Dear Friends,

Friendship Force Dallas has a busy month ahead. We will be hosting 12 ambassadors Sept 21 – 28th. This is a reciprocal visit. They hosted us
before Covid-19 disrupted all of our lives. We are requesting that every member participates in the incoming journey in some way. Most of the
volunteer positions have been filled, but we need you to attend one of the many events that our club will be hosting. Just sign up with the journey
coordinator. We need your help to make this a really special week for the Cedar Rapid Ambassadors.

In June, Roger and I participated in a two-week journey to Ontario, Canada. We visited Stratford and St Mary, Ontario which is the heart of the
Canadian farmland. Next, we visited Hamilton and Burlington, Ontario which are on the outskirts of Toronto. If you want to join a journey with other
FF members, visit the world and make new friends, check out Julia Cooper's Journeys article below. It has a link on how to find upcoming
journeys led by other FF Clubs.

Those two weeks in Ontario reminded us again of how important it is to fulfill the Friendship Force mission of building relationship to make the world a more peaceful place. It had been two years since Canadians and U.S. citizens were able to spend time together because of Covid-19 restrictions. Our countries share so much. One thing we share is the longest unguarded boarder in the world. The relationship between these two
countries has an excellent history of friendship.

Roger and I have been to Canada probably two dozen times, yet we learned so much that we had not known. We visited an automated dairy farm. It seems to us like something from the future. The farm of 80 dairy cows was run by one man from his cell phone. He hardly ever touched his cows. It seems more like a sci-fi movie.

The countryside around Strafford and St. Mary were the cleanest and most pristine that I have ever seen. It reminded us that other countries are even cleaner than the U.S. The visit to the Ice Winery pointed out that fine wines are made all over the world. But most of all, the visit reminded us that the people of the world desire the same for themselves, their families and their country as we do.

We were on a peace mission, not just a travel trip. Sometimes we, Friendship Force Members, are so busy having a good time that we forget how important our travels are. We came back with an even deeper appreciation, a better understanding, and more admiration for Canada and her people. Whether we are traveling as ambassadors or hosting members from other clubs, our mission is peace through building relationships.

Within the next year, FFI will be emailing member info and news only to folks who have signed up for https://my.friendshipForce.org . In addition to receiving those emails, people who sign up have access to info about journeys, virtual experiences (webinars), conferences, events, clubs & groups, and a help center.

In Friendship,

Sandy Kaiser, President

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Board Member – Barbara Taylor

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 secretary, Barbara Taylor:

Grew up in Livonia, Michigan, lived in East Lansing for a number of years before moving to Dallas after my graduate studies in 1987. Traveled for TI job where I caught the travel bug. Best thing about Texas, besides the people, is location in the middle of the country for flying or driving. One cat, but loves dogs and most animals. Dislike bugs but find them fascinating. My undergrad degree was in biology, and I really enjoyed my
entomology class except for dissecting a giant Asian cockroach - gross.

FUN STUFF IN RETIREMENT: Traveling, volunteering at Eisemann Center, FFD board and book club, entertaining in my home, movies, dining out with friends, and board games/cards.

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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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July – Nova Scotia by Mary Williams

the sizzling weather we were suffering through in July, Mary Williams presented
a program about her trip to Nova Scotia

 
   
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August – Wild DFW by Amy Martin

This month Master Naturalist, Amy Martin, presented her program about Wild Dallas/Fort Worth with some magnificent photos. It’s tempting to think of this area as just never ending concrete and developments. Amy is able to present the other side to this.

         
          

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Coronavirus notes

To do our best to keep everyone healthy, FF Dallas' Health Policy states : a) all who host incoming ambassadors must be vaccinated per current CDC guidance and b) all who attend events must either be vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID within three days of the events.

See full policy on our website: http://www.friendshipforcedallas.org/Club%20Info/Health%20Policy%20of%20Friendship%20Force%20Dallas%20on%20Journeys.pdf

So, if you have not received your 3rd or 4th Coronavirus/COVID booster, I suggest that you get one in early September. This is to protect yourself as well as others. "Let's stay healthy out there!"

Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests by Sept 2: https://www.covid.gov/test
For more info or to help out, contact edward perez at erperez54@gmail.com.

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Journey Coordinators Wanted

If Taiwan or Dayton are on your bucket list, consider being a Journey Coordinator; there is some compensation for being a JC with a reduced FFI fee and money toward an airline seat. Also, there is a monetary benefit to those serving as Inbound JCs. See page 34 in your Yearbook for additional information. Contact Julia Cooper if you would like to apply to be a Journey Coordinator for any of these three trips.

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Join Another Club’s Journey

If you are interested in 2022 and 2023 Journeys you can go to www.FriendshipForce.org page: then https://archive.friendshipforce.org/journeys-and-eflyers/ . Just click on a Journey name if you are interested and send a message.

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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.

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

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

For those of you 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? Send an email to Aurora Madrigal for more info. If you use this service, remember to send a donation to the club treasurer (Leslie Parker) after your ride and pay your driver $5 for his/her expenses.

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Board

Board meetings are being held via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each month. 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 October the Board meets on October 10th at 1:00 pm.

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

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. We didn’t have an August meeting since so many members are travelling. I’m presently polling the book club members for ideas as to how we pick books for the upcoming meetings. There will not be a September meeting either, because of our Inbound Journey.

Meanwhile we can join the Friendship Force International Book Club which is reading Turn Right at Machu Pichu by Mark Adams. They will discuss the book at their meeting on Sept 28th at 2 pm EST - 1 pm CT).
You can register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsdO2trDorG9MSK3bjcl7jmuPbHSO-kzQm

If you are hosting, check your ambassadors’ departure plans first.

Another option is to attend this annual event presented by the Richardson Library. If you’re interested in this event, contact Julia Cooper at acjc1804@hotmail.com and she will obtain free tickets for you. This year the author is Imbolo Mbue, who wrote the best seller Behold the Dreamers.
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 13th, 7.30pm
Place: Richardson High School Auditorium
1250 W Belt Line Rd, Richardson, TX 75080

New York Times Bestseller • Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award • Longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award • An ALA Notable Book NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The New York Times Book Review • San Francisco Chronicle • The Guardian • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • Chicago Public Library • BookPage • Refinery29 • Kirkus Reviews

Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty—and Jende is eager to please. Clark’s wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses’ summer home in the Hamptons. With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future. However, the world of great power and privilege conceals troubling secrets, and soon Jende and Neni notice cracks in their employers’ façades. When the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Jongas are desperate to keep Jende’s job—even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. As all four lives are dramatically upended, Jende and Neni are forced to make an impossible choice.

Thanks, Barb Taylor

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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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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Vice-President Membership - edward perez, erperez54@gmail.com
 
Summertime - get thee behind me and let Autumn shine with its colors! Whew - that was a scorcher of a summer!! I hope you made it through and are ready for the cooler autumn weather. New members, great 3rd Thursdays, membership renewals, and journeys - plenty happening in our club.

Our condolences to Mary William whose dear sister Patti Doan died in June. Mary traveled to Denver with a son and two daughters in August to attend the memorial service. Mary, Patti and Maggie (their sister who lives in Canada) traveled together every year for the past 25 years and had many wonderful times.

Wishing you a cool Autumn!

 edward perez

Vice President, Membership 


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New Members

We have three new members:
• Ted Hillberg (Plano TX), a friend of Kathy Jacobs.
• Pat Moreno Fisher (Murphy, TX), she met Paula and edward at The Mojito Bar,
  their favorite Cuban & Latin dance spot.
• Wanda Hoff (Rowlett, TX), she learned of FF through friends who are members
  the Western Kentucky (Owensboro, KY) FF club.

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Membership Connections

3rd Thursdays / Saturdays
We had two 3rd Thursdays in June and July at two great Mexican restaurants (hey, I’m partial to Mexican & Tex-Mex foods!). Because these are smaller and more informal gatherings, these are a great way to meet & learn about other members. However, due to journey planning, I will not hold a 3rd Thursday in September. But look for announcements for Oct and Nov 3rd Thursdays. Hope to see you at there! 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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Membership Dues

It's that time of year for renewing your membership in FF Dallas. For the past two years, your FF Dallas board reduced club dues from $20 to $0 since we did not anticipate any journeys in 2021 or 2022. In mid-2021, the FF International Board set membership dues at $25 for 2022 and $35 for 2023.

