FRIEND TO FRIEND Volume XXVI, No. 3 June, 2016 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDSHIP FORCE OF CHARLOTTE GENERAL MEETING TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2016 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MATTHEWS 185 SOUTH TRADE STREET MATTHEWS, NC 28105 6:30 PM APPETIZERS SERVED 7:00 PM MEETING BEGINS COVERED DISH DINNER BRING YOUR FAVORITE DISHES TO SHARE Program: Update on Charlotte s International Community Presented by: INTERNATIONAL HOUSE Where Charlotte Welcomes the World www.ihclt.org
Volume XXVI No. 3 FRIEND TO FRIEND Page 2 President s Corner Over dinner at our house last month for 3 very curious members of the San Antonio Friendship Force, the jaws of all 3 dropped in unison when we told them the Charlotte Friendship Force once had over 200 members! How impressed they were with that little nugget of FFC s rich history. And, oh, how impressed even we hosts were that we could reminisce about those glory days of finding venues large enough to accommodate just our monthly meetings. Or for every exchange, inbound or outbound, members would clamor to be involved. It got me thinking, though, about the prospect of Friendship Force ever being that big again. And, let s be honest, the answer is probably not. The world is so much more easily-accessed than it was 30-35 years ago because global travel is so much more commonplace and because the internet can satisfy our curiosity over other cultures with a mere click of the mouse. Still, I m quick to point out and firmly believe there are extremely unique experiences one can only find through a truly unique organization like ours. In fact, I m positive that every single member of the Friendship Force of Charlotte has had such profound experiences that they ve talked about them repeatedly since they happened. So, here s a suggestion: The next time you speak of those experiences, try to do so when someone unfamiliar with Friendship Force is within earshot and see how much curiosity YOU can generate. By the way, if you re curious about the huge changes in cultural diversity right here in Charlotte over the last several decades, then don t miss the June General Meeting when a representative from International House comes to speaks to us. Some upcoming dates to remember: June 21st.. General Meeting, First Baptist of Matthews, 6:30, Program: International House in 2016 July Social, Theme & Date: TBD In Friendship Chris Clackum, President FROM THE DESK OF OUR V.PRESIDENT/MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON Nothing new to report at this time our membership is still holding at 73 total. ( 21 couples & 31 singles)
Volume XXVI No. 3 FRIEND TO FRIEND Page 3 Activities Committee Thank you to all that helped with set up and clean up at our April meeting. A special thanks to Bud Long, Dot Snyder. JoAnn Hodge. Nancy Anheimer, Carol Hahn, Carol Taylor, Dirk Eybel and Herb Feitelberg. A special thanks to Betty Prudden. Many helpers make the work faster and easier! Hope most members will be present for June meeting so call me if you can help or even volunteer for a duty upon arrival! Thanks, Gloria Clackum ****************************************************************************** Nominating Committee Please volunteer to serve as President-elect or Secretary for 2017 Gloria Clackum 704-847-7414 E-mail is queengloria11@aol.com FRIENDSHIP FORCE PLEDGE As a member of the Friendship Force, I recognize that I can make a difference. 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 others will be watching me. 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!!
