Month: September 2018

Dear Club Presidents, Club Boards, Club Leaders and Members everywhere, Warm greetings from the FFI staff and board of directors. Here at FFI Headquarters, we have all been working hard to create a substantial 2018-2021 Strategic Plan that will enrich the future of our programs and bring to clubs, everywhere, a new sense of buoyancy. Following the generosity of clubs and members everywhere during the “I’m In!” campaign, our new data system is up and running beautifully – opening doors we hardly dared to dream of before. Now, of course, our challenge is to institute those options, one at a time, as finances allow. What we are hoping for now is a concerted effort for renewal throughout Friendship Force. Retaining our beloved long-term members, gaining new members, developing new programs, and a real sense of optimism for what we can achieve together. We can assure you that we are all doing everything we can to provide the platforms for you and your members to enjoy a rich future, and we are trusting that leadership in our clubs will do everything they can to support our efforts. What we know is that achievement, on the level we envisage, will not be accomplished without the acceptance of a level of change. At this most interesting juncture in the life of Friendship Force, we are compelled to face a whole new realm of challenges, most particularly in the way the generations communicate. People have not changed – just the way we do things – and this concept needs to be at the center of how Friendship Force, at all levels of leadership, moves forward. In this, we ask for your collaboration. While your program and membership fees support the organization as it exists now, we need your help to grow and evolve. Large donations are not possible for many of us, but there are other small ways to give. For the price of a take-out coffee, movie ticket, new book, or dinner out each month, you can make a donation to the organization which has provided such unique friendship-building experiences for each of us. Please consider how much you might be able to set aside each month to donate to the FFI Annual Fund and support initiatives such as: New Club Development and Club Support Scholarships and Leadership Development Language Translation Services There is so much more we could say about the efforts under way to fortify Friendship Force’s future. So stay tuned, stay connected, and please, carefully digest the Strategic Plan when it arrives, being prepared to adopt and support proposed concepts. In warmest friendship, Jyotsna (Jo) Custead Board Chair — Saskatoon, Canada Bobbie Mulholland Board Vice Chair — Adelaide, Australia

Dear Friends, Have you always wanted to go to Africa but never had the right opportunity? This coming March could be your time to take a trip of a lifetime to visit FF Cape of Good Hope in South Africa! I am Mary Williams of FF Dallas, Texas, and last summer I hosted a couple from the Cape of Good Hope club who were traveling in the US. As Friendship Force members are prone to do, we developed a quick friendship and hoped to meet again. Our wishes have come true with this scheduled Journey. The welcoming members of this club have put together a great itinerary for our stay in the Cape Town area with lots of variety and interesting things to see and do. And of course –- parties and dinners with members. We will get a broad look at Cape Town, including the Houses of Parliament, the Grand Parade, City Hall where Nelson Mandela first addressed South Africans after his release in February 1990, and the Castle of Good Hope. Out along the coast we will visit Boulder Beach, Kalkbay, and Cape Point with its native penguin colony. Other stops will include the top of Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town and the coast; a walk around the colorful Bo-Kaap region, settled by Malay slaves; the world-renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens; and the Stellenbosch Wine Estate and beautiful hill country. And if this great week weren’t enough, we are following it with an optional eight-day/seven-night safari to Northern Botswana with one night at Victoria Falls; or you may book your own extension to other destinations of your choice. There are only 6 spaces remaining on this Journey to South Africa from March 21 to 27, 2019. If you or someone you know would like to join us, please let me know of your interest. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity! In friendship, Mary Williams Journey Coordinator mwilliamstxtravel@yahoo.com