Paula's Roses

Dear Friendship Force of Dallas,

It has been hard to even start this Paula's Roses as it is the last one. I think the last two years have been incredible! None of the fine things that have transpired would have come to fruition without the constant and unstinting help from so many of you. I had planned to thank everyone who contributed individually in this letter and found it would take several pages of the newsletter to do so. So I will just thank you ALL! 

When edward and I looked for a group to work with, we had 3 criteria: financial stability, enough willing members to do the work required to keep the club functioning, and friendly people who would work toward a goal rather than their own agendas. I believe we have found that in FFD. I hope you will support the next President, edward, as you have supported me. I know he will have an experienced in home trainer!

I have a little gift and thank you card for each of you which I'll give at the Nov. meeting since I am not individually thanking you in this letter. You are great co-workers and FRIENDS!

In Friendship, 

Paula

For those of you who were not able to see Peggy Benton's and Ken Walker's very
personal presentation on their recent FF trip to Jordan, check out this summary
on the FFI website "All USA to Jordan" by Paul Gesalman, The Friendship Force of National Capital Area, USA."There was a link to it in the Fall 2006 Friendship Online!   http://www.friendshipforce.org/Onlinenews/fall2006/jordan.htm

A BIG FFD WELCOME to our recent new members - reaching 130 strong. Be 
sure to say hello and visit with them at an upcoming meeting:
   Ruth Barrow
   Yolanda Lackey
   Bobbie (Barbara) Boger

Guests

Also, welcome and thanks to our recent guests:
   Molina Gilchrist

   Annette Dempsey

   Rosa Maria Cortez

   Tommy & Tammy Walker, and

   Audrey Schlect

Name Badges, Yearbooks

If you have recently joined but forgot to order a name badge or if you need a
replacement name badge, please send your name and $5.50 per badge to Juli Ziev,
our Membership Co-Chair: julimdesigns@sbcglobal.net

If you need a yearbook or want the recent updates, please contact Lee Latham: hlatham@swbell.net

Inbound: Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

February 19-26, 2007

The date is now fixed for the visit by our friends from Canada. Mark it on your calendar! Gary Paramore has been elected ED of this exchange and is looking for volunteers for his committee. If you would like to work on the committee or volunteer as a home host, contact the Gary Paramore at gazzapazza@mindspring.com.

Inbound: Romania

Spring, 2007

The inbound from Romania will take place in April of 2007. The date has not yet been fixed. If you would like to work on the exchange committee or volunteer as a home host, contact the ED, Ed Edgren, at texmared@aol.com.

Outbound: Bogata, Columbia

June 4 through 11, 2007

Ray Enstam has been elected ED, and a tentative date has been set. Mark June 4
to 11, 2007 on your calendar now. An optional follow up tour after the exchange will be offered, but details are not yet available. This will be a shared exchange with our friends in the FF of Houston. If you have any questions or would like to be put on the list, contact the ED, Ray Enstam, at Enstam@sbcglobal.net.

Ray Enstam recently received an update from Cuqui Ardila, the Bogota Exchange
Director. She wrote that she thinks they can host up to 40 ambassadors between
FF Dallas and FF Houston. She also suggested ideas for the 2nd week [not a home
stay] - Cartagena [approx. $300 for air, hotels, meals], the Amazon or the Columbia coffee belt.

Cuqui also wrote that she and Cesar [her husband] were instrumental in founding the FF of Bogota, 24 years ago, since they got married. It's a "very active club", traveling once or twice at year and hosting two to four groups at year. They recently hosted FF of Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Cuqui said that Bogota is an old city, dating from 1536, but well preserved with 42 museums. It is located at ~8,500 feet above sea level on the Andes Mountains. Like many capitals, it is large - 8 million people [the country's size is slightly less than twice the size of Texas]. The weather is wonderful, like spring time all year around. Colombian people are very happy people. Their  members are relatively young, most still work, some employees and some have own business.

