Quick Look!

B_idge B_ilder & FFI Auction Fun, Tues March 1  

Ed Edgren, Auction Coordinator

What’s missing? U R if we don’t see you there. This is our silent and live auction to celebrate “World Friendship Day” and to assist Friendship Force International in their goal of raising funds for the “Building on a Great Legacy” campaign (see article on page 5). Our task, which the board has accepted, is to raise in excess of $4000. $1500 will be dedicated for the FFI campaign and the remaining proceeds to help our club expand our unique Bridge Builder efforts to provide used computers to schools for the visually impaired outside the USA.

Our last auction in 2000 raised nearly $4500 from over 70 donated items. Your mission, should you accept it, is to think of what you can contribute for the auction NOW. Should you refuse, as in the old TV series Mission Impossible, this letter will self-destruct in 10 seconds.

Here are some of the items that were auctioned off 5 years ago:

Paula’s Roses 

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were and are filled with health, peace and love! I’m looking forward to 2005, especially to working with a great group of elected and appointed officers (see list on page 6). Some fine programs and activities are coming soon!

To begin, the January 9^th program on Peru arranged by Ray Enstam, Joan Nolan and Mary Latham sounds really interesting (see Meetings). While enjoying some Peruvian food, we will hear Teresa Ocampo, the “Julia Child” of Peru, talk about the food and culture of her native country. Don’t forget to bring your membership form and dues to this meeting or to mail it to Juli & Herb Ziev (see Membership Renewal).

I hope several of our members plan to join Edward and me at the Friendship Force Southwest Region Conference in Ft. Worth, Feb 11^th – 12^th  (see Southwest Conference). Our FFD business meeting and Carnival celebration on the next day Feb. 13^th will be lots of fun!

FFI has designated March 1^st as “World Friendship Day”. The objective of the event is to honor the legacy of FF founder, Wayne Smith (who passed away in 2004) and to raise funds for the “Building on a Great Legacy”. Starting at 6 pm in New Zealand, FF clubs around the world will celebrate in their own way and share their experiences via the Internet (see map with Meetings). Our participation will be in the form of a fundraiser and auction led by Ed Edgren. I hope every member of FFD will participate in some way in this endeavor as we have three really great purposes for the funds we will raise.

Please carefully check Ed’s article on the auction and contact him ASAP with your contribution information.

Thanks to all of you who are helping to make 2005 a banner year for Friendship Force of Dallas!

In Friendship, 

Paula Rose

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Meetings 

January 9^th – Sunday

At the Gran Machu Picchu Restaurant - 11255 Garland Road, Suite 800 - in the White Rock Marketplace Center, NW corner of Jupiter and Garland Roads.

Our guest speaker will be Teresa Ocampo. Teresa is the “Julia Child” of Peru, having hosted TV cooking programs for 30+ years. She will talk about Peruvian food & culture. 

Please select the meal you would like from these choices (price includes tax and tip but no drink; many drinks available):

1. Papa a la Huancaina, (potatoes & cream sauce)            _____ at $9  

2. Chupe de Camarones (shrimp soup)                                _____ at $12

3. Aji de Gallina (spiced shredded chicken)                          _____ at $9

4. Lomito Saltado (beef and vegetables)                               _____ at $10

Send your reservation by Jan 3^rd to Susan Cooper - copertuz@flash.net.  

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February 13^th – Sunday - Carnaval theme!

Our February meeting will celebrate Carnaval at a local Brazilian restaurant. We’ll also hold our first 2005 quarterly business meeting. This fun meeting will at Brazil Brasileiro, 518 W. Arapaho Road (northwest corner of Arapaho and Custer) in Richardson at 5:00-7:00 pm. Those who want to come in costume are invited to do so. We will choose a king and queen of our Carnaval, etc. There will be a short business meeting and then a party.

1. Feijoada-Brazilian National Dish-black beans cooked with cured pork loin, sausage, bacon and ham. Served with rice, farofa, collard greens and fried banana--$12.00

2. Chicken with four cheeses sauce. Served with rice and potato sticks--$12.00.

3. Breaded eggplant with tomato sauce and cheese. Served with rice--$9.00 

Drinks are not included in the price; everyone may purchase their beverage of choice. The restaurant offers a variety of fruit juices including passion fruit and guava for $1.00 a bottle (small). Also it serves a Brazilian soft drink, Guarana, for $1.00, as well as tea, coffee and Brazilian coffee for $1.00.

The restaurant is usually closed on Sunday but will open just for us. We need to let them know by January 31 how many we will have in advance so there will be adequate staff and food. Please respond as soon as possible, due to these circumstances.

The restaurant also has a small shop with Brazilian delights and the shop will be open during the meeting. 

Please send a check for your dinner/s to Susan Cooper. Contact her at copertuz@flash.net with questions or if you do not know her address.

