Dear
Friends,
I hope everyone is enjoying the warm spring weather and all of the
beautiful, blooming spring flowers. Many people are getting out and
taking advantage of the sunny days.
Friendship Force International has planned a 2021 Festival at Sea Cruise
in Northern Europe August 28 – September 12, 2021. Visit the website to
view all Featured Journeys. As a Dallas club member you can join other
clubs if there is room.
If you haven’t already signed up with: www.my.friendshipforce.org
(Member Login) please do so. It is easy. If you have any problems, feel
free to contact one of our Board members.
Our Dallas Friendship Force Club is on hold for Journeys this year.
Plans are in progress to, hopefully, have an outbound to Brazil next
year and two inbounds; Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Madison, WI.
.
I look forward to seeing you on Zoom at our next meeting.In Friendship,
Isabella Iverson, President
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Meetings coordinator – Paula Rose:
paularose2000@hotmail.com
Were you unable to attend a past meeting? Want to "re-attend" a past
meeting? You can view recordings of our prior meetings at our club's
YouTube webpage (click on "Videos" or "Playlists"). Recordings run
between 50 minutes and just over an hour. You can always "rewind" or
"fast forward" sections. You can watch them on your computer,
tablet, smartphone or smart TV.
- FF Dallas' YouTube Channel at
https://tinyurl.com/FFD-YouTubeChannel
- or search YouTube for "FFDallas Texas" (include the quotation
marks!)
March special event
A joint meeting between Dallas and Dayton, OH
Sat, March 6
Edward perez opened the Zoom session prior to the meeting to
allow time to sign in and visit.
We took a short virtual journey with
another Friendship Force club! Following a visit to Dayton in
2018 as an extension to the Regional Conference in Cincinnati by
Felicity Sentance, she has organized a joint meeting with that
club. Time was allowed for short introductions, questions
and chat along with a short presentation about each club.
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FFD March Meeting
– Spain
Sat March 13
presented by Janis and Bruce Robinson (FF Knoxville)
This month we were able to witness Janis and Bruce eat, drink and
walk their way around Spain during the Christmas Holidays. They’ve
been there several times and show an obvious love of the country.
They showed us a tapas and wine tours, along with a smattering of
history and a description of the components of the Spanish flag.
If you missed this program, you can catch up by watching the
recording on YouTube.
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April Meeting
Saturday, April 10
Program: What’s New at the Zoo?
Presenter: Marti Copeland of the Dallas Zoo
Marti was introduced to us by our member, Julia Cooper, who had
volunteered at the zoo, in the elephant area, for 5 years prior to
the beginning of Covid 19 pandemic. The zoo was opened in the 1930s
on just 36 acres of land and has expanded to 106 acres. It’s a
member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and participates in
the Species Survival Plan.
Marti is extremely knowledgeable and had some super photos to make
the program particularly interesting.
If you missed this program, you can catch up by watching the
recording on YouTube.
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Meetings coordinator – Paula Rose
paularose2000@hotmail.com
Members will receive a Zoom link 2 weeks
and 1 week prior to each meeting and the day of the meeting.
Guests, for the link, please contact edward perez at
erperez54@gmail.org
No reservation is needed. For information contact Paula Rose at
paularose2000@hotmail.com
A full calendar of the meeting schedule for 2021 can
be seen on the
Meetings.page.
May Meeting
Date/Time: Saturday May 8, 3-5 pm
Location: Zoom online
Program: Colombia Journey
Presenter: Gerry Arens
Members will receive an invitation 2 weeks, 1
week before and the day of the meeting with a link that you will simply
need to click to access the program.
Guests: please contact edward perez to be invited to join this meeting.
No reservation needed.
I
More infor from Paula Rose -
paularose2000@hotmail.com
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June Meeting
Date/Time: Saturday, June 12th at 3 – 5pm
Location: Zoom online
Progaram: Easter Island
Presenter: Mary Latham
FFD members will receive several invitations to the meeting.