Inbound: Lima & Taropoto, Peru

September or October, 2007 

Friendship Force International has now confirmed that we have an inbound from Lima and Tarapoto, Peru with a suggested date of September, 2007. The visitors will spend a week in Altotonga, Mexico before coming to Dallas. An Exchange Director has not yet been appointed. This is an opportunity for someone who would like to be the ED for this exchange. If you would like to volunteer for this ED post, or nominate someone, contact the International Exchange Coordinator, Ray Enstam, at enstam@sbcglobal.net.

Board Meetings

Board meetings are held at 7 p.m. on 2nd Monday of each month at the home of Paula Rose and edward perez. These meetings are open to any member or friend who wishes to attend.

For a copy of past board meeting minutes, contact Lillian Fipps.

For information about our financial condition, contact Wendy Whaley or any board member.

Newsletter Deadline

We publish our newsletter bi-monthly. Please send all articles, news items, photos, etc. to Dale Klosterman by December 20th for the next newsletter issue (via email) to daleKlosterman@sbcglobal.net, the incoming newsletter editor.

Committees

If you know of any FFD member or friend who could use some Sunshine, contact
Susan Cooper.
If you know of a group who would like to know about FFD, contact Jim Bourn.
If you would like to volunteer for any committee or project, contact any board
member.

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2006 Friendship Force of Dallas, Texas Board

Officers
President: Paula Rose 

1st Vice President: Martha Durst
2nd VP, Membership: Herb & Juli Ziev 

Program Coordinator: Ray Enstam
Treasurer: Wendy Whaley 

Secretary: Lillian Fipps

Administrative
Parliamentarian: edward perez 

Ways and Means: Mary Suther

Exchanges
Exchange Coordinator: Ray Enstam 

Exchange Treasurer: Ana Marie Lee
Zagreb Croatia Outbound: Mary Williams 

Fortaleza Brazil Inbound: Gary Paramore

Medicine Hat Inbound: Gary Paramore

Romania Inbound: Ed Edgren

Lima Peru Inbound: TBA

Communications
Newsletter: edward perez 

Publicity/Communications: Myrna/Dick Ridings
Website/Yearbook: Mary Williams 

Telephones: John Funk
Speakers Bureau: Jim Bourn

Outreach
Bridge Builders: Bob Langford/Ed Edgren 

Hospitality: Joan Nolan; Klostermans; BeHanneseys; Langfords; Wrights
Prospects/Member Packets: Lee Latham 

Sunshine: Susan Cooper

FF of Dallas History
Historian/Photo Album/Scrapbook: Mary Suther

You will learn the following:

Class Schedule Details:

This class normally costs $265 for tuition ands $50 for materials. However, Gary is offering it to FFD members for a donation of $100 to the Friendship Force of Dallas. Only four seats are available at this price.

Contact Gary Paramore at gazzaPazza@mindspring.com.

The next Southwest Regional Conference is in San Antonio at the Radisson Market Square Hotel - 502 W. Durango Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78207 (210-224-7155). This is a great opportunity to meet people from other clubs in our region (10 clubs), hear some good speakers, participate in informative workshops, eat, and sight-see. We will have some carpools going. Click here for a conference Registration form.

Note: If you cannot access the FFSA website (below) or download the form from our website, contact edward perez or Paula Rose to obtain a copy of the registration form.

For further information please contact the registrar, Hayden Stewart, at e-mail: haydendonna@sbcglobal.net. We received this letter:

Dear Club Presidents:

We are excited about hosting the 2007 Southwest Regional Conference in San Antonio on January 26-27. The theme of the conference is Friendship, Deep in the Heart of Texas, and we hope you find this a reality by the time you leave our city.

We are busy making plans for the conference and building a schedule of events that will be informative and entertaining. Harold Tschirhart has contacted each of you concerning members of your clubs to serve on panels for the various panel discussions that will take place. We hope that your club will participate as we feel it is important to have input from each of your clubs to make this a truly diversified sharing of ideas.

The registration form will also be on the San Antonio Friendship Force website:
http://friendshipforcesa.org

We look forward to seeing all of you in January.

In Friendship,
Donna Stewart

Update:

The San Antonio club has decided to extend an invitation for a home stay for Sunday night for those who might be interested in seeing more of San Antonio. This would be for one night only and limited to the first 12 families that apply as we have limited homes for this homestay. Any activities will be Dutch treat on Sunday but transportation will be provided on Sunday. Please send your request to  haydenDonna@sbcglobal.net and give us your name, phone number, email address and specify whether you are a single or a couple.

