Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia

Transcription

1 Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia March 2011 President s message Explore Understand Serve Mar World Friendship Day Mar Outgoing exchange to Mispah Club, Cape- town, South Africa Mar Regular meeting, Forno Italian Restaurant, 4:30 p.m. Apr Regional meeting, Black Mountain, NC Apr Regular meeting, Forno Italian Restaurant May Kauai club incoming exchange We have a busy month coming up with the club meeting on March 20 while ten of us are in South Africa (March 18-29) on an exchange. The regional meeting in Black Mountain, NC, is April 1-3. Meetings of larger groups in FF are chances to meet past and new friends. They also provide ideas to enhance our own club activities. As of this writing, 60 regional members have registered. Then from May the ambassadors from Kauai, Hawaii, are coming. A great many of our members are working under Harry Yarbrough s leadership to make that a good exchange. I am pleased to announce that Frank and Bobbie Garner have been selected to become Honorary Members of the Friendship Force of Big Canoe/ North Georgia. Frank and Bobbie are long-time members of the club and have travelled extensively with us and hosted many times. For more information about them, please see Charlene Terrell s article on page two of this newsletter. In the next few months we all have an opportunity to put into practice the FFI goals of Explore, Understand, and Serve. Ambassadors to the Mispah Club in the Capetown, South Africa, area will be exploring and learning about many aspects of South Africa. Among the activities will be a visit in a school of elementary age students, and we plan to serve by taking a variety of school supplies, including books, writing supplies, and calculators. We have good activities coming up! In friendship, Ches Tredway In Honor of Wayne Smith FFI has established the Wayne Smith Medal honoring exceptional service and leadership in advancing the mission of Friendship Force International. If you go to the FFI website, you can find information about medal recipients and the award. < To quote the late Rev. Wayne Smith, founder of The Friendship Force: If ordinary people get to know each other as friends, they discover that the values and experiences they share are more important than their differences.

2 INTRODUCING JANE WALLER Jane Waller, co-owner of The Flying Sheep yarn shop in Jasper and, especially important to us, a Master Gardener, will speak at our March 20 meeting. Jane will speak about vegetable gardening in small spaces. Eleven members of the Kauai Friendship Force club will be coming here in May, and it is highly probable that many of them will be gardeners. In keeping with our goal to have activities that include interests of our incoming ambassadors, this program will stimulate ideas to share with our new Kauai friends. We will meet at Forno Italian Restaurant at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 20. To find Forno: At the intersection of Ga. 53 & Steve Tate Rd., turn into the Foothills Shopping Center at either the 53 entrance or the Steve Tate Rd. entrance. The restaurant is in the middle of the upper level facing Steve Tate. There is parking with no stairs required. We meet in a room to the right once entering Forno. We hope you will come and share in our meeting! Frank and Bobbie Garner Now Honorary Members by Charlene Terrell Frank and Bobbie Garner traveled on a citizen s exchange before Friendship Force International was formally begun. The Friendship Force was the brainchild of Wayne Smith, who had served as a Presbyterian Missionary to Brazil. When Wayne and his family returned to the United States, he had the idea for a world-wide organization that would facilitate exchanges between ordinary citizens. It was Wayne who first declared that A world of friends is a world of peace. Smith decided to test his idea in A chartered plane carried 200 Atlanta area citizens to Brazil and when they landed, 200 Brazilians boarded a plane for Atlanta. In both countries people were hosted in private homes for 10 days. Frank and Bobbie Garner were part of the outbound group headed for Pernambuco, Brazil. Wayne Smith and the other members of these exchanges were very pleased with this experiment in what Smith called people-topeople diplomacy. Frank and Bobbie were hosts on the first official exchange under the banner of The Friendship Force. This was another chartered Delta flight with 381 Georgians headed for Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, and about the same number of Geordies from Newcastle coming to Atlanta. For ten days Friendship was celebrated amid much fanfare and excitement. Over 2200 people were involved in hosting and traveling on this first exchange. All involved never forgot this event. Letters, small gifts, and visits flowed between them for years to come. The Garners then traveled as FF ambassadors to Berlin where they became long-time friends with their hosts Kirk and Traute Kleindientz. They continued to rendezvous in Atlanta, Florida, or Germany each year for over a decade. When Kirk and Traute visited the Garners at Big Canoe, they attended Big Canoe Chapel with them. Dr. Broyles was the Chaplain, and he told a funny story and everyone laughed. Later in the day Traute told Bobbie how surprised she was that people laughed in church. Bobbie assured her that we often laughed in church. Traute said, I would go to church every week if I had one where people laughed together like that! Cont. on next page

