Dear Friends,

Let’s hope that the cold weather is behind us. It is time to think about travel. It has been a long dry period for journeys with Friendship Force. With the COVID virus hopefully winding down, we can think of travel. Julia Cooper has been busy organizing an inbound from Cedar Rapids, IA with tentative dates of September 21 – 26. Please let our journey coordinator, edward perez erperez54@gmail.com, know if you are willing to take part in any way. There are many jobs to be filled and they are all part of our mission, making the world a more peaceful place one friend at a time. Not to mention the journeys are a lot of fun.

My husband, Roger, and I had been members of Friendship Force Dallas for a couple of years when we were asked to host. We really had not been very involved with the club up to this point. We said yes and hosted a couple from Medicine Hat, Canada. It was our first time as host. The ambassadors, Pat and Marion, had been on 15 journeys, were experienced Ambassadors, and they trained us to be hosts. They were such a wonderful couple that later in the year when our neighbors needed a house sitter for six weeks, we connected the two couples. Pat and Marion came back and stayed for six weeks as house sitters. We became lifelong friends, and later visited them in Medicine Hat, locally known as “The Hat."

Being a host is such a wonderful way to really understand the mission and purpose of The Friendship Force, when you see the results of being part of a journey. It is a way to live the purpose. We hope you will consider being a host for the upcoming journey from Cedar Rapids, Iowa or helping out in one of the many positions that need to be filled for a successful journey. Help Dallas FF develop the reputation as one of the most fun and interesting places to visit.

Please keep checking on the Journeys that are starting to be posted in the Journey Catalog on the Friendship Force International website. Probably half of the Journeys that Roger and I have taken part in have been with other clubs. It is a great way to travel and to make friends, not only as a visiting Ambassador, but also by joining in with other clubs and their members.

Sandy Kaiser, President

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Martha Wilton Durst - 1931 – 2022

Many of you knew Martha, our active and vibrant 90 year old member who died suddenly on Wed Feb 9th. Her memorial service will be held on Saturday April 9 at 2 pm at First Unitarian Church of Dallas, 4015 Normandy Ave at Preston Road. There is parking in the parking garage at the YMCA just north of the church (by arrangement with the church and the YMCA). Turn off Preston Road onto Normandy at the light. At present, masks are required by the church but by the date of this service will, probably, be optional. There will be a reception in the patio area outside.

Here is a link to her obituary: https://obits.dallasnews.com/us/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/name/martha-durst-obituary?id=33138876


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Introducing the Board

Following up on information sent in a previous newsletter, we’re presenting a short bio about each board member in ensuing publications. I present our 1st Vice President - Randy Tetzlaff

Up until Labor Day 2018, Beth and I lived our entire lives in Wisconsin. Our home was close to Milwaukee and we planned to join the Milwaukee FFI once we retired. Instead, we moved to DFW to be near our grandchildren and joined our club soon after moving here. We were fortunate to join the Salt Lake City FFI on a tour of the National Parks in April of 2019 and we gave a presentation highlighting the journey to this club in January, 2020. Due to the pandemic, we have unfortunately been unable to participate in any other FFI journeys and we so miss doing so. Hopefully this year will be the year to travel again!


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Meetings coordinator – Paula Rose, paularose2000@hotmail.com

Past Meetings Viewable Online

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!)

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January – Taiwan

Eade’s misfortune is our fortune – he had been in this country on business and the COVID pandemic forced him to prolong his stay. He’s our newest associate member and he gave an enlightening presentation about his home country. I have to say, though, that I might like to try some of their stinky tofu sometime!


              
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February – The Reaching Children’s Potential Program in Tanzania
(a Global Volunteers Project)

This month Felicity told us about her medical volunteer trip to Tanzania with Global Volunteers.

            

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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

Like our page and follow what is going on with FF Dallas.

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

For those of you still doing some traveling, or for running errands, remember, use our volunteer shuttle service (see page 45 in your yearbook). Make a new friend or learn about a friend's journey/trip during that ride to/from the airport. 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? WE NEED MORE DRIVERS! Send an email to Aurora Madrigal for more info. Remember to send a donation to the club [treasurer] after your ride, and pay your driver $5 for his/her expenses.