What: Join friends from all over the world to remember, unite, and build a world of friends. 

When: February 28th through March 3, 2007 

Where: Atlanta City Tours. Conference Hotel, Sheraton at Colony 
Square, Downtown Atlanta ($129/night, double occupancy, tax not included March 1st 

Leadership Development Seminar ($25) 
March 1st 30th Anniversary Gala Event ($150)
March 2nd-3rd 2007 International Conference ($140)
March 3rd Depart from Atlanta - 7th 

Homestays in the Southeast ($160): Georgia, Tennessee, North & South Carolina, and Alabama

Registration begins October 1st, 2006. Register online or download registration
form at http://www.friendshipForce.org

Update: We are planning a new format for the conference workshops and some inspiring guest speakers. The gala event is at the new Georgia Aquarium and the beluga whale’s aquarium is the backdrop of the ballroom.

Another exciting piece to the 30th Anniversary is the silent and online auction. The theme is “Discover the World’ and all of the items in the auction will be travel related. There is one item that we would like club members to consider donating: vacation home donations. Many members have cabins up in the mountains or condos on the beach. If you or someone you know would be willing to donate a week of time in your vacation home or if you have questions regarding the auction, please contact Marilyn Darmody (she is the former club President of The Friendship Force of Greater Atlanta and part of the silent auction committee). We need to hear from you by December 22, 2006, if you can contribute. All proceeds will go to the Legacy Campaign and the 
donation is tax deductible.

You can contact Marilyn Darmody at dublindarm@bellsouth.net.

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FFI Policy

A few years ago, the FFI board voted to reduce club affiliation fees from $10 per individual member and $15 for family member to $6 and $10, respectively. In 2006, they raised the fees members pay when going on an outbound exchange [more for international members than for USA members]. To several on the FFD Board, this seems counterproductive to encouraging more international exchanges and more exchanges to the USA. Thus, the board has approved a letter to the FFI Board expressing our concern and suggestions. If you'd like a copy, contact Edward Perez, 2007 FFD President.

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Fall 2006, Friendship On-Line

Did you get a copy of Friendship On-Line recently in your e-mail? It's mailed to all who have provided an email address that we passed along to FFI. Here's an excerpt from the email:

Welcome to the second issue of Friendship On-Line!

Friendship Force International's publication, Friendship, is now in its 25th year of publication and will continue to be produced six times a year and mailed to subscribers for $10 US per year. But now with the introduction of Friendship On-Line, our members around the world have an alternative way of receiving news from FFI via the global information highway...the Internet! 

Here's how it works: Friendship On-Line is produced three times a year and is automatically sent to everyone on our master email list. It contains some (but not all) of the articles and information in the printed version of Friendship. The e-mail will have a table of contents, summaries of each article, and a link to the entire article, including photos.

Spread the word. A great way to get others interested in Friendship Force activities is to send them a copy of Friendship On-Line. You can do this by clicking on Forward-to-a-Friend (in the email). Or, they can send their contact information to Linda Ector at lector@friendshipforce.org.

Let us hear from you. One of the great features of an online newsletter is that it will be easy for you to respond. Email Lauren Tepley at lector@friendshipforce.org with article ideas, comments, or if you experience technical difficulties.

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World Friendship Day 2006: Welcome to Our World

Throughout February and March, Friendship Force clubs around the world participated in the second annual World Friendship Day Celebration. The theme for the 2006 celebration was "Welcome to Our World," which was meant to drive clubs to go out into their communities and introduce local community members to Friendship Force, as well as to welcome new clubs around the world to Friendship Force's global network. To unite clubs in their efforts, an online web log was created http://www.worldfriendshipday2006.blogspot.com where clubs posted photographs and descriptions of their celebrations. The following webpage list excerpts from a few of their celebrations http://www.friendshipforce.org/onlinenews/fall2006/wfd2006.htm.