As journeys are beginning again and after two years of NOT including our membership dues, it's more than likely that your FF Dallas board will add them back. Updates when the board reviews and decides. For info on FF International's Fee Structure Update from Oct 2021, see this article on my.friendshipforce.org: https://my.friendshipforce.org/en/blog/3c34621c42595095

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Members’ Journeys

Several Dallas members are currently journeying with other FF members on the FFI Festival at Sea cruise from Amsterdam to Norway, Iceland, Scotland and back to Amsterdam. I look forward to hearing about their journey. Perhaps they made a connection for a future inbound or outbound journey? Or maybe they have some great photos of the Aurora Borealis (since our sun is near the maximum of its sunspot cycle).
Several other Dallas members are going on FF journeys to Colorado and the Northeast. I hope you can join a journey (even one of your own), visit the world and make friends! See Julia's article about how to find out about upcoming FFI journeys.

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Let People Know About Friendship Force Dallas!!!

THANKS to those members who have invited your friends, family, and members of other clubs to our meetings and events. Please continue to share with your friends about Friendship Force and invite them to our meetings and events - just forward club emails to them. If you know of a group that might be interested in learning about FF, please contact me.

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Contact Info Updates

If you move or change your contact information, let me know so I can update the records. I will publish a list of updates every few months which you can use to update your yearbook and email address book. Our telephone tree, led by Patty Niemeyer, contacts members prior to monthly events. If you haven't been receiving calls, contact edward perez so I can make sure you are on the calling list. If you know a member who has not be attending recently, please give them a call and invite them, perhaps offering to carpool with them. Pages 21-24 of your yearbook lists members by zip code.

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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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Remembering Former Members
(Since Friendship Force is about keeping in contact)
This is written by Mary Williams in remembrance of her friend Ana Marie Lee:

Ana Marie Lee

Ana Marie Grunder Lee was a former long-time Friendship Force Dallas member. For the past few years she has been living at The Tradition on Lovers Lane. She was born July 25, 1930, died June 28, 2022. I have not found an obituary for her.

She was from a German family who lived in South Africa where her father was a medical doctor. She was the youngest of five - three brothers and a sister - who have scattered all over the world. Ana Marie was a nurse and worked for oil companies in foreign places. She lived in other African countries, Venezuela (where she became fluent in Spanish) and then in Dallas. She left oil company work and worked as a nurse at
Presbyterian Hospital.

Later in life she married Ingram Lee, the son of a friend from Highland Park Presbyterian Church where she attended church. She moved to his house in Highland Park. During her retirement she worked part time at the Convention Center and at the State Fair of Texas as a translator in German and Spanish. She was also a volunteer for the stove building project in Santa Avelina, Guatemala as a translator. After her husband died,
she remained in his house, but the house belonged to his two daughters from his first marriage. When she became disabled she moved to The Tradition. I made several trips with Ana Marie and helped her with her computer and email hookup; she was not the most savvy techie! I also designed a family composite picture for her for her family reunion in South Africa. She attended concerts with me for several years. She was an
interesting person and I will miss her.

    

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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.friendshipforce.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/.

Next World Conference

* Save the date for the Friendship Force World Conference 2023: October 2-5, 2023
* Our host will be Dubrovnik, Croatia, on the beautiful Adriatic Sea.
* Plans are underway, including pre- and post-conference tours in the region
* Registration will open at the end of 2022

   
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Friendship Connection

If you’re are not receiving the FFI Newsletter or other emails from FFI, you can go to the FFI home page https://www.friendshipforce.org/  then go to the bottom, put your email address in the "email address" box under "Newsletter," then click Subscribe.

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

Here's a direct link to the FFI Blog which has links to the Friendship Connection newsletters.
https://blog.friendshipforce.org/.

Don’t forget to check the FFI website for other possible adventures for 2022/2023. They are a tremendous (and sometimes underutilized) resource for our clubs. You can get information at https://www.friendshipforce.org
 
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