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This newsletter announces the results of our nomination committee. These are the candidates selected to run in our election at our next business meeting, Sunday, October 14. Be sure to express to the newly elected officers the events you would like to have repeated. Tell them of your new ideas and where you would like to help them.This will keep our club alive and one of the best clubs in the U.S. Remember, all our business meetings are open to all members and your interest is very much appreciated.
Our outgoing exchange is back from North Carolina. Although it was warm in the mountains, a wonderful time was had by all. Our events were very educational and many new friends were made. The remaining outbound exchanges are Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 18 – September 24 and Haliburton Highlands, Ontario, Canada, September 25 – October 2. Our last inbound is still filling up for the second week in November.
This year has been very interesting. We visited several new places, found new places to eat and tried new events for exchanges such as the Bogotá joint exchange with Fort Worth. In July 2013, we will visit Jena and Gelsenkirchen in Germany with an additional bus tour. Our inbound exchange will be from Tamworth, Australia in the spring.
In Friendship,
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Ray Enstam, International Exchange Coordinator
September 18-24. Mary Williams is Exchange Director. This exchange will precede the Haliburton exchange. We have 12 ambassadors.
Our outbound exchange for 2012 is now filled and is ready to depart for Halliburton Highlands, Ontario, Canada at the end of September. That is our only international outbound for 2012. The exchange director is Paula Rose.
Inbound Northern
Colorado/Montana exchange
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Outbound exchange to 
Committee chairs are:
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2013 Exchanges
Inbound Domestic
These are both small clubs with limited hosting. See the
Germany Flyer and contact
Zia with any questions –
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Our outbound exchange for 2013 will be a two week exchange to Gelsenkirchen and Jena, Germany. Zia Shamsy is the exchange director for this exchange and he has been working diligently on this. Since there are two host clubs we will spend one week with each club. This is a return exchange since those two clubs were here in Dallas for a week in September of 2011 and many of us now have friends there. After much work Zia has come up with a schedule that suits all three clubs. The exchange will depart Dallas on July 4, 2013, and will spend the week of July 5 to 12 in Gelsenkirchen, which is in western Germany. We will then go to Jena in eastern Germany for the week of July 12 to 19. After that there will be an optional one week commercial bus tour ending on July 26. This sightseeing and cultural tour includes Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich and southern Bavaria's fairy tale castles in the mountainous area near Austria.
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Election of Officers
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September 9, 3 pm - Ethnic Savories and Sweet Sampler - in members' homes
October 14,
5 pm - Taste of the Islands
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August 2012 Small Group Dinners
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I don’t know about the rest of the recent FFD small group dinners, but we had our own Colombian dessert chef, Maria Fernanda Laverde, at our dinner (she's our exchange student from Bogota). She whipped up some cream and taught us how to spread the cream, Arequipe (caramel), preserves, and queso fresco [white cheese] all over Obleas, a Colombian dessert delicacy [they are thin large wafer cookies].
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Dallas Club News
Jim and LaNell Naughton have moved; John and Wendy Whaley have moved.
Look on your e-mail or mail for an insert to the Yearbook with all the new members and changes for the year
Shuttle Service
Remember to support our airport shuttle service. The passenger(s) make a donation to the club of $30 per ride ($40 north of Plano), helping our club. Directions are in your yearbook to request a ride or to be a driver.
The Nominations Committee consisted of Dale Klosterman, Mary Williams, Mary Latham, Raymond Enstam and Jim Naughton. They recommended the following slate of officers:
Election will be held at the October 14th meeting.
Programs and Meeting Venues
We are always on the lookout for good programs. If you have heard a good speaker or have a topic to present to club members, please contact the Program Committee - at this time Paula Rose.
We are always looking for restaurants that can seat 60-70 people for our meetings that our reasonably priced. We are also open to new venues for parties and exchange parties that can accommodate up to 100 people. If you have a home, community clubhouse or church, let Paula Rose know. paularose2000@hotmail.com
The Membership Committee met on Monday, August 27 to review new membership procedures.
Membership Renewal Time is coming!
