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World
Friendship Day - Tuesday March 1
 As
part of FFI's "World Friendship Day", we will have a catered
dinner to celebrate and have a live and silent auction to assist
Friendship Force International in their goal of raising funds for the
"Building on a Great Legacy" campaign. Our goal is to raise
$4000 - $1500 will be dedicated for the FFI campaign and the
remaining proceeds to help our club expand our unique Bridge Builder
program to provide used computers to schools for the visually impaired
outside the USA.
There's
still time to send Ed Edgren your list of items to be auctioned [do it
as soon as possible!!]. SEND YOUR DINNER RESERVATIONS TO SUSAN COOPER BY
FEB. 25TH. No walk-ins for
dinner; walk-ins for the auctions are OK.
Ed
Edgren: texmared@aol.com
Susan
Cooper: copertuz@flash.net
Event
will be at King of Glory Lutheran Church. Call FFD at 214-553-4547 for
directions (also listed on reservation form).
According
to FFI, over 150 clubs in more than 30 countries have announced plans
for World Friendship Day. Over 60 of the clubs have sent information
about their club, club's history and highlights, and plans for the WFD
event. FFI is building a
website for the event and a web page for each of these clubs. (I will
bring a notebook computer with a snapshot of the website so we can
"virtually" participate with the other clubs. -ep)
UPDATE:
See photos about our club and at the event: World
Friendship Day
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FFD
Meetings
March
1st - Tuesday
Not
our usual meeting day, so mark your calendars now!
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 6 pm
Tuesday with a service auction and dinner at King of Glory Lutheran
Church. Call FFD at 214-553-4547 for directions [also listed on
reservation form; see article on page1]
April
10th - Sunday
Ambassadors'
report of our outbound to Peru. Back by popular demand, we'll meet at
New New Buffet, 3822 Belt Line Road in Addison (west of Marsh Lane on Belt Line). Extensive Chinese
buffet for around $10 (each person pays
for their own dinner). Reserve by April 5th via phone or email to Paula
Rose - paularose2000@hotmail.com.
May
15th - Sunday
The May
meeting will be held at Pasand Indian restaurant at 1377 W. Campbell Road
(southeast corner of Coit and Campbell, next to the bicycle shop). We will have a sumptuous buffet of
Indian delicacies, including vegetarian dishes. The cost is $12.00 per person with soft drinks included in
that price. Beer and wine are extra. The buffet will include appetizer, vegetarian and chicken curry, rice,
bread, etc. Negotiations for the speaker are still underway. Please send
a check to secure your reservation to Susan Cooper by May 9. copertuz@flash.net.
Meeting flyers will be sent to members before the meeting.
Remainder
of 2005
Mary
Latham, V.P. Programs, is completing the schedule for future meetings.
If you have suggestions for speakers, programs, restaurants (private
room for 80+), etc.,
contact her at mjmcl04@yahoo.com.
The dates for the meetings are listed in your new yearbook.
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2005
Southwest Conference
by Mary
Williams
Nineteen
members of the Dallas club participated in the 2005 Southwest Conference
in downtown Fort Worth on February 11 and 12. It was informative and
fun. Representatives from nine of our ten clubs were present. Attendees
heard speakers on several topics, got an update on what exchanges the
clubs in our region are planning, had a choice of workshops in which to
participate, and enjoyed a Mexican mariachi band and meal in a
Stockyards restaurant.
Debbie
Powell, our area representative as well as for the Asian countries,
represented FFI and presented us with some updates from Atlanta (see
article below).
 Keynote
Speaker was Anne Marie Weiss-Armush, who is President of Dallas/Fort
Worth International. She communicates the activities of the many groups
in the international community in this area, producing a website, a
weekly newsletter listing ethnic events and an annual international
festival.
Anne Marie lived for many years in Mexico and in Saudi Arabia,
and brings a world view to our area. She has a wealth of experiences
that she shares with audiences that help Americans to better understand
our cultural diversity. She said that 38% of the population in Texas
consists of immigrants and it is important that we are aware of the
changes that are taking place in our country.
