Quick Look!

In early June, seven FFD members departed for a two-week exchange to Germany and Belgium. Here are some reflections from Marilyn Wilson-Allen and Pat Peters.

Marilyn Wilson-Allen 

I have returned from my trip to Europe. It was such a great trip and I had so much fun. I flew into Frankford, Germany and then took a train to Amsterdam, Holland to spend a few days of touring on my own. It is a beautiful city and very romantic with all the small canals. I stayed in a hotel right near one of the canals and toured all the museums I could cram into two days. Then I took a train ride to Hamburg, Germany. I revisited a friend there (Marina) whom I met in 1995 when she came to Dallas with the Kiel club for the Dallas Friendship Force's first exchange. She and I had a great time together.

On June 1, the group of 13 FFD Dallas and Fort Worth members met and traveled together to our first town of the Exchange. Our host city was Kiel, Germany (which is in the North of Germany on a big harbor of the Baltic Sea). We all had such a great time here as we were wined and dined so graciously. Each day, we took a day trip to see an area around Kiel. There is so much history to learn and it was so interesting hearing it from our hosts and guides.

One night, there was a big party planned in the next city and we went. I was pleasantly pleased to have four members of the Varel, Germany Friendship Force Club come to visit us. It was such fun to get to see old friends and catch up on all that is going on in their lives.

After a great week, the group boarded a train for Belgium. After many hours and three train changes we finally arrived in the small town in South Flanders, Belgium where our host families were waiting for us. They planned day trips each day, leaving the city at 9:30 a.m. by train to different locations. They have a wonderful train system and we were able to see a lot of Belgium. We saw small towns, bought Belgium chocolate, bought Belgium lace and ate a lot of great food.

The Belgium hosts were always filling up our wine glasses and putting great food in front of us and, oh yes, the Belgium chocolate was always the last course. This was a wonderful time for me and I will always remember my great host families and all the new friends that I have made. 

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Pat Peters 

All of us have a favorite place to visit. Mine has always been Europe. Therefore, when the exchange to Germany/Belgium was announced last year, I signed up immediately. When I flew to Hamburg on June 1, I was extremely excited but a bit apprehensive, as this was my first exchange with FFD.

My fears were allayed as soon as our bus arrived at the Central Bus Station in Kiel. We were greeted by our German hosts who swept us away to their homes. Each morning, we all met together and were taken by our hosts to different locations. On June 2, for example, we met at the City Hall for a reception and then cruised down the canal to the nearby beach resort of Laboe. The next day, we loaded into vans and drove to the West Coast towns of Husum, Nordstrand, Friedrichstadt, and Rendsburg. We caught a train the next day for Lubeck. For a special treat, we visited another FF club in Norderstedt whose members were celebrating their 20th anniversary. They had invited members of several local clubs and entertained us with a history of their club and a hilarious skit, “Dinner for One.” Our final visit was to an outdoor museum (a restored German village). That night, we were treated to a farewell dinner where a men's chorus serenaded us.

We encountered our first hot weather on the long train ride from Kiel to Oudenaarde. But all was forgiven at the fabulous welcome party, held at an old farm. Each morning, we met together and rode the train into beautiful, historic cities, such as Ghent, Brussels, Bruges, and Antwerp. We visited museums, churches, government buildings, town halls, lace and chocolate shops, diamond centers, and Liefman’s Brewery; we ate tasty Belgian dishes in decorative restaurants and saw the sights from low-slung canal boats and tour buses. The farewell party was held outside in a lovely garden.

I have never visited a country before where I came to know the people, their history and culture in such depth. All of us exchanged information and ideas about our countries and ourselves; we even discussed (heaven forbid!) politics and religion. My first exchange was a rewarding experience, and I plan to sign up for another trip, even if it’s not destined for Europe.  

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Jim’s Jewels

On the afternoon of 1 June, 13 Friendship Force members met in Hamburg, Germany. Present from the Dallas club were Ava Rowe and myself, Nancy and Al Hicks, Pat Peters, Lilliana Hollister, Marilyn Wilson-Allen [actually now living in S. Texas]. From the Fort Worth club were Dale and Wilma Jeffers, Eddie and Norma Hendrick, Bob Urban, and Stella Norman. We caught a bus with about 5 minutes to spare and proceeded to Kiel, Germany, about an hour away.

