be stuck here forever (although it feels like it at
times) so, looking to 2021, Friendship Force International has several
Journeys on their website for which you can express interest with the
caveat that we have no idea if we’ll be able to go on them. The Journey
Coordinator for each Journey is ‘testing the waters’ to check interest.
Grand Tour of Italy
April 10 to April 24, 2021
Helcio Lanzoni, FF Ribeirao Preto, Journey Coordinator
Click for Details >
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/grand-tour-of-italy/?utm_source=Friendship+Force+Members+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=3d0a58ecd9-MARCH_JOURNEY_CATALOG_2020_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5feca96946-3d0a58ecd9-86901893
Croatia & Slovenia: The Old-World Adriatic
July 10 to July 21, 2021
Click for Details >
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/croatia-slovenia-the-old-world-adriatic/?utm_source=Friendship+Force+Members+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=3d0a58ecd9-MARCH_JOURNEY_CATALOG_2020_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5feca96946-3d0a58ecd9-86901893
Best of Scotland
August 29 to September 8, 2021
Click for Details >
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/best-of-scotland-2/?utm_source=Friendship+Force+Members+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=3d0a58ecd9-MARCH_JOURNEY_CATALOG_2020_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5feca96946-3d0a58ecd9-86901893
by Vice-President Membership - edward perez,
erperez54@gmail.com
Membership
News and Updates
Welcome to 2021! As the Grateful Dead sang long ago
"What a long strange trip it's been!" I hope that you are staying safe
and active with family, friends, organizations - in person or online!
THANKS to the 61 members who renewed their FF of Dallas 2021
membership!!! All dues collected this year will cover our club's FFI
affiliation dues. After I complete the 2021 Yearbook, I will email a PDF
copy to everyone. As this is YOUR club, I am interested in hearing YOUR
ideas for Membership Connections topics and/or locations. And, in hopes
that we'll get together this year, if you want to volunteer to organize
and/or host any sort of gathering, field trip, outing, etc., please let
me know. Wishing you a safe and healthy winter! edward perez vice
president, membership.
edward perez vice president, membership
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2021 New Members
A BIG FRIENDLY WELCOME to our 2021 New members: Philip Mendershausen
Radwan Dalu (introduced by Mary Williams) Say hello to them when you see
them at our next online meeting. And hopefully at an in-person meeting!!
To be listed in our 2021 Yearbook, please fill out the membership
renewal form and send it along with your check to edward perez NOW!.
Get a FFD
Membership Renewal Form 2021-1.pdf right here.
If you have moved or changed any of your contact information (phone
number, email address(es), etc.), indicate that on the form. And let us
know how you would like to help your club in it various activities
and/or leadership positions.
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Membership Connections
Our
"3RD THURSDAY" meetings have been rather popular. Our November gathering
was led by Sandy Kaiser and Barb Taylor with the topic of things we give
thanks for.
Our December gathering was led by edward perez with the topic of holiday
and Christmas memories. With members from all over the USA and the
world, we heard some very interesting memories - a swimming pool in
Toro, Nigeria; farm life, wintertime fun, a beach in the Bahamas;
families in the USA & Turkey; and food, especially tamales!!
Keep an eye open for upcoming 3rd Thursday announcements. All are
welcome to attend. Read elsewhere in this newsletter about the Travel
Book Discussion group being organized by Barb Taylor. Keep an eye open
for upcoming book club announcements, then respond to Barb to get a link
to a Zoom meeting.
If you have an idea for a topic or a meeting -or- if you want to
organize and/or host any sort of gathering, field trip, outing, etc.,
please let me know.
LET PEOPLE KNOW 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.
And if you know of a group that might be interested in learning about
FF, please contact me. 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/
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The Travel Book Club
Barb Taylor
be_taylor@verison.net
FF-Dallas Travel Book Club will meet on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 2 pm.
It’s a new year and our FFD January 2021 Book Club will be held on the
usual last Tuesday, January 26th. Our book is
Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The book is set in Barcelona after the civil war.
Here is a link to a description:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/292766/the-shadow-of-the-wind-by-carlos-ruiz-zafon/9780143126393/readers-guide/
The Zoom link will be distributed prior to the meeting and discussion.
If you are interested in joining in, listening to the conversation or
are familiar with Barcelona, please join us! Send me an email and I'll
make sure you're included on the zoom email with the all the connection
information. If you have any questions, please email me at
be_taylor@verizon.net. Please
RSVP if you are new to book club and I will send you the link. Once you
have attended you will automatically receive the zoom information.
Thanks, Barb Taylor
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Membership Updates
As a result of a presentation about Friendship Force and the Dallas club
that I gave to the Casa Linda AARP Chapter (Al Currie of our club is
their President), we have a new member. A BIG FRIENDLY WELCOME to
Philip Mendershausen !!! (email is
bayRumVanilla@gmail.com). Mary Williams has introduced Radwan Dalu
to FFD. His email is rdalu@yahoo.com.
Please continue to share with your friends about Friendship Force and
invite them to our meetings and events. LET PEOPLE KNOW 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.
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Gatherings
with Friends
As decided by the board, we won't be having any in-person gatherings for
the foreseeable future. Keep thinking about options for future
gatherings when we can meet again.
- Meals with Friends - enjoy visiting with your friends while enjoying a
delicious meal.
- Tastings with Friends - enjoy sampling wines, beer, or beverages along
with savory and sweet appetizers/snacks.
- Exploring with Friends - check out a new small business, visit nature
preserves/gardens, learn some local history.
If you would like to host or organize a "Gathering with Friends," please
get in touch with me! Let people know about FF Dallas!
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Changes and Updates
If you move or change your contact information (phone number, email
address(es), etc.), let me know.
-
Shari McIntosh has moved this year to be closer to her daughter. If you
would like her contact information, please contact edward perez at
erperez54@gmail.com.
- Patty Niemeyer had a knee replacement and is doing well.
- Sue Priest has rejoined our group and also has a new knee.
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
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Zoom
I've helped several members get Zoom installed on their computer, get
Zoom running, and learn how to share their desktop or a program. If you
would like some assistance in anything Zoom, please contact me. I hope
that everyone is staying healthy, safe, and upbeat in your physical
distancing! It’s been good seeing folks during our online meetings.
A note from edward about our virtual information from FFI.
You should be getting emails about our international organization and
virtual events from FFI. FRIENDSHIP CONNECTION. if you’re are not
receiving these from FFI, you can go to the FFI home page
https://www.thefriendshipforce.org/ - then go to the bottom,
put your email address in the "email address" box under "Newsletter,"
then click Subscribe.
Go to the FFI home page
https://www.thefriendshipforce.org/ and click on "News & Updates"
for the Blog page and "Virtual Experiences" for the Virtual Experiences
page.
Here's a direct link to the FFI Blog which has links to the Friendship
Connection newsletters.
https://blog.friendshipforce.org/
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For
our November meeting we were treated to a comprehensive presentation
by Mary Williams about these three Unesco Heritage sites. This
private trip followed the club's Journey to Israel in fall of 2018.
Speaker: Margaret Duncan, Program
Coordinator for the Dallas Arboretum Speakers Bureau
Our December speaker, Margaret Duncan from the Arboretum, gave
us an interesting tour of the sculptures at the Arboretum - some
hidden in rarely visited corners - and how they were acquired by the
Arboretum.
January
– Romania 
February
– Valley House Gallery and Gardens
Festival
at Sea Cruise: Northern Europe
The
Travel Book Club 
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