Autumn will be here any minute, and it will be time for all of us to renew our Membership. We all want to do our part, receive notices, and remain in the Yearbook. Renewing your membership will make that happen. I’m sorry to bother you, because I know you are not one of those who forgets or delays, so this is for those other people.
We will start the Membership Renewal Drive in early November by sending you a Renewal Announcement and form. When you renew, Santa will check NICE by your name on his list.
If you know of somebody who needs some sunshine, please let Henny Houston know by email: hennyjack@att.net or by snail mail to Henny.
Newsletter
Send your news and articles to Ernie Eberle, ebebTexas@gmail.com. The newsletter is published every other month. Articles for the next issue will be due to Ernie by October 20th.
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Friendship Force International Global Expansion Plan Update
2012 marks the 35th anniversary of The Friendship Force and progress has been made on the five initiatives adopted in a three-year plan; the goal is to increase the number of ambassadors by 20% and to attract a new generation of participants. Details on the five initiatives are in the March Newsletter and on the FFI Website.
Themed exchanges create opportunities for new friendships to blossom from shared interests. For many ambassadors and hosts, the best parts of an exchange are the opportunities to discover all they have in common. Themed exchanges provide unique opportunities for Friendship Force members to come together around shared interests, such as gardening, language learning, hiking, history or the arts.
Many successful themed exchanges took place in 2011, including a performing arts exchange in Hamilton and Burlington, Canada; gardeners to Cornwall, UK; renewable energy advancements in Colorado, USA; vintage travel in New Zealand; and the history, technology and culture of the Mississippi River in the US.
FF Haliburton Highlands hosted a winter sports exchange in 2011 and again in 2012. Their guests learned the game of curling, went snowshoeing and drove a team of sled dogs.
The FF Niagara club provided bicycles and helmets and welcomed ambassadors to join them on their favorite trails. Ambassadors and hosts cycled the region together, taking in all the varied scenery including the canal, the Niagara vineyards, and the beautiful farmland and orchards.
2012 Friendship Force International Conference
Registration is still open for the 2012 World Conference in Hiroshima. Over 350 delegates will attend.
The FFD Board increased the subsidy offered our delegate to the Hiroshima Conference from $750.00 to $1,000.00 for this year ONLY due to the very high costs of lodging in Japan. Henceforth, the subsidy will again drop to $750.00. Our delegate this year will be Felicity Sentence.
Go to the World Conference website to see full details and register to attend:
Next year's world conference will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA November 22-25, 2013. The official host club will be the Friendship Force of Baton Rouge. Plans are in progress for this conference.
2014 Friendship Force International Conference
Announcing the 2014 World Conference: Auckland, New Zealand. FFI is pleased to announce that the 2014 World Conference will be held in Auckland and will be jointly hosted by the 23 Friendship Force clubs of New Zealand. Clubs are encouraged to consider requesting an exchange to New Zealand for October 2014, to coincide with the World Conference being held that month.
Congratulations to our new US Field Representatives!
Bob Duncan of FF Baton Rouge will serve the Southwest Region, including the Friendship Force clubs of Kansas, Baton Rouge, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Thanks to Joyce Rulon, who has served the Southwest Region for the past two years. We appreciate all the hard work she has put into serving the mission of the Friendship Force.
Bob says: There is a lot I need to learn, the most important of which is how I can help you and the other club Presidents the most… Regarding a SW Regional Conference in 2013, it's my hope that we can have a one day conference in New Orleans the day before the beginning of the International Conference. I would also like to come up with some specific ways to get the SW region involved in the conference as well. Any ideas, anyone? My e-mail is mardigrasbob@hotmail.com.
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Themed Exchanges – Coming Together
Hiroshima, Japan - the 35th Friendship Force world conference October 30 - November 2, 2012
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Additional
Opportunities
Explore Brazil
After exploring the city, we will begin a six night home stay with FF Belo Horizonte. Our hosts will introduce us to some of the historic local towns in the Minas Gerais state, the site of the original gold rush in Brazil. A highlight will be our visit to Ouro Preto, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its outstanding Baroque architecture.