Her interactive
presentation on the difference in American values with values from those
in other parts of the world was most enlightening. Most American values
that we take for granted are not shared by others, particularly in
developing nations, due to unstable political and financial
environments, poverty, lack of infrastructure, terrorism, lack of
transportation, ancient traditions, emphasis on family and personal
relationships, sexism, religion, poor health services and education,
business practices that include bribery, and other factors. As we
Americans feel we have personal control of our lives to a great extent,
see change as positive and natural, people in many countries do not
relate to this. Where we think time is money, other cultures may value a
more flexible lifestyle, enjoying the moment. Where we might believe
everyone is created equal, it is clear that we are not equal in many
parts of the world. Where we value individualism and independence,
encouraging our graduates to become self-sufficient, leaving the family
home would be unthinkable in many cultures. Our materialism and
competition is a foreign concept in many other places in the
world.
Anne Marie
recommended books in the Culture Shock series for those wishing
to become more familiar with other cultures. She also encouraged the
group to visit her webpage and demonstrated how we can access a calendar
of events, speakers, entertainers, etc. on it. An international festival
will be held on April 10th at the Majestic Theater (see
article) and a networking reception on April 13th at Funasia
in Richardson. Website is: www.dfwinternational.org
Other
speakers included Ray Lester from Austin, who entertained the group with
comments and photos from trips he took to New Zealand and to Russia. He
is a great model of Friendship Force concepts of fitting in with the
culture, as he is fearless in trying anything.
 Berry Bock
from Fort Worth presented a talk on establishing commemorative sites in
public places to remember inbound exchanges; in addition, the planting
of a tree, rose bush or adding a plaque on a rock or a brick with the
name of the visiting club can be a good gift to the club. The sites help
raise community awareness of Friendship Force, as they include
information about the organization. She gave valuable information on how
to select a site, plan it, set it up and maintain it.
 Jim Young
of Fort Worth spoke on the Open Doors program that he started last year.
(There is a short article and list of Open Door events on our website
under Events.) Fort Worth invited clubs in our
SW conference to the fall Jazz Festival last September and will repeat
that event on September 16-18 this fall. The event consists of a long
weekend exchange, which may appeal to many people unable to commit to a
longer exchange or have limited funds to spend traveling abroad. Other
events are in the works including a Jazz weekend in Wichita, Kansas in
early May and a Labor Day weekend in San Antonio. You will see notices
in our newsletters, in e-mails and on our website under Events as we get
more information.
Clubs also
announced their exchange destinations. Remember, you may
travel with any other club from your country if they have room for you;
just contact the Exchange Director of that club. This list will be
updated as we get information and put on our website: Go to Exchanges, Other
Clubs.
Workshops
included:
·
Preparing for an Outbound Exchange as an ED or Ambassador
·
How to Make Travel Arrangements (including Extensions)
·
Creating and Maintaining Websites
·
Recruiting Younger and Diverse Members (led by Nancy
Hicks; Jim Bourn was a panel member)
·
How to entertain Your Ambassadors and Keep Your Sanity
·
Using Databases to Manage Friendship Force Data
·
PowerPoint Presentations
 An evening
out at Vaqueros Restaurant was fun and entertaining. A Mariachi band of
five young men from Northside High School did a fine job. Our best
dancers, Edward Perez and Paula Rose couldn’t sit still to the music.
If you
missed this worthwhile weekend, you will have another chance next year
about this time to go to Oklahoma City and participate in another
Southwest Conference.
Update from
FFI
 Debbie
Powell, Program Services Coordinator for the SW Conference and Asian
region, represented FFI in Fort Worth at the SW Conference and presented
us with some updates from Atlanta. In the past few years FFI has
suffered huge financial losses due to cancellation of trips (9/11, mad
cow, SARS, the Iraq war and uncertain economy) and a smaller number of
ambassadors traveling on exchanges. With cutbacks in staff at FFI from
25 to 10 and an improved economy, FFI has recouped those losses and
finished in the black this year. This is wonderful news! Staff workload
is still very high until finances improve more and additions to staff
can be made. The appointment of George Brown as CEO has been positive,
as he has many exciting new ideas. The Board of Trustees has expanded to
12 members, with some interesting additions this year. Our own Mac
Mackenzie is a member.
Friendship
Force had about 300 exchanges last year and now has about 350
clubs.