3 Frank and Bobbie were charter members of The FF of Atlanta, and Frank was later president of the club. Bobbie says they went on a trip and hosted every year for at least a decade. They ve been to more places than they can remember, but some are China (three times), Cuba, Tbilisi in Georgia, England, Brazil, Indonesia, and Singapore. Frank Garner met Wayne Smith when he was in a Bible study class that Wayne taught at North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Frank recalls how Wayne used this class as a sounding board for his ideas about people-to-people diplomacy and citizen exchanges. Frank says he always admired Wayne so much for his great ideas and his ability to put them into practice, especially through The Friendship Force. Recently The Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia voted to make Frank and Bobbie honorary members for life in appreciation for their long and faithful participation in The Friendship Force. The Garners have owned property in Big Canoe since 1973 and became full-time residents in They are charter members of Big Canoe Chapel and have been very active there and in the community. EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES OUTGOING: Mispah Club, South Africa -- March 19-29, We will have a one week home stay with the Mispah Club near Capetown and three days following at Elephant Plains Game Lodges in Kruger National Park. We now have our home hosts names and look forward to getting to know them. New Zealand -- April The Wairarapa Club of New Zealand has sent acceptance of an incoming exchange from us! Their club is in a region whose main center is Masterton. It is an agricultural area involving sheep, beef, and dairying. There are also areas of grapes, olives, and timber. The club s web site is: < wairarapa/> In addition to the two weeks on the north island of New Zealand already offered by FFI, our Board has decided to request an additional week on the south island. This would be optional for those not wanting to be on a three-week exchange. INCOMING: Kauai, Hawaii -- May 17-24, Harry Yarbrough, E.D., has committees formed. We hope all will volunteer for some phase of the exchange. Updates will be available at the March meeting. Key contacts are: Home Hosting-Jobeth Yarbrough Activities-Huw Williams Transportation-Ray Bowyer Welcome Dinner-Jean Goggin Farewell Dinner- Packets-Tom Eubanks Program Book-Marie Williams Ambassador/Host Pictures- Margaret Logan Day and Dinner Hosting- Margie Bowyer Day and Dinner Hosting Recent exchanges have brought home to members how wonderful it is to have dinner and day hosts in generous numbers. Dinner hosts offer dinner to one or more home hosts and their ambassadors during an exchange. There are those who would home host if they didn t have to provide dinner several times during the week for energy or time reasons. Also important is the fact that dinner hosting g i v e s m o r e members a chance to get to know and enjoy the incoming ambassadors. Sometimes home hosts have other daytime obligations during an exchange. Day hosts are responsible for helping out with transportation or accompanying the ambassadors on an outing. Again, knowing there will be some day hosts available may make the difference in whether people can home host. The day hosts get to meet and know the ambassadors and have an interesting outing. Please check your calendars and decide if it s possible for you to do some form of hosting. All are important and are what we are all about!