Guests are very welcome – please contact edward perez at
erperez54@gmail.com for
an invitation.
No reservation needed.
More infor from Paula Rose:
paularose2000@hotmail.com
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There will also be Member Connections get-togethers on Third
Thursday and Book Club on Fourth Tuesday of each month. See
Member Connections.
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Because of the pandemic, all journeys, both international and
domestic, continue to be pended for 2021. The journeys below are
pending Covid-19 trends and, now, the possible availability of
vaccines.
International Journeys
Coordinator Sandy Kaiser,
coachsandykaiser@gmail.com
Outbound – October, 2021 - Dallas TX to Coatepec,
Mexico
Inbound – Date TBD – Central Israel (postponed from
2020)
Domestic Journeys
Coordinator – Julia Cooper
acjc1804@hotmail.com
Inbound – May, 2021 - Wisconsin-Madison to Dallas
Outbound - May, 2021 - Dallas to Charleston WVa
Don’t forget to check the FFI website for other possible adventures
for 2021 as travel begins to open up
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/.
Don’t foget to check the FFI website for Virtual Experiences now and other possible adventures
for 2021 as travel begins to open up
https://www.friendshipforce.org/journeys/
UPDATE: See COVID regulations on the
Journeys page.
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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.
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
FFI – Virtual Journeys
And if actually traveling is still in the future for you, try a
Virtual Experience – a class, a part of the world, a lecture. Here’s
a direct link to the Virtual Experiences page:
https://blog.friendshipforce.org/virtual-experiences/
Virtual Experiences
Here are a few available soon. To make sure you have the correct
starting time for your time zone, it's easiest to visit our FF
Virtual Experience Page. You can see a time zone converter under
each event. Just click on it and it'll show you the starting time in
your time zone automatically.
Time Zone converter:
https://blog.friendshipforce.org/virtual-experiences/
Friendship Force Virtual Experience Recordings:
Including Virtual Travel Experiences in many countries, cooking,
Zoom training, languages, crafts, photography and more.
Access Virtual Experiences Catalog Here!
https://blog.friendshipforce.org/virtual-experiences/
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by Vice-President Membership - edward perez,
erperez54@gmail.com
Membership
News and Updates
After a wild winter, hopefully spring 2021 will be
filled with great colors, great weather, and great FFD meetings &
events. If you have some ideas for Membership Connections topics and/or
locations, please let me know. Also let me know if you'd like to
volunteer to organize and/or host any sort of gathering, field trip,
outing, etc.
FFI hosts Virtual Experiences presented by FFI staff and members of
clubs around the world. There are several "Faces and Places" events. You
can see all upcoming events at
https://blog.friendshipforce.org/virtual-experiences/. Toward the bottom
of that page is a list of previously recorded events. Wishing you a safe
and healthy spring!
edward perez vice president, membership
erperez54@gmail.com
New Members
While we haven't had any new members, Patty Niemeyer and Sue
Priest have rejoined, bringing us to 68 members (incl 1 Emeritus) in 53
households. I will issue a yearbook update soon. If you have any updates
to your contact info, send it ASAP so I can include it in the update.
Membership Connections
We didn't hold a "3rd Thursday" in March as 14 members
"journeyed" to
Beavers Bend State Park
in southeast Oklahoma. We had a
sunny day and a cloudy rainy day, but we enjoyed walks in the park,
group dinners (one night at the Cooper's cabin including cheese board,
fruit trays, and roasted marshmallows; one night at the park's
restaurant), and learning more about each other.
During that Oklahoma "journey", Cathy Ignatin, Paula and Felicity
visited the "Museum of the Red River" which has excellent exhibits of
native peoples arts and crafts as well as ancient and contemporary items
from other parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa (check out that
"compass" from 19th century China!!)