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March 1^st – Tuesday

As mentioned in previous articles, Tuesday, March 1 is “World Friendship Day.” FF Dallas will join hands and hearts with our friends around the world for a global celebration. The party begins in New Zealand and continues around the world through each time zone for 24 hours of celebrations. Our party begins at 7 pm Tuesday with a service auction and dinner at King of Glory Lutheran Church (members and invited friends only; see Ed’s article for details). March 1 is not our usual meeting date, so mark your calendars now.  

UPDATE:

Event: Celebration of World Friendship Day with auction to assist Friendship Force International in raising funds for the “Building on a Great Legacy” and Bridgebuilders campaigns (see articles in this newsletter our December newsletter).

Place: King of Glory Lutheran Church - located on the North side of LBJ between Hillcrest and Preston Rd; accessed off Hillcrest exit going east on LBJ or off the Preston Road exit going west on LBJ.  Enter at the West end of end of the property and park in the Northeast corner of the lot behind the church. We will be using the large activity center behind the church.

Cost: $11/person 

Reserve: Reservations are a must. NO WALK INS! NO PAYMENT AT THE DOOR! Susan Cooper needs to have your form and check by February 25. 

Auction: Ed Edgren is accepting your donations for the auction: texmared@aol.com.

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Remainder of 2005  

UPDATE: 

Back by popular demand - the April 10th meeting will be at NewNew Buffet, 3822 Belt Line Road, Addison. Everyone will pay on his/her own for dinner. Report of Peru outbound

May 16 - note change in date due to Mother's Day on regular meeting date
Program and location TBD

June 12 - Business meeting and spring picnic
Location to TBD

July - Dinner for 8 or 10-in home dinners

August 14, 5 pm - at Konstantin's Restaurant, 15404 Midway (N. of Beltline, S. of Trinity Mills - west side across from Addison Airport); Romanian buffet with meatballs, chicken, pasta, etc. $12 includes tip, but no drinks. No wine, but you can bring your own bottle. Speaker will be Thomas Mann who will speak on the Richland College Multicultural Center programs. Please reserve to Susan Cooper by August 10: copertuz@flash.net.

September 11 - Preparation for Japanese Inbound
Location TBD

October 2 (?) - Japanese farewell dinner; other Inbound parties and dinners
Locations TBD

November 13 - Program and location TBD

December 11 - Winter Gala
Location TBD

If you have ideas for future events and programs, contact Mary Latham, V.P. in charge of programs - mjmcl04@yahoo.com.

Past Meeting: 10th Anniversary Celebration

We recently received this note from Ginny Bryant (Fort Worth) regarding our 10^th Anniversary Celebration. -ep

“The celebration was wonderful! Excellent food in a nice setting, good visiting, and fine program.  Thanks for the special invitation and the charter member certificate, as well as the kind words. We especially were appreciative of all that Paula and Jim Bourn did --- and many others, I am sure.”

Virginia Bryant, Friendship Force of Fort Worth

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   Club News  

    2005 Membership Dues 

January 10, 2005 is approaching! Do you know what is memorable about that date?

Please send a completed membership form (please note any changes in your mailing address, phone number and/or email address) and dues ($40.00/person or $45.00/household; subtract $15 if you don’t want the FFI magazine) to Juli & Herb Ziev. We will also be accepting dues at the January 9^th meeting. If you did not receive a form in the mail, please request one from Juli and Herb: hziev@sbcglobal.net.

FFI is requesting that all clubs send membership dues & magazine subscription fees by Feb 1, 2005.

Introduce yourself at future meetings to these new members. And greet visitors and guests!!

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We’re going electronic! 

Edward Perez, Editor

In 2004, FFD spent over $1000 on printing & postage (approx 12% of total expenses).  Since all but 12 FD members have an email address, the board has approved a move to electronic distribution of this newsletter (opportunities for more photos, longer and more articles, …).  This should greatly reduce our printing expenses.  

After all 2005 membership renewals are in, I’ll work with Juli & Herb Ziev (membership co-chairs), Lee Latham (Info packets) and others to update the group e-mail list we have on our Yahoo account (thanks to Ray Enstam).  Then, I’ll send out an e-mail confirming your address and giving you a chance to opt-out of e-mail delivery.  The e-delivered newsletter will be in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, which you can view/print with free software (I’ll send instructions in the e-mail).  

I’ll still print paper newsletters for distribution at our meetings and for Lee to mail out.  I’ll also begin e-mailing the newsletter to other FF clubs in the Southwest Region as well as to our coordinator at FFI.

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Board Meetings

The next meeting will be Feb 15th. All Board Officers and Committee Chairs - please plan to attend so we will have a quorum for any decision-making.

The FFD Board usually meets the 2^nd Monday of each month at the clubhouse at Marilyn McRae’s apt building. These meetings are open to any member or friend who wishes to attend. Call Marilyn or any board member for directions.

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Newsletter

We publish our newsletter bi-monthly. Please send all articles, news items, photos, etc. to Edward Perez by Feb. 20^th for the next newsletter issue. Send via e-mail to erperez@acm.org.

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Committees

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Officers

Elected Officers:

President  - Paula Rose

1st Vice President - Mary Suther

2nd Vice President/Membership -  Herb & Juli Ziev

3rd Vice President/Programs - Mary Latham

Secretary - Pat Peters/Betty Mayeur

Treasurer - Susan Cooper

Appointed Committee Chairs:

Parliamentarian - Mary Williams

Ways and Means - Ed Edgren

Newsletter - Edward Perez

Publicity/Communications - Myrna/Dick Ridings

Speakers Bureau Coordinator - Jim Bourn

Telephone - John Funk

Website / Yearbook - Mary Williams

Exchange Coordinator - Ray Enstam

Exchange Treasurer - Ana Marie Lee

La Liberdad Trujillo Peru outbound exchange - Ray Enstam

Tottori Japan inbound  exchange - Jim Bourn

Bridge Builders -  Bob Langford/Ed Edgren

Hospitality  - Waldrons, BeHanneseys, Fipps/Anker, Whaleys

Prospects/Member Packets -  Lee Latham

Sunshine - Mary-Helen Lyons, Jean Beler

Historian/Photo Album/Scrapbook  - Marilyn McRae

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Summary of Club Events for 2004

See Summary of Club 

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Bridge Builders – PCs to Romania

The Bridge Builders, through Bob Langford, shipped the six computers that were authorized by the FFD Board to the Bucharest, Romania school and Bob received confirmation of receipt.  There are no additional computers planned at this time for Romania until I have had the opportunity to confirm their use at the school.  They have a need for a total of 24 computers to provide at least one computer in each classroom plus the existing 12 PCs in their training room.

In addition, last October I visited the Texas School for the Visually Impaired in Austin, Texas.  They cooperated in providing me with nearly 20 pounds of training brochures on curriculum as requested by the Bucharest school, which were airmailed and received by the school in November.

Dr. Langford has requested and I have agreed to provide speeches to local civic clubs (such as Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions) to explain our Bridge Builder program and request assistance in shipping additional computers where justified throughout the world.

Southwest Conference  

Dear Friendship Force Members and Friends,

We invite you to make plans now to attend the 2005 Southwest Regional Conference - Fri. & Sat., February 11 & 12, 2005 at the Clarion Hotel, in the heart of downtown Fort Worth - 600 Commerce, 76102.

The theme is “Extending Our Reach”. The Fort Worth club is preparing a very special program for you. Debbie Powell, FFI Program Services Coordinator for SW Region, will join us Friday night and Saturday. She will update us on what’s happening at FFI and will answer questions submitted in advance by our clubs. Our Keynote speaker is Anne Marie Weiss-Armush, a noted speaker and editor of http://www.dfwinternational.org. She will lead a session on cultural values.

There will also be breakout sessions with presenters from various clubs. Some of the topics under consideration are club data base management, club websites, newsletters, club gift ideas, club city monument ideas, and making inbound exchanges easier.

Registration fees are:

We have a special hotel rate of $79/night at the Clarion [up to 4 per room, includes tax and breakfast; make those arrangements directly with the hotel and ask for the Southwest Friendship Force rate - 817-332-6900]. 

The registration form is enclosed with the last newsletter and is also available on the FF Ft Worth website http://www.fffw.org. Save the dates! We’ll see you in February. 

Please contact us if you have questions.

Linda McConathy, Registrar – mc123@charter.net 

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Friendship Force International 

Building on a Great Legacy 

As mentioned by Ed and Paula, FFI has approved the “Building on a Great Legacy” initiative to expand Friendship Force around the world. The four main initiatives include:

1) establishing 30 new clubs in at least 10 new countries 

2) training club and regional leaders for the years ahead

3) unique and bold new programs to “push back international barriers through the

     force of friendship” in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union

     and 

4) expanding teacher and school exchanges. 

All FFI board members have made personal pledges and strongly support the initiative as well as the March 1 “Worlds Friendship Day” campaign, in which FFD will participate. Why March 1? Because that’s the day President Jimmy Carter announced the formation of the Friendship Force at the White House in Washington DC.  See your “Friendship” magazine from FFI for more details.

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Keeping in Touch

The Friendship Force of Dallas Club (FFD)

11408 Audelia Rd. Box 4800 Dallas, TX 75243

Telephone and Fax: 214-553-4547

E-mail: friendshipforcedallas@yahoo.com                        

Web: www.friendshipforcedallas.org

Friendship Force International (FFI)

34 Peachtree Street, Suite 900 Atlanta GA 30303

Telephone: 404-522-9490

E-mail: ffi@friendshipforce.org                        

Web: www.friendshipforce.org.

Debbie Powell in Atlanta is FFI Program Service Coordinator for Friendship Force Dallas.

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