Club
goals are:
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have
fewer cancelled exchanges with at least 25 ambassadors on each
exchange
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expand
the organization into regions where there are no clubs or very few
clubs
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better
evaluate the quality of exchanges so that problems can be addressed
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better
coordinate exchange requests within a region, so that nearby clubs
are not competing for the same destinations
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better
fulfill requests of clubs and give them more planning lead time
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increase
diversity within clubs and in destinations
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develop
new leadership within the organizations and attract leaders from
outside of Friendship Force
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raise
funds for the Legacy Project which will promote and expand FF
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raise
awareness of our mission and activities worldwide
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increase
the number of and better utilize Field Reps to assist clubs and
resolve issues
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Debbie
showed a new short video (FFD has a copy) that gives an overall view of
what we do and what we stand for. It was well done and will be worth
showing to our club and other organizations we contact. Contact Paula
Rose if you want to borrow it. Individuals
can also purchase a copy from FFI.
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Paula's
Roses
 Got
the check to Susan Cooper for the Auction & Dinner March 1? - Yep!
Got
the auction items to Ed Edgren? - Yep!
Planning
on what I'm going to bid on? - Yep!
Wow,
what a variety of appealing items!
I'm
working on some ideas for brunches or breakfasts with small groups of
current members to welcome our new members who've recently joined [see
article later on].
Also,
reminiscing about the fun and informative regional conference in Ft
Worth. We sure had a great
turnout from Dallas. It was great seeing old friends and making new
ones.
Passport,
tickets, bags packed and ready for my first FFD outbound to Peru, March
12? You betcha!! See you
all soon! Hasta la vista!
In
Friendship,
Paula
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Club News
FFD
Membership
Welcome
to our newest members!!
As
of Feb 18th, we now have 97 members and 7 associates from 67 households,
including our newest members listed below.
Introduce yourself at future meetings and greet visitors and
guests!!
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Leslie Burkett
(daughter of Madolyn Stewart): burkett@scs.unt.edu |
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Kathryn Morris
(previous guest and home host): khmor@flash.net |
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Gary Paramore
(previous guest): gazzapazza@mindspring.com |
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Carol Williams
(via Dallas
Morning News) : probejim@aol.com
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Lakshmi Witharane
(friend of Lupe Leal): lakshmir@msn.com |
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Bridge
Builders
Bob
Langford recently received this e-mail and wanted to share it with the
group. Bob's organization
provides computers to people with visual impairments.
Over the years, the FFD board has authorized funding for at least
10 computers that were shipped to schools for the blind in Chile, Peru
and Romania. Bridge
Builders is one of the recipients of the service auction to be held
March 1.
"Hello,
I had e-mailed you yesterday before I went to your site. I must say
being a father of a blind child, I am brought to tears when I see people
like yourselves changing all those lives. I'm not one for writing many
letters, or tearing, but I can really feel the joy and change your
making in people's lives who need it. And I thank you for that from my
heart. Sincerely,
Anthony Gilio II"
See
more about Bob's group, Texas Center for the Physically Impaired, at:
http://handicapability.org.
NOTE:
FFD does not "give away" computers to anyone who asks. We fund
this project to give the visually impaired attending selected schools
for the blind in other countries a chance for a better life.
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Board
Meetings
There
will not be a Board meeting in March (due to Peru outbound). The next
meeting will be Monday April 11th. All Board Officers and
Committee Chairs - please plan to attend so we will have a quorum for
any decision-making. The FFD Board meets the 2nd 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.
May
Board meeting will be May 9th.
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Yearbooks
Mary
Williams completed our yearbooks and they were mailed
on 3/3 to those who did not pick one up at the March meeting. If you do not
get one and are a member, please contact Lee Latham at hlatham@swbell.net.
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Joys
and Concerns
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Leo
and Martha Durst and Angel and Oran Waldron have recently
connected to the Internet. Look
in your 2005 yearbook for their email addresses.
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Great visiting with Gaby
and Mac Mackenzie and Marilyn Wilson at the
FF SW Conference and the Brazilian Carnaval meeting.
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Congratulations to Shaaron Salyer who was married in 2004 and is now
Shaaron Fulkerson.
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Our condolences and thoughts go out to Pam Varney-Terrell & family
and to Ava Rowe. Both of
their fathers recently passed away.
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(Send
joys and concerns to edward perez
at erperez@acm.org for publication)
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Newsletter
We're
going electronic! ... soon ...
Now
that the 2005 membership renewals are recorded and mailing &
emailing address updated, we're just about ready for our first email
delivery of the newsletter. However,
since I'm off to Peru for a couple of weeks in March, I'm going to wait
until I get back to start the conversion process. Watch your email inbox
in April for details.