In mid-April, one group of members went up near Aubry, TX to Texas
Tulips to check out that site. Another group visited the Dallas
Arboretum and then had lunch at the Arboretum Cafe. Lots of colors
despite rains before and after the visit.
For
May's 3rd Thursday, we'll meet at the Haggard Park
in Downtown Plano. Keep a watch on your
email inbox for details. All are welcome to attend.
If you have ideas for field trips or picnics for this summer, send them
my way!!
Let People Know About FFDallas!
THANKS to those members who have invited your friends, family,
and members of other clubs to our meetings and events. Word of mouth is
one of our best ways to attract new members! So, invite folks to attend
an upcoming monthly meeting, an event, or an inbound or outbound
journey. Just forward our emails to them about the event 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/
Changes and Updates
If you move or change your contact information (phone number, email
address(es), etc.), let eward perez know.
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.
edward perez
Cathy
Ignatin
During our short trip to Beavers Bend Cathy Ignatin, unfortunately, had
a car accident. At the time it appeared she was uninjured but here’s an
update from her: ‘To everyone that was with me at Beavers Bend, I want
to thank you for your help and kindness. Actually, my ankle was broken.
The doctor didn’t seem too concerned. He gave me a Boot and asked if I
wanted to see him again. I have an appointment for May 4th just to make
sure it is healing. I was fortunate that no tendons or ligaments were
injured and the bone was not displaced.
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Mary
Jane Wilson
Members of our club has had extensive interaction with Romania in some
way or another over the years and one of the authors in our membership,
Mary Jane Wilson, has written a book which includes a lot of information
about this club’s experiences there. She tells me this could prove
really interesting for our members.
Please contact her at
maryjanewilson@att.net should you be interested in obtaining it.
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Mary Williams
In the interest of promoting Friendship Force with other folks
interested in meeting new friends, traveling and hosting, Mary Williams
has been sharing some of her presentations with the Evergreen Club - a bed and breakfast club. Mary has been a member of the Evergreen Club for the past 21 years, obtaining low-cost hosting as she drives around the country, and hosting members who are doing the same.
Since travel has ground to a halt, Evergreeners have been meeting Sunday evenings at 6 pm CST on Zoom to chat, share travel experiences, recipes and crafts. Mary has given presentations on Petra, Wadi Ram and the Bahai Gardens: Cincinnati (an FFD trip); American Gardens; Birmingham AL (an FFD trip); Vancouver; Cedar Rapids, IA (an FFD trip); Croatia
- part 2 was an FFD trip
(2 parts); Hawaii (2 parts);and Romania (an FFD trip). Most have been posted
on the club's YouTube site: YouTube - Evergreen Homestays. More to be
posted soon.
She will continue to be a speaker on the Sunday evenings of the next few
months with Dallas Arboreum on May 23, Colonial Mexico (Guanajuato, San
Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo) on June 6, Montana (FFD trip to
Great Falls, Glacier NP and Waterton NP) on July 11, and Hiking in
Croatia on Aug 1. Visitors are welcome to the Sunday Virtual Travel Experiences (VTEs), so if you are interested in seeing any of these upcoming presentations, contact Mary for a link -
txtravel@flash.net.
She also presented Romania to the Knoxville Friendship Force club on Feb 23 as an exchange with speakers Janis and Bruce Robinson from Knoxville who presenteda program on Spain to the Dallas club in March.
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Michael Wald
Several years ago Michael, and his wife Jackie, spent two years in Panama with the Peace Corps. He’s written of their experiences and his book has been accepted for publication later this year. Watch this spot for further information after its publication.
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Don’t forget you can keep up with what’s going on at FFI by clicking on
the link below. FRIENDSHIP CONNECTION - if you’re are not receiving it
or other emails 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.
Check the FFI website for other possible adventures for 2021 as travel
begins to open up. 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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Festival
at Sea Cruise: Northern Europe
Our book for May is My First Summer in the
Sierra by John Muir. It shares Yosemite’s
magic from the eyes of John Muir. 120 pages.
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