Volume XXVI No. 3 FRIEND TO FRIEND Page 4 FFC AMBASSADORS VISIT SALT LAKE CITY By Shirley Brown Nine FFC ambassadors (Doris Alexander, Shirley Brown, ED, Chip and Tommie Craig, Pat Madar, Marta Meares, Grace Mitchell, and Guill and Ines Piedra) journeyed to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a domestic exchange with FF of Utah from April 8-14, 2016. They were joined in SLC by eleven ambassadors from six other FF clubs located all over the US: Aimee Baars and John Paolino from Big Canoe, GA, Harold Bell and Mike Trautman from Sarasota, FL, Jim and Sandy Hallman from Owensboro, KY, Nick and Tris Knaff from Spokane Valley, WA, Frank and Bea Lude from Rochester Hills, MI (near Detroit), and Jean Porter from Sugar Land, TX (near Houston). With FFI s relatively new fill the seat policy, having ambassadors from other clubs participate in exchanges will probably become more common. The Salt Lake City, Utah, exchange director, Judy Cohen, and her committee had planned a most interesting and enjoyable program filled with a variety of activities. We were treated to a delicious and bountiful welcome potluck luncheon followed by an informative presentation by Stephen C. Hall (Colonel, USAF retired) who is a lecturer on WWII history and a University of Utah professor. His lecture entitled Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Missions included a Power Point presentation about the Manhattan Project which culminated in two atomic detonations over Japan, Hiroshima on August 6, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, which brought WWII to an end. Other activities during the exchange included a guided tour of Liberty Park s Tracy Aviary s Wonderful Wetlands, a live performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a tour of the LDS Conference Center and Roof Gardens, a day trip on the Frontrunner commuter train to Ogden where we visited several museums at the historic Union Station, and a dramatic comedy entitled Murder on the Frontrunner a Clueless Pyramid Scheme at the Desert Star Playhouse in Murray, Utah. The final group activity was a day trip to Wendover, Utah, near the Nevada border, where we toured the WWII Air Base Museum and were treated to a presentation by 93 year old WWII Air Force veteran, Doug Ward, who is still piloting planes. We learned that the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were loaded onto the Enola Gay and Bockscar in Wendover, flown to a Pacific island, and launched from there.
Volume XXVI No. 3 FRIEND TO FRIEND Page 5 On our free day ambassadors visited various sites including Antelope Island State Park, the Great Salt Lake, the Natural History Museum of Utah, and others. The most important outcome of the exchange was renewing friendships and forming new ones with FF of Utah members as well as FF ambassadors from six other clubs. After all, building lasting friendships is the primary goal of the Friendship Force. We feel that the goal was achieved on this exchange.
Volume XXVI No. 3 FRIEND TO FRIEND Page 6 SAN ANTONIO EXCHANGE Wednesday May 25th was the farewell dinner for the San Antonio exchange and it was the end of a wonderful week of activities put together by Betty Prudden and Becky Faust. Included in the exchange was our social aboard the Catawba Queen on Sunday May 22nd. What a wonderful way for our guests to meet our club members. Each day was designed for our ambassadors to see another part of the Charlotte area. Trying to keep the walking to an acceptable amount for everyone made it easy for all the ambassadors to participate in all the activities. The exchange went to Reed Gold Mine, a strawberry social, saw the gardens at Daniel Stowe, enjoyed a program at the Catawba Indian Cultural Center, saw Spider Lilies at Landsford Canal and took a tour of Uptown Charlotte with Nancy Anheier as the tour Guide. The ambassadors included people from Sarasota Florida and Fort Worth Texas as well as the San Antonio Club members. Kudos to Betty and Becky for all their hard work... Renee Feitelberg, Exchange Chp. *********************************************************************** San Antonio, Sarasota, Kalispell Exchange A note from Betty Prudden If a UFO brings aliens that are as great as our wonderful Ambassadors from San Antonio, Sarasota and Kalispell......bring them on! Special thanks go out to Becky Faust for the great embroidered bags which added such a special personal touch - to Nancy Anheier for a great walking tour of uptown/downtown/center city, to Trish Dumser for sharing her stories at the Farewell Dinner - to Herb and Renee Feitelberg for their help on the booklet, and to Shirley Brown for keeping my finances on track. Also, I could not have done it without Pat Lahey, who set up the Strawberry Social and to Carol Hahn and Ardith Lashell and all who helped with the Farewell Party. Love you! Mean It!! In Friendship! Betty Prudden
Volume XXVI No. 3 FRIEND TO FRIEND Page 7 MORE EXCHANGE INFORMATION FROM RENEE Our next inbound exchange will be with the club from Western Colorado October 25-31. Blair McCombs is the ED for this exchange. Please think about becoming a host or day host for this exchange. Let Blair know if you are interested so she can put you on the list. Our exchanges need our whole club to be involved for them to be successful and for the world to hear about how wonderful Charlotte is to visit. ****************************************************** DID YOU KNOW??? We now have 281 likes on our Facebook page There are photos on our FB page from the Salt Lake City and San Antonio Exchanges We have new FFC club pins to exchange We have new FFC business cards to share with prospective members ***************************************************** Thinking of You Shirley Bennett Sylvia Jackson Charlotte Ross Donna & Larry Bongard Rick McCombs Diane Sherman