PAST EXCHANGES and EXCHANGE DIRECTORS

Inbound:

1995 Kiel, Germany – Jackie and Jerry Bluhm  

1996 Gelsenkirchen, Germany – Bob Langford  

1996 Viña del Mar, Chile – Pam Varney-Terrell  

1997 Riga, Latvia – Kim Etheredge  

1998 Wolfsburg, Germany – Mick and Maureen Smith

1998 Trujillo, Peru – Jim Bourn  

1999 Sao Paulo, Brazil – Marilyn McRae and Ruth Keehn  

1999 Interclub: Fort Worth, TX – Pam Varney-Terrell  

2000 Latvian Folk Dancers – Mary Williams  

2001 Toyko, Japan – Ed Edgren  

2001 Hannover, Germany – John Funk  

2002 International Conference Coordinator – Marilyn Wilson  

2002 International Conference homestay – Emily Dee  

2003 La Libertad, Peru – Ray Enstam  

2004 Cleveland County, UK – Ray Enstam  

2004 Interclub: Asheville, NC – Chris Michalek

2005 Tottori, Japan - Jim Bourn  

2007 Medicine Hat, Alberta - Gary Paramore

2007 Brasov and Sibiu, Romania - Ed Edgren

2007 Lima and Tarapoto, Peru - Pam Varney Terrell

Outbound:  

1996 Hamilton and Gisborn NZ and Newcastle, AU – Margie Tareilo  

1997 Chiang Mai, Thailand – Keary Liu and Zia Zhamsy  

1998 Araraquara and Itannaem, Brazil – Marilyn Wilson  

1999 Viña del Mar, Chile – Ray Enstam  

1999 Interclub Chicago, Ill – Don and Beverly Erb  

2000 Adelaide and Cabooltureshire, AU and Thames, NZ – LaNell Koch

2000 Interclub: Fort Worth, TX – Carolyn Knott  

2000 Havana, Cuba – Ray Enstam 

2001 Hertfordshire, UK – Jim Bourn  

2002 Toyko and Tottori Prefecture, Japan – Maureen Smith  

2003 Interclub: Asheville, NC/Lake Hartwell, GA – Paula Harkey  

2004 Kiel, Germany and Oudenaarde, Belgium – Jim Bourn  

2005 La Libertad, Peru - Ray Enstam

2006 Zagreb, Croatia - Mary Williams

2007 Bogota, Columbia - Ruby Reviere (Houston) and Ray Enstam

We celebrated our 10th year as a club in November, 2004.

Aoki made calligraphy for each ambassador in Tokyo.

Pam and Allen Terrell brought breakfast to downtown Dallas for our Peruvian ambassadors - Texas hospitality!

Marilyn Wilson visits a local 

lady in Thailand.

With the Fort Worth club we hosted the International Conference in 2002.

Myrna and Dick Ridings; Jerry Tuttle and Joy Perigo - Fort Worth; Marilyn Wilson and Mac Mackenzie - Dallas.

Ambassadors to Cuba met the American ambassador in Havana.

Lilliana Hollister learned to clog 

in North Carolina.

        Dora Stahl learned to make 

      octopus balls in Yanago, Japan

And Juana learned to carve a 

pumpkin in Dallas

Paula Rose introduced our Peruvian friends to some bigger-than-life cattle.

Japanese friends taught us to make origami birds. (But we were slow learners!)

And local sights...Mary Williams in Australia...

Erich Geissler dresses like a Texas, while Jerry Bluhm dresses like a German (however, they're not!). Gisela and Regina like the State Fair of Texas.

And sheep shearing in New Zealand.

The Hertfordshire (St. Albans) club members were terribly dignified at the farewell dinner.

Ross gives LaNell Koch a Thames, New Zealand welcome.

Rie rides a longhorn in Fort Worth.

Yuriko shows Marilyn Wilson the tea ceremony as done in Tokyo.

We visit the school for the blind in Viña del Mar, Chile, where our club donates computers for blind students.

Nancy Hicks visits a blind child at the school.

There's always an exchange of gifts. Jim Bourn in St. Albans.

And more dancing! These dancers were from Latvia.