Board

Board meetings are being held via Zoom. All members are welcome to attend. Please contact our president, Sandy Kaiser (coachsandykaiser@gmail.com) for dates, times and a link to Zoom if you wish to attend. In March, the Board meets on March 14 at 1:00 pm.

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The Travel Book Club
Chair: Barbara Taylor - be_taylor@verizon.net

Our February book, The Rent Collector by Camron Wright, was based on a missionary trip his son took to Cambodia. The trip culminated in a
documentary, River of Victory, about a family in the Stung Meachey dump near Phnom Penh. Everyone that attended the meeting or sent ‘can’t be there’ for RSVPs liked the book. A few of the things mentioned were the great characters, being set in Cambodia and hope which a universal feeling.

Thanks to all who attended for great discussion and to those who couldn’t for letting me know what you thought about the book.

A video interview with Camron Wright was briefly shown at the end of the meeting. He was invited by a Syracuse, NY literacy group to discuss The Rent Collector. If you are interested in seeing the entire interview, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUTQNFEzYjY

“River of Victory” is supposedly out on Netflix.

Remember, FOURTH Tuesday of the month at NOON - Notes from a Small Island. Great reading ahead!

TITLE	AUTHOR	LEADER	DATE
Notes from a Small Island	Bill Bryson	Sandy Kaiser	22-Mar
Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane	Lisa See	Diana Behannesey	26-Apr
Come, Tell Me How You Live	Agatha Christie	Mary Williams	26-May
The Geat Railway Bazaar	Paul Theroux	Janis Robinson	28-Jun
TBD			26-Jul

We’d love you to join us at one of our Zoom meetings (even if you haven’t read the book for that month). If you’re not on the email list to receive the link, simply contact Barb Taylor at the above email address.

Thanks, Barb Taylor

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Newsletter Apprentice Wanted

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP FRIENDSHIP FORCE DALLAS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CLUB FROM YOUR HOME? DO YOU HAVE WRITING, COMPUTER AND ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS?

Then you might like to apprentice with Felicity as editor of this newsletter sent to members every other month. The role of editor involves:

- Attend the board meeting each month via Zoom
- Keep up to date with club activities
- Obtain email updates for the upcoming newsletter
- Transfer this information to the newsletter template

If you’re interested in learning more please contact Felicity Sentance at fsentance@gmail.com.

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Club and member news (Since Friendship Force is about keeping in contact) Mary Williams sent me updates about these former members:

Marge and Ed Edgren moved to Presbyterian Village a few years ago. Ed was responsible for starting the two Romanian clubs and led the first Journey to visit several cities to establish clubs. Marge reports that Ed is now in the memory care unit at PV but they otherwise well. She says Ed is "still trying to run things" despite his condition. Hello to all at FFD.

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Mary also had a nice long letter from Peggy Benton (also former member with husband Ken Walker). They live in assisted living in Denton and have given several FF presentations on their travels at their residence. She included a description of a relationship she formed with a poor family in Tarapoto, Peru on their visit there that changed the life of a young man in the family that they "adopted." They miss Friendship Force and all it stands for. This is a photo of them on a Journey to Morocco.

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Teresa Wilkin was in town a few days ago on her way to Antarctica - a trip booked 2 1/2 years ago (not refundable) and postponed all this time. I picked her up in Carrollton in the midst of icy roads and windshields and got her to a testing site for her COVID test, then to REI for warm gloves, then to lunch and back to her friend's house. Apparently her Southwest flight to Miami left amid more ice. Good to see her! She is still making tracks around the world from her headquarters in Olympia, WA and says hello to all in Dallas she did not have time to see this time.

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Mary Latham shared a link for free e-books:
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-read-e-books-for-free-without-pirating-them-1847187739

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Vice-President Membership - edward perez, erperez54@gmail.com
 
Membership News and Updates

Just think, Daylight Savings time begins soon - on the morning of March 13!! So, sunny days are here again!! Let's hope we don't have any severe cold snaps in the next few weeks!

