Friendship Force Mid-Atlantic Conference Underway

I arrived yesterday at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC for the Friendship Force Mid-Atlantic conference. The drive from Atlanta took about four hours. The YMCA Assembly is a great place for this type of conference. I heard that the Blue Ridge Assembly accommodates 1000 people. It is a massive facility in a beautiful setting.

This morning George Brown led a leadership development seminar titled “Training the Friendship Force ED of the Future.” He used the new ED training DVD for his workshop. The participants I talked to after the workshop thought the DVD was great.

The DVD and the new ED guide are valuable tools for recruiting new members and training EDs. Clubs will receive both the DVD and the manual soon. Lauren Tepley told me that 140 DVD/guide packets were sent to clubs yesterday.

I am conducting two workshops today. The first one is titled “Getting Online in 2007.” Several conference participants approached me to ask if I could cover websites and blogs in the workshop and I added those topics to the agenda. As an example, this entry was posted during the conference.

Later today I’m doing another workshop to help FFI members publicize the Friendship Force in their communities. Many participants have asked that I cover more computer topics in the second workshop as well.

Friendship Force Discovers Morocco

The first Discover Morocco program returned to the US this past week.
It looks like the Ambassadors had a blast…

2007 Asia Pacific Festival

The Friendship Force of Aichi

April 11, 2007 Dr. George T. Brown, Jr.
President and CEO
Friendship Force International

Dear Dr. Brown,

Under the attendance of Mr. Bernard (Mac) Mackenzie, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Friendship Force International, the 2007 Asia Pacific Festival (APF) started on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 and closed in a great success on Sunday, April 8, 2007. More than 100 Ambassadors from eight countries outside Japan participated in the APF. A number of programs including the welcome dinner, tours of Nagoya Castle, Toyota Plant, Tokugawa Museum, Hikone Castle, Kyoto City, Kirin Brewery, Noritake China and Toyota Techno Museum, and also the farewell gala dinner were scheduled. The post-festival homestays at Shizuoka, Gifu, Mie, Nara, Ota-Gunma, Tokyo and Nishi-Tokyo were planned, and most ambassadors departed Japan today. Blessed with the fine weather and cherry blossoms in full bloom, all ambassadors enjoyed the programs, the meeting with old friends and making new friends, and truly felt our aim “A world of friends is a world of peace”.

I want to thank FFI for giving our club the opportunity to hold the APF and to thank Debbie Powell for her warmest cooperation. Sincerely in friendship, Hachiro KatoConvener, 2007
Asia Pacific Festival

Friendship Force of Mid-Willamette Valley Reports on WFD

Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley Friendship Force club celebrated World Friendship Day on March 11, 2007, with a multiple- interest event in Albany, Oregon. The many flags from countries where our club has visited festooned the Albany Senior Center, along with tables decorated by members’ artifacts from around the world.

Members and guests were invited to this Sunday afternoon event which began with a mini-concert by a brass quintet, playing a variety of styles of music. Following was an enjoyable time of line dancing, led by professional dance instructors. Most of those present participated in the dancing and laughter as we learned the steps, or tried to. A catered dinner followed the social hour, and the afternoon was concluded by an appeal for donations to the Legacy Fund.

Dorothy Stewart, WFD Chair

Other Bloggers are Talking About Friendship Force International

Blogger Jacquielynn Floyd of the Dallas Morning News talks about her conversation with two FFI ambassadors, on an exchange from Brasov, Romania to Dallas, TX. The two Romanian ambassadors also happen to be journalists.

Read the full story here.

World Friendship Day in South Taranaki, New Zealand

An inscribed granite rock was the project instigated to commemorate twenty years of Friendship Force in South Taranaki being engraved with the 34 Inward Exchanges welcomed by our Club during this period.

Mayor Mary Bourke honoured us by unveiling the rock, especially as she chaired the inaugural meeting held in Hawera in July 1996.

A social time and afternoon tea concluded this special event.

Friendship Force of Southern New Jersey Celebrates World Friendship Day

45 members of the Friendship Force of Southern New Jersey weathered an ice storm to come together and celebrate World Friendship Day. Guest speaker, Mr. Ricardo Diaz Soto, led a discussion and answered questions regarding current events relevant to the Southern New Jersey club.

Afterward, the club shared a 30th anniversary Friendship Force cake.

Friendship Force’s Rose Schultz on the Front Page

Friendship Force ambassador Rose Schultz from Ottumwa, Iowa was profiled in the Ottumwa Courier for her work with AARP and FFI, not to mention her incredible gardening skills.

Given