Greetings Friendship Force Members,
2011 is in full swing. Hope all of you are enjoying the beginnings of Spring, slow as they may seem to be in coming!
Bobbi Hess and I attended the Regional Conference (the Mid- Atlantic and New England regions are now one area) in late March. We were privileged to have George Brown, CEO of FFI at this conference...he is always an inspiration. Club members from 11 different clubs were present. We discussed where our clubs started and where we hoped they would be going in the next few years. We all seem to be facing the problem of a declining and aging membership. What was different was how clubs were striving to meet these challenges! Bobbi and I came back with some new ideas on meeting these needs, starting out with the establishment of one year and three year goals for our Charleston WV club.
In Friendship,
Jan
PS You can reach me at forgreen@suddenlink.net or 304-744-5755, if you have questions or comments about our activities for the next few months.
2010 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP FORCE CONFERENCE
The October 2010 International Conference was quite an eye-opener! Meeting people from all over the world and attending workshops with them allowed for a huge variety of input and information shared. There were over 350 attendee's and CEO George Brown is a wonderful speaker. Last but not least, the presentations were well done and the entertainment was magnificent. (Information by Bobbi Hess)
ANNUAL DINNER: NOVEMBER 12, 2010
The annual dinner was held on November 12, 2010 at the Dunbar Woman’s Club. About 25 people attended. We elected a new slate of officers and board members as follows...Jan Green: president, Bobbi Hess: vice president, Eleanor Byrnes: Treasurer. Board members are Mary Adams, Janet Lucas, Karen Brimhall, Jarve Currence, Jerry Gilbert and Sandra Willis. Jerry Gilbert presented a slide show about his trips to New Zealand to conclude a pleasant night of fellowship and good food.
2011 EXCHANGES:
OUTBOUND - November 2011- Marlborough and Howick, New Zealand
We have now settled with 9 ambassadors to experience this New Zealand 2011 exchange. These nine include:
Jan Green and Jerry Gilbert
Pat Doumax and Art Doumaux
Helene Gilbert> Jerry's sister who lives in NY state
Priscila French from Montana
Donna Brannon from Florida
Jerald Ross from Connecticut/now New Hampshire
Bobbi Hess Exchange Director and overall ED Wizard
We are working on details, forms, funds, host matching and itenerary updates but the excitement level has just increased.
KIWI bound EDWIZ (updated September 5, 2011)
The dates for the New Zealand exchange are 10/29/11 to 11/18/11. Mary Adams and Bobbi Hess have set up a program to include an overnight stay in Auckland before the 6 day exchange in Howick. Then there will be 4 days in Taupo, 2 days on our own in Wellington and a 6 day exchange in Blenheim. We will be traveling between cities on the excellent bus system of New Zealand. An additional 6 day tour of the South Island is being offered for those who want to extend their time in New Zealand after the homestays. The cost for the 3 week homestay segment is $1420 (not including air fare) and the estimate on the post homestay tour is $1350. A deposit of $200 is due ASAP.
Because of work and retirement move pressures, Mary Adams needed to drop out of the exchange director position, but Bobbi Hess is 'in the loop' and will continue with the direction of this exchange.
Please get in touch with Bobbi at bobbi.friendship.force@gmail.com or 304-988-2876 if you want more information on this exchange.
INBOUND - June 2011 Devon, United Kingdom
The exchange from Devon England was canceled because of insufficient participation from the English club.
COSTA RICA, OUR FIRST EXCHANGE by Stuart May
For almost 20 years Susan and I have paid our dues but never went on an exchange or even hosted. Back in the fall an email showed up on our computer announcing an “Eco-tour” to Costa Rica. I had a number of questions, the first two were “What was an Eco-tour?” and where was Costa Rica? Susan and I have traveled extensively, but never with a group and have never stayed in a stranger’s home as a guest. Apprehension was running wild in my head and I hesitated raising the idea to Susan. The program was very interesting, the cost was reasonable but the questions were almost overwhelming; however I stepped forward like a man and raised the idea with Susan. She surprised me by not calling me crazy and said the idea was “interesting”. Interesting was usually a code word for “Are you out of your mind”. She really shocked me this time, as she was interested. She was so interested that she took it upon herself to follow up on the email.
There were 22 Ambassadors from all over the US, Canada and one European. West Virginia was represented by Jan, Jerry, Susan and me. We were almost 20% of the group. A very large percentage for any non-West Virginia gathering. The first week was split between three sites and in “luxury” accommodations. We went to EARTH University, a facility training students from all over South and Central America, Mexico, and Africa in sustainable agriculture. The University was originally funded by USAID. The program is very unique. The second stop was reached by taking a 45 minute ride through rivers and over mountains in a surplus US Army 2 1/2 ton truck with our luggage piled in-between the two bench seats to Selva Bananito Lodge in the middle of the rainforest. We learned how to again shower and dress without the benefit of electricity. The cabins were nice in the day time and dark at night especially under the mosquito netting. We went for nature hikes, horseback riding and zip-lining. Some of the folks even planted trees. Saw lots of birds and lots of greenery. The last stop was a very beautiful hotel in Tortuguero. We got to the hotel by boat (three hour ride). Actually it wasn’t boring with all the things to see. We went on an “early morning” and mid-afternoon tours by boat. Saw lots of birds, caimans, turtles, and monkeys. The rainforests are amazing.
We met and stayed with our Host family the second week. The host club had our days and nights scheduled from early morning (had to get up at 4:30 AM) to about 9:00 PM each evening. I felt like I was back in the Army without the benefit of the bugle calls. But our host family was wonderful. They made us feel like we were members of their family and not strangers in a strange land. The tours and programs the host club provided continued with the eco-tour concept. We went to a couple of National Parks, a volcano which we could not see due to the clouds, the beach and a very special Resort called La Paz.
This was our first exchanged but not our last.
COMING EVENTS
2012 Exchanges
Inbound:
Our inbound exchange will be from Rijnmond, Netherlands. Jan has been in touch with the Exchange Director from Holland...Elly Keus. Dutch ambassadors will first travel to Greater Detroit, MI and then visit with us from July 1st to July 7th 2012. The group will be about 14 in size...a manageable number. Anyone interested in being Exchange Director for this exchange, please let Jan know. And save this 2012 holiday to spend with new friends from the Netherlands!
Outbound:
Our outbound exchange will be from Charleston, West Virginia, to Salvador and Araraquara, Brazil. The suggested date of departure is November 01, 2012. These are both young clubs with lots of energy, anxious to show us their regions in Brazil. Please give consideration to being a member of this exchange and, if possible, being the Exchange Director.
2011 Let's Eat Out...the 5th @ 5!!!
May 2011...was held at 'The Taste of Asia' in Hurricane, WV. We had 12 members attend, including Bill and Sandy Harkness of the Niagara region of Canada. They were visiting Mike and Judy Green who had been hosted by the Harkness's during our exchange in Niagara last fall. It was fun to see them again!
June 5th (Sunday)...Lets get together at Symphony Sunday! Located on the lawn of the University of Charleston, there are lots of events to attend and food (including BBQ, food concessions, wine and beer) available. And the evening culminates in a West Virginia Symphony Orchestra concert and fireworks. Meet at the walk way that leads to the lawn around 5pm. (If the weather is bad, let's meet at Logan's Roadhouse, 201 RHL Blvd. out at Southridge. Call Jan at 304-437-5755 if you are not certain where we will be meeting). For a complete list of events at Symphony Sunday go to wvsymphony.org.
July 5th (Tuesday)…To be announced, but we are checking into a boat ride on the Kanawha River.
August 5th (Friday)…a picnic…location to be announced.
September 5th (Monday)….'Vandalia Grill’ 212 Hale Street, Charleston.
International Friendship Force Conference:
The 2011 International Conference will be held in Hamburg, Germany August 26 – 30, 2011. There will be a variety of fun and informative workshops with themes that address concerns of all FF Clubs. Also the FF Hamburg is eager to show off their city with a variety of cultural programs, including a special organ concert at St. Michael's Church. Limited home hosting is available after the conference. Please contact Jan if you are interested in making the International Conference part of your summer traveling plans.
Ride the Trains Weekend:
We are organizing a trip to Elkins, WV for a ‘Ride the Trains Weekend' in September. The 16th will be a scenic dinner ride and on the 17th we will attend “Murder Backstage,” a Murder Mystery Dinner Train ride. The dinner play is presented by The Resolute Theatre Company, noted for gracing high schools throughout the country with their unique approach to Shakespeare.
More information will be sent out shortly, but keep the weekend of September 16th and 17th available for a new FF adventure!!
Club Project:
The board has decided on new project to connect us with our past. The Charleston club is one of the first clubs to travel with FF over 30 years ago and we plan to interview long time members of our club, recording their memories of those first trips and how FF has been a factor in their lives. Our aim is to preserve their unique experiences with FF. Of course this will require developing a list of questions for interviews and arranging at least audio and possibly video recordings of these interviews. Anyone interested in helping with this project should contact Bobbi Hess at bobbi.friendship.force@gmail.com or 304-988-2876.
Current Club Status and One Year Goals:
Using a Strategic Planning Worksheet, our board determined:
Current state of our club: Shrinking membership. Inbound exchanges for 2010 and 2011 were cancelled. 2011 outbound exchange is under committed by our members.
Strengths: Dedicated core of active members. WV is a great state with lots to offer…many outdoor activities in a green, mountainous state. Club is financially sound.
Where do we want to be? Encourage membership growth, have more group activities, provide improved ED training.
1 year Goals:
Maintain one inbound and one outbound exchange per year.
Interview long time members to learn their stories and pass this information on to new members.
In 2012, have a second general meeting to honor long term members.
Plan new activities to strengthen ties between current members and attract new members.
Obtain tax-exempt status.
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