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Leadership Survey

Dear Friendship Force Member,

Friendship Force International is interested in identifying leaders for both regional and national leadership positions. There are many rewarding leadership positions within the Friendship Force Network, including National Exchange Directors, Regional Field Representatives, Board Members, Bridge-building Exchange directors, World Exchange Recruiters and many more. 

We are looking for people with leadership experience or people who are interested in being trained to become Friendship Force leaders. If you would like to find out more, please begin by completing this questionnaire. We will take the information and create a leadership database for recruitment purposes. We are sending the survey to all US club members. Please forward the following link http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zqi?p=WEB22598SSRELC to your club members who you think would also be interested in being considered for leadership positions within the Friendship Force network. In addition to FF members who can serve in leadership positions, we would also be interested in leaders in your community who may not have past FF experience but who have the leadership and international experience to make excellent FF leaders. Feel free to send the questionnaire to them as well.

If you have any technical questions about the survey please email Lauren Tepley at itepley@friendshipforce.org, or if you have questions regarding Friendship Force Leadership please email Laurie Ann Scott at lalpscott@aol.com.

Thank you for your interest. 
Friendship Force International Development Team

For a complete listing of upcoming Friendship Force exchanges, visit http://ffido.friendshipforce.org/test/exchange/tabletest/exchange.asp. If you would like to be added to FFI's mailing list to receive monthly exchange updates, please send your name, postal address, and email address to ffi@friendshipforce.org.

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FFD 2007 Membership Renewals

Brud & Ann Kisner and Edward Perez will be sending out a 2006 retrospective and
2007 Membership Renewal forms. Look for yours in the mail. Please review and
renew by early January as we will need to send our membership list and affiliation dues to FFI by the end of January.

FF Southwest 2007 Regional Conference

Donna Stewart, the SA Conference Coordinator, sent a reminder to clubs about
the FF Southwest conference to be held Fri - Sat January 26-27, 2007:

1. The early registration fee of $75 is due by December 30. If you register after that date, the registration fee will be $85.

2. If you plan on staying at the Radisson Hotel (conference site), make your reservations with the hotel by December 27! There are only 20 rooms blocked out at the special "Friendship Force Regional Conference" rate - $89.00 + tax; king or double, up to 4 per room. If you reserve after that date, normal room rates run from $92 - $119 (according to their website http://www.radisson.com).

3. The San Antonio club has decided to extend an invitation for a home stay for Sunday night for those who might be interested in seeing more of San Antonio. This would be for one night only and limited to the first 12 families that apply as we have limited homes for this homestay. Any activities will be Dutch treat on Sunday but transportation will be provided on Sunday. Please send your request to  haydenDonna@sbcglobal.net and give us your name, phone number, email address and specify whether you are a single or a couple.

You can get a copy of the conference registration from their webpage http://friendshipforcesa.org/SWConf.aspx or our wepage:  Registration form.

If you cannot open the PDF file, contact edward perez for a printed copy. 

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FF International 2007 Conference

Lauren Tepley, Communications Coordinator for FFI, sent the following note about the Intl conf and 30th anniversary:

Happy Holidays! We are quickly approaching Friendship Force’s 30th Anniversary
and I hope you are planning on attending. If you have not registered, please do so today at http://www.friendshipforce.org/atlanta2007.htm. It is going to be a fantastic event and conference. We are planning a new format for the conference workshops and some inspiring guest speakers. The gala event is at the new Georgia Aquarium and the beluga whale’s aquarium is the backdrop of the ballroom.

Another exciting piece to the 30th Anniversary is the silent and online auction. The theme is “Discover the World’ and all of the items in the auction will be travel related. There is one item that we would like club members to consider donating: vacation home donations. Many members have cabins up in the mountains or condos on the beach. If you or someone you know would be willing to donate a week of time in your vacation home or if you have questions regarding the auction, please contact Marilyn Darmody (she is the former club President of The Friendship Force of Greater Atlanta and part of the silent auction committee). We need to hear from you by December 22, 2006, if you can contribute. All proceeds will go to the Legacy Campaign and the 
donation is tax deductible.

You can contact Marilyn Darmody at dublindarm@bellsouth.net.