Following our home stay in Belo Horizonte, we will continue with a six night home stay in Blumenau which is in the mountains south of Sao Paulo. Blumenau was settled by German immigrants in the 1850s, and we will be there during their famous Oktoberfest.
We will complete our tour of Brazil with a three night home stay with FF Cascavel, which is about 100 miles north of Iguazu Falls. We will enjoy getting to know the members of this club and travel to see the famous Iguazu Falls, which consist of 275 cataracts along a 1.5 mile stretch of the Iguazu River.
The cost is $2,400 per person, double occupancy. This price includes all FFI and host fees, land tours, transfers and internal airfare within Brazil. It does not include international airfare to and from Rio de Janeiro. Also note that you will have to pay a $160 Brazilian visa fee and purchase travel insurance.
We look forward to meeting you and many new friends in Brazil! Contact me for more information or to apply.
Program Highlights include:
Program price is $3,595 double occupancy and $4,020 single occupancy.
For more information or to enroll in this educational travel adventure, please call Road Scholar toll free at (800) 322-5315. Tell them you are with the Friendship Force and want to enroll in Program #20437 - Cuba Today: People and Society, scheduled for December 4, 2012.
http://www2.thefriendshipforce.org/downloads/Cuba_Invitation_Dec2012.pdf
Spend your holiday season making new friends and exploring a fascinating part of the world. Join Friendship Force members from around the world on an Enrichment Voyage through the Caribbean and Central America. You'll be traveling with like-minded "life-long learners," with many opportunities to enjoy shore excursions at 10 ports of call. You'll even pass through the Panama Canal! While at sea, enjoy hearing from expert speakers including Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Fill in the contact form to receive more information:.
For more opportunities to explore the world with the
Friendship Force, visit the World of Friends catalog. |
Join me in discovering the diverse culture and history of Brazil. We will begin our journey with a two night hotel stay in Rio de Janeiro near Copacabana beach with tours of Rio on both days. Our tour will take us to Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue which overlooks the city. We will also enjoy Brazilian barbeque at the Churrascaria Palace.
Cuba Today: People and Society. 
Voyage through the Panama Canal and the Caribbean Islands
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1,000 Paper Canes for Peace - SENBAZURU
With your help, delegates to the Friendship Force World Conference in Hiroshima can present 1,000 paper cranes at the Children's Peace Monument. Known as Senbazuru, the practice of presenting 1,000 origami cranes represents hope and peace. What a profound statement the Friendship Force could make with a crane from every club!
Can you send one crane or more by October 1?
Step 1: Paper Please use 6” x 6” (150mm) paper. Origami paper, chiyogami paper and washi can be widely found in art or stationery stores worldwide. If you cannot find these types of paper, don’t worry! You can just as easily use scrapbooking paper or normal printer paper, although it is a little thicker. Any colour or pattern is fine, but please start with a paper that is 6 inches square.
Step 2: Fold Easy-to-follow, English video instructions for folding an origami crane can be seen here. (You may want to search for a video in your own language.) Leave the crane folded flat so you can mail it in an envelope to Hiroshima.
Step 3: Write on one wing, write the name of your club and country. If you choose, you may dedicate your crane to someone, by writing their name or a prayer on the wing.
Step 4: Send Whether you make one or one hundred origami cranes, please be sure to send them to Hiroshima by October 1st so that the Hiroshima club members can string them all together in time for our presentation at the Peace Park. Send your crane to:
In November we will publish photos of the Senbazuru, one thousand cranes, and the presentation at the Peace Park on the FFI website.
We thank you for your help with this meaningful project for peace! Do you want to attend the World Conference in Hiroshima? Register today!
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The Story of the Thousand Paper Cranes
Two-year-old Sadako was blown out of the window at her home, about two miles from ground zero, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Miraculously, she survived, but ten years later she developed acute leukemia.
She had great faith in the popular Japanese belief that folding a thousand paper cranes would make her wishes come true; however she died eight months later. Sadako’s classmates completed the 1000 cranes and buried them with her.
They also began a fundraising campaign which was supported by the entire nation and erected a memorial to her and all the children who died from the effects of the atomic bomb.
Gradually Sadako’s story spread throughout the world and the paper crane became a symbol of peace and hope.
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