We
publish our newsletter bi-monthly. Please send all articles, news items,
photos, etc. to edward perez by April 20th for the next newsletter
issue. Send via email to erperez@acm.org or by fax to 214-553-4547.
edward
perez, editor
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2005 Friendship Force of Dallas, Texas Board Officers
and Committees
President:
Paula Rose
1st
Vice President: Mary Suther
2nd
VP Membership: Herb & Juli Ziev
3rd
VP Programs: Mary Latham
Secretary:
Pat Peters & Betty Mayeur
Treasurer:
Susan Cooper
Parliamentarian:
Mary Williams
Ways
and Means: Ed Edgren
Exchange
Coordinator: Ray Enstam
Exchange
Treasurer: Ana Marie Lee
Trujillo
Peru outbound: Ray Enstam
Tottori
Japan inbound: Jim Bourn
Newsletter:
edward perez
Publicity/Communications:
Myrna/Dick Ridings
Speakers
Bureau: Jim Bourn
Telephones:
John Funk
Website/Yearbook:
Mary Williams
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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If
you know of any FFD member or friend who could use some Sunshine,
contact Mary-Helen Lyons or Jean Beler.
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If
you know of a group who would like to know about FFD, contact Jim
Bourn.
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If
you would like to volunteer for any committee or project, contact
any board member.
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Exchanges
Peru
Outbound
Ray
Enstam, Exchange Director
I
have been in contact, through Mary Williams, with Melis Paredes of
Trujillo. She visited Dallas in 1998 as a member of the FF Trujillo
inbound exchange and is now the mayor of Urbanizacion Chimu (subdivision
of Trujillo, non paid job). A major part of her job is working with the
very poor people of Chimu. She collects and distributes used clothing
and toys for the needy. When we arrive in Trujillo in March, winter will
just be starting and the need of clothing, especially warm clothing,
like jackets and sweaters, for children and adults will be great.
If
you will be an ambassador going to Trujillo, collect any used clothing
and toys and take it with you. I'm taking an extra "leave
behind" suitcase full of items. If you are not going on the trip
and have any used clothing (men's, women's or children's) that you or
others do not need, give this clothing to any ambassador who is going.
Also, if you have any "leave behind" suitcases that we can use
to carry clothing or computers, we could use those also. If you can't
find a person going to Peru to give things to, contact me to arrange
pickup.
We
have so much in our closets, especially after the holidays, it is easy
to forget that there are many in the world lacking basic clothing.
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Tottori,
Japan Inbound Exchange
We
have received emails from the Tottori exchange director. Approximately
11 ambassadors will be coming around September 26 - October 3
(tentative). FFD visited Tottori back in 2002. More info later.
Jim Bourn was appointed
Exchange Director - airbourn@comcast.net.
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New
Exchange Cancellation Policy
Please
note the new cancellation policy for 2005 club exchanges: If an
Ambassador cancels 45 days or less prior to departure, FFI will refund
50% of the FFI Fee paid. If FFI cancels an exchange, all FFI fees paid
will be returned to Ambassadors.
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Exchange Coordination
We
would like to have successful outbound exchanges this year for every
club in our region! With that goal in mind, I ask that you inform your
club members of the region's exchanges.
We can assist each other through the simple act of sharing
information at your next meeting and by including this information in
your newsletters. Let's be
the most successful US region!
Rosalie
Summers,
FF SW Region Field Rep
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SW
Region 2005 Outbound Exchanges
Remember,
you may travel with any other club from our region or the US if they
have room for you; just contact the Exchange Director of that club. This
year, clubs in our region are going to New Zealand, Russia,
Hungary, Niagara, Canada, Prague, Czech Republic, Gardens of Australia,
Trujillo, Peru, and Blumenau, Brazil. We post updates on our website [Go
to Exchanges, Other Clubs]. Or go visit the FFI website for more
exchanges at http://www.friendshipforce.org/WorldExchanges.html.
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Open Doors
Fort
Worth: Jazz Festival September 16-18.
Wichita,
Kansas: Jazz weekend in early May
San
Antonio: Labor Day weekend
If
you are interested in coordinating an Open Doors in Dallas, have ideas
or would like to help out, please contact Ray Enstam at enstam@sbcglobal.net
or any FFD board
member.
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Events
Be sure to check the Events page for more
information on the Dallas International Festival
Sunday, April 10,
2
pm at the Majestic Theater downtown.
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