Our dinner/auction was a big success and we raised money for FFI and our own BridgeBuilder project. We had about 75 people in attendance.

Able Auction/Event chairman Ed Edgren assisted by wife Marge

Leo Durst and Marty Behannesey enjoyed dinner and conversation

Madolyn Stewart inspects auction items

As do Henny Houston and Pat Peters

Mary Jane Wilson

Ann Kisner

Letters from George Brown

Date: February 25, 2005
To: Friendship Force Club Presidents, Field Representatives, District Administrators, and Exchange Directors
From: George Brown, FFI President

WORLD FRIENDSHIP DAY! 

Don't miss our big day on March 1 when we celebrate World Friendship Day. As of today, we will have 203 clubs participating around the world, beginning in New Zealand and ending 24 hours later in Hawaii.

Thanks to Ann Harding in Devon, UK for helping with the initial concept; and to Susie Smith for serving as our honorary chair of the global event.

Thanks also to the hundreds of club leaders around the world who have organized their local events.

You can look now at our website to see the preliminary information--and you can even click-on to see my short video greeting. All of this will be updated throughout the day on March 1. During the day of the event each club's World Friendship Day page will become active at the time their event begins.

In addition to the set messages and the club pages that will be available throughout the day, there will be a series of live webcasts from Atlanta. The schedule will be posted on the website. Please alert your members to log on to the website at various times during the day to watch these short broadcasts from Atlanta, which will also include audio (by telephone) conversations with some of our participants around the world.

It will be a lot of fun and together we'll be making a huge statement regarding the strength of our organization around the world. But as you participate, please keep in mind the three goals of the event:

1. For our members to have an enjoyable time together in their local community, highlighting their Friendship Force experiences.
2. To honor the memory of Wayne Smith, and
3. To raise money that will be used exclusively for the development of new clubs and to train new leaders.

Regarding the fundraising, our clubs are following a variety of methods for carrying this out: direct contributions, raffles, auctions, sponsors, etc. The most important thing to remember is that all participants should be given the opportunity to make a contribution knowing that they are joining thousands of fellow Friendship Force members around the world to create a Legacy Fund that will lead to a stronger Friendship Force for all of us to enjoy for years to come.

I'm looking forward to celebrating World Friendship Day with friends here in Atlanta. It is my hope that each of you, in your own way, will be able to join the effort. We know that each of us can make a difference in the world--just think of the impact that we can have by working together as a true force for friendship!

******************************

Date: February 17, 2005
To: World Friendship Day leaders
From: George Brown, President FFI

In less than two weeks we will celebrate together the first World Friendship Day. Your club is one of 200 that is participating. This is a fantastic response, particularly since we have had limited time to plan the events. 

I want to thank each of you for the efforts you are making in your community. As we review the plans that have been sent in, it is clear we will have quite a global party for 24 hours on March 1. There will be beach parties in New Zealand, an ice cream social in Los Angeles, potluck suppers, banquets, afternoon wine and cheese receptions, backyard barbecues, and much more. 

By the end of the day on March 1, thousands of Friendship Force members and
friends will have participated. I know you and your members will have fun as you share Friendship Force experiences with friends in your local community. Be sure all the participants also know they are part of a global friendship family. Log on to our website anytime during March 1 and you'll be able to follow the events as they take place around the world.

While having fun together is an important part of the celebration, World Friendship Day is also designed to raise money for our Legacy Campaign. Clubs around the world are using their creativity to maximize the potential for fundraising. Some are simply adding an amount to the cost of the event that will be earmarked for the Legacy Campaign. Others are using raffles, auctions and local sponsors to bring in donations. With every participant worldwide making a small contribution, the total will be very significant. And remember, all of the money donated will go to creating new clubs around the world and to training new leaders! We're asking our members to make this one-time donation so that we can quickly expand the opportunities for future Friendship Force exchanges from all our communities.

I look forward to hearing the results of your parties, and to talking with many of you on March 1-in person or through the website. Thanks to all the efforts of our leaders around the world, I know our World Friendship Day will be a great success.

In friendship,

George T. Brown, Jr.
President