With recent renewals, we now have 65 members (four associates and one emeritus). Thanks to all of you who marked on your renewal form the areas/ committees that you'd like to help. There are lots of opportunities to help out (see article on Cedar Rapids-Iowa City inbound in Sep 2022). So, please review the list in the annual yearbook and contact the chair to volunteer. If you have any questions about our club or committees, please talk with me or any board member.

Wishing you a safe and sunny spring!  

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2022 FF of Dallas Yearbooks

On Feb 9, I mailed 2022 yearbooks to all paid members (one per household). If you have not received yours through the US Mail, please let me know and I'll get a replacement copy to you. If you want a PDF copy of the yearbook, let me know and I'll email it to you.

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Membership Anniversaries

The following members are celebrating a membership anniversary this year. Next time you see them, congratulate them on their anniversary and ask them about their FF experiences.

==> 25 yrs  /td>	==> 20 yrs
1997 Mary Jane Wilson	2002 Betty Mayeur
	2002 Diana & Marty BeHannesey
	2002 Dr. Ava Vorosmarty Rowe
	2002 Mary Latham
	2002 Sandy and Roger Kaiser
==> 10 yrs	==> 5 yrs
2012 Charlene Clements	2017 Kevin & Peggy Yard
2012 James Kerr, Jr	2017 Doris Rodriguez
	22017 Richard Cookerly & Kathleen McClaren (FW club associates)

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Membership Connections

In January, our 3rd Thursdays group met online. We talked about winters when we were younger - in Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, London, and Kenya & Ghana! In February, we shifted to 3rd Saturday and met at Times Ten Cellars in Lakewood. We talked about books, upcoming travels, family histories while we enjoyed tasty flatbreads and cheese boards.

With warmer weather and longer daylight, we will shift to 3rd Saturday for fellowship, field trips, and more. Look for announcements in your email for upcoming 3rd Saturdays.

Know of a great restaurant for lunch or a great place we can visit? Have ideas for Membership Connections topics and/or locations? Like to volunteer to organize and/or host a gathering, field trip, picnic, tasting, etc.? If so, let me know so we can plan a Membership Connections event!!

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Changes and Updates

If you move or change your contact information (phone number, email address(es), etc.), let eward perez know.

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Replacement Badges

Do you 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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Don’t forget to check the FFI website for other possible adventures for 2022. They are a tremendous (and sometimes underutilized) resource for our clubs. You can get information at https://www.thefriendshipforce.org
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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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.

FFI VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES Remember, 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 the following webpage. Toward the bottom of that page is a list of previously recorded events. .... https://blog.friendshipforce.org/virtual-experiences/

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Sign up for NEW international website: https://my.friendshipforce.org

Friendship Force Intl has launched a members-only website https://my.friendshipforce.org (myFF.org) with security and privacy built-in.

Currently, each myFF.org registered user has a profile (name, email, country, club, contact info, journeys, etc.). In addition, each FFI club also has a profile (info, photos, founding date, location, and contact details, journey history). FFI has and will be publishing organizational, club, member, and journey news items ONLY to myFF.org (public items will be distributed via a separate email distribution list).

Overtime, users will be able to view information about other clubs and users; view & send messages to other clubs and users (helpful for JCs as well as allow journey participants to keep in touch); and view a personal and global event calendar. Journey coordinators will be able to publicize and manage journeys, while users will be able to apply for and pay for journeys that they've been accepted on.

Other features under consideration include "interest groups" (groups of users who can discuss various topics, hobbies, etc.), virtual experiences and member resources (both being moved from the public websites), communications for your region, and payments for various items.

See the link to the document for signup instructions. You'll need to provide your name, email address, and indicate which club you're a member of. There is other optional information that you can supply.

See the  step by step instructions for signing up for http://my.friendshipforce.org

Let me know if you run into any obstacles or need assistance. Edward perez will be holding some Zoom meetings to walk you through the process. If you do not have access to a computer or tablet, he can help you get signed up. ereperez43@gmail.com

edward perez
VP, membership
FF of Dallas


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