All too soon, it was time to catch the train to Belgium. Tom Tolar from Scottsdale joined us in Kiel. So with the group at 14 strong with 28 bags and 4 minutes between trains, the station changes became "all hands on deck". Flanders FF in Oudenaarde, Belgium met us with a welcome feast at a local Villa. They also had day trips to the Venice of the north, Bruges and toured Antwerp (where some bought diamonds), saw museums with the Rubens both in churches and museums. We spent one day on the ramparts of the WWI battle lines and museum. The poppies were in many fields.

Congratulations to the proposed slate of officers. With strong leadership, the club will be in good hands. At the August meeting, we'll accept nominations from the floor, have a short but required business meetings, and then the election. As it is a desert and ice cream social, we'll start at 7 PM to miss some of the heat. If you'd care to bring surprise home baked items, please do! For those interested, I will show pictures and video of the Germany/Belgium trip.

We have a busy fall lined up! 

Finally, thanks to all those who joined forces and covered several tasks that arose while I was gone. Brud Kisner handled a big item in collecting and sending the info and a letter to FFI recommending Darwin Smith to the FFI board. Paula and Mary arranged parties and dinners. All were well done. See you at the party next month.

In Friendship,

Jim

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August Meeting  

This is our election of officers and business meeting. Plan to attend the meeting to ensure a quorum!

Date/ Time – Sunday August 8, 7 PM

Program – Ice Cream Social, nominations, business meeting, election of officers for 2005

Food – (ice cream and other desserts; no meal will be served)

Place – Jim Bourn's house

Cost – $3, payable at the door

Reserve – Please reserve by Aug 5 to Paula Rose - paularose2000@hotmail.com or Edward Perez - erperez@acm.org

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September Meeting

Date/ Time – Sunday, September 12, 5 PM

Program – England, planning for inbound exchange from England in October

Place – Fox and Hounds English Pub & Grille, 10051 Whitehurst, Dallas 75243.

SW of LBJ & Skillman. Take Skillman exit and head south. Enter shopping center just past the Denny's on right/west side of the street, head to back of center; it's next door to the Trains & Toys store. Or go to the 1^st traffic light, take a right and enter center near Trains & Toys. (See map below.)

Food – Order from the menu and pay for your own meal

Pub food like fish and chips $7.49, chicken wings $6.99, burger basket (also veggie burger) $6.99, salads w/ chicken $7.95, other similar entrees & appetizers [think Friday's or Bennigan's]. Tea, sodas, wine and LOTS of domestic, import & draft beer available (you'll need a Unicard or driver's license)

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Upcoming FFD Exchange

Inbound: Cleveland County, England October 9-16, 2004 

Plans are now firm for our only inbound International Exchange for the year! We have a group of 12 ambassadors scheduled from Cleveland County, England for the week of October 9 to 16, 2004. Please mark the following dates on your calendar so we can have a big turnout to welcome our new friends. All FFD members are welcome and urged to attend all of these events.

If you have any questions, contact Raymond A. Enstam, Exchange Director - enstam@sbcglobal.net - or Susan Cooper -  copertuz@flashnet. Susan is daily event coordinator and “go to” person for questions and reservations during the exchange.  

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Club News  

Nominating Committee  

The Nominating Committee,  composed of Brud Kisner, chair, Susan Cooper, Betty Mayeur, Edward Perez and Paula Rose nominated the following members for FFD's officers for 2005. Nominations will also be accepted at the August meeting [see your By-Laws for requirements]. If you cannot attend, please send a proxy vote to Jim Bourn at airbourn@comcast.net].

·        President: Paula Rose

·        1^st Vice President: Mary Suther

·        2^nd Vice President (Membership): Herb and Juli Ziev

·        3^rd Vice President (Programs): Mary Latham

·        Treasurer: Susan Cooper

·        Secretary: Betty Mayeur and Pat Peters

Board Meetings

There will not be a board meeting in August. The next meeting will be Sept 13. The FFD Board meets the 2^nd Monday of each month [with some exceptions] at 7 pm in the Richardson YMCA, 821 Custer Road in Richardson, just south of Arapaho. If you are a Board member or Committee chair, please plan to attend. This is where we conduct the business of the club; you are needed so we have a quorum and your input. These meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Newsletter Deadline  

We publish our newsletter bi-monthly. Please send all articles, news items, photos, etc. to Edward Perez (by email to erperez@acm.org or by fax to 214-553-4547) by the 20th of September and 20^th of November for the next newsletter issues.

Committees

If you know of any FFD member or friend who could use some "sunshine", contact Mary Helen Lyons, MHLTX@mymailstation.com.

If you know of a group who would like to know about FFD, contact Jim Bourn.

If you would like to volunteer for any of the committees, contact Brud Kisner or any of the officers. bkisner@sbcglobal.net 

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Member News

Introduce yourself at future meetings. Contact the webmaster for addresses and phone numbers and add these people to your yearbook.

·        Barbara Jones  

·        Kevin Mounger 

·        Lee Renee 

Member Updates 

·        Susan A. Kane – new e-mail
      saKane1500@msn.com

·        LaNell Koch – new email
LaNell726@comcast.net

·        Juli & Herb Ziev – new address & phone (Contact the webmaster)

Sunshine Notes

Opal Cooper, mother of Susan Cooper, is in the hospital recovering from major surgery. Opal was our first telephone committee for Friendship Force of Dallas for several years. Cards can be sent to Susan Cooper.

Our condolences and thoughts go to the family and friends of FF members who have passed away recently.

Howard Bradley, adopted Father and Grandfather to Myrna Ridings and family, died after emergency colon surgery in Honolulu. He had just completed a week's visit in Hawaii and was on the plane with Myrna set to come home. See the June Newsletter for more about Howard.

Wayne Smith, founder of FFI, passed away June 16.  See the FFI section for several  articles about Wayne.

Lilo DePlanque, wife of Herman DePlanque and a member of the Kiel FF club who visited Dallas in our first inbound exchange, passed away in April 14.  

FFD’ers Abroad – Mediterranean Spain  

Mary Williams recently traveled to Mediterranean Spain.  Read about her experiences in her article. If you have a story to tell about any of your recent trips abroad, share them with us - send to erperez@acm.org.  For more articles, see the Articles section.

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News from FFI

Visit the Exchanges page on FFI's website and FFD's website for info on more exchanges. To join another club's exchange, contact the Exchange Director (ED) from that club as soon as possible. You are invited to join these clubs for their events:

·        Des Moines, IA Sep 20 for five days. The Austin FF club is looking for folks to travel with them to Des Moines. Home hosted, visit the Bridges of Madison County, State Capitol, working farm and the Hoover Presidential Library. Contact Martha Schumacher - Martas773@aol.com - as soon as you can.

·        Baton Rouge, LA 20th anniversary Saturday, Aug 26. The Houston FF club is organizing a trip to Baton Rogue to celebrate BR's 20^th anniversary. The cost of this trip will be transportation and a minimal fee for entertainment purposes. Contact Edward Perez for more information or see Other Club Exchanges, Inter-Club Visits.

Ready to go somewhere? Investigate some great opportunities to participate in festivals (does Charleston SC or Malta appeal to you???) , volunteer projects or national and club exchanges. See Other Club Exchanges.

UPDATE: You may still register to go to the International Convention in Los Angeles - November 4-7. The final deadline for registration is September 13! If you haven't yet registered, please do so soon. 

The LA Conference committee, led by Nancy Arnheim [who was in Dallas for the 2002 International Conference!], has done a great job of preparing to make this a memorable event. This year's conference events include: A "California Casual" opening reception and banquet; twelve different workshop topics to benefit your membership, your exchange experiences and your relationships with those you encounter through the Friendship Force; your choice of three optional tours in the city and in Hollywood/ Beverly Hills; speeches from a space architect, an expert on California's gold, and our own FFI President George Brown; the glamorous "Be A Star" gala dinner and dancing event; award presentations for significant volunteer achievement and our conference's friendliest delegate; not to mention a fabulous four-day fiesta where you will be reunited with old friends and make new ones from around the world! We look forward to seeing you there. 

Get an application form online at: www.friendshipforce.org/Events/LAConference.html 

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You can read each issue of the Leadership Forum (email newsletter from George Brown, FFI President) in the FFI section.

FFI Atlanta Reorganization: FFI has restructured the Program Services Department, which provides our basic exchange and club support services to the clubs. Debbie Powell and Kathy Thomas, two experienced FFI staff, have been promoted to "Managers of Program Services".

Fall FFI Board Meeting: The FFI Board of Trustees fall meeting will be held in Atlanta on Sep 27 and 28, 2004. An important item on the agenda will be election of trustees and officers for 2005.  

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