4 Meet Tim and Lenna Anderson Tim and Lenna Anderson have been living in Forsyth County almost eight years and, prior to that, in Decatur. Tim was Band Director of Decatur High School, and Lenna worked in Workers Compensation for Dekalb County government. During that time they were members of the Greater Atlanta Friendship Force club. The Andersons traveled with 150 band members and chaperones to England twice, Ireland, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Germany, and Japan. They managed to get to Russia one time--just with adults! Now Tim and Lenna are officially retired. They stay busy, however, with various activities. One thing they ve been doing together since 1999 is working with stained glass. They go to eight to ten craft shows/art festivals a year to exhibit. Tim is a trumpet player and performs with and is a member of three different honor guards: the Forsyth County Fire Department, the Veterans Alliance, and the Bugles Across America. These groups conduct ceremonies at funerals of veterans and public safety personnel. Tim plays Taps and other selections the family may request and assists in the groups activities as needed. Lenna belongs to the Forsyth County Ladies League, a women s social group which has many fun activities. The couple has many friends and family in the area, including two children and two grandchildren. Lenna says, How did we ever have time to have jobs? Tim and Lenna love to travel and are greatly looking forward to being ambassadors from Big Canoe/North Georgia to the Mispah Club in South Africa. Welcome, Lenna and Tim! March Birthdays 6 -- Louise Morgan 7 -- Ginny Miller 16 - Jim Wiltse Please let the newsletter editor know if we have missed your birthday. Financial Report Feb. 20, 2011 Gen. fund balance $7, Deposits Checks Ending balance $7, Wire Acct. balance Total net balance $7, Minutes Feb. 20, 2011 Meeting Friendship Force met at 4:30 at Forno Italian Restaurant at Foothills Shopping Center with 27 members and four guests (John and Glenda Wilhelm and Teb and Linn Bowman) present. Ches Tredway presided and led the Friendship Force pledge. Robert Logan reported a balance of $7, $100. in the wire account. Committee Reports: Membership--Ches presented club pins to four new members. New members from last year will be given pins as they are present at meetings. Publicity--Today s meeting was announced in the Pickens Progress. Historian--Margie has sent information as requested on fund raising and membership to the Houston club. Activities--Jobeth, Lenna, and June have met to finalize programs for the year. Reservations will be needed in April for the July 17 play and meal in Cumming. Outgoing Exchange to Mispah, S. Africa--Ches reported that in order to fulfill the slogan Explore, Understand, and Serve the group will take items to a school. Incoming Exchange from Kauai, Hawaii--Harry reported that the group arriving on May 17 will possibly include three Kenyans if their visas can be secured. Regional meeting--it will be held in Black Mountain, NC, on April 1-3 with the Tredways and Johnsons attending. Incoming Exchange for Feb Margaret moved that we accept Winnipeg, Canada. Motion was seconded and carried. Outgoing Exchange to New Zealand in April Cont. on next page

5 Officers President Ches Tredway First V-P/ Mary Ellen Johnson Pres.-Elect Second V-P Fred Mullins Secretary Margaret Logan Treasurer Robert Logan 741 Oakdale Rd. Canton, GA Membership Marie Williams Communications: Publicity Charlene Terrell Marie Williams (see above) Newsletter June Tredway Activities Jobeth Yarbrough Historian Margie Bowyer Past president Helen Wiltse Exchange Directors: Mispah Club, South Africa: Ches Tredway Kauai, Hawaii: Harry Yarbrough Ches will request that we be granted an additional week on the South Island in addition to the two weeks on the North Island. June displayed caps with our logo that can be ordered from Mike Ehrlich for $10. each. Ches announced that the Board had voted to grant honorary membership to Frank and Bobbie Garner. The membership enthusiastically agreed. Program--June introduced John Wilhelm,who spoke on his appointment as Southeast Regional Coordinator and some of his duties. He was appointed in July. Margaret Logan Secretary FRIENDSHIP FORCE PLEDGE As a member of the Friendship Force, I recognize that I have a mission. That mission is to be a friend to the people of the world. As I embark upon this adventure, I know that through my example to my own fellow citizens and the people of other nations, the cause of friendship, love, and peace will be furthered. I can make a difference.

6 Membership Form Annual dues include: Membership in both the local club and Friendship Force International; subscriptions to the club s newsletter and the FFI online magazine; opportunities to host FFI members from other clubs; and opportunities to travel to other clubs. Type of Membership: New Renewal Individual (Dues $20. per calendar year) Family (Dues $40. per calendar year) (If family membership, please list all family members.) Name: Birthday (month and day only) Address: Phone: Would you be interested in serving on one or more of the following committees? Membership Program Publicity Exchanges Other ( ) Send this form and your dues to: Robert Logan 741 Oakdale Road Canton, Georgia Checks should be made payable to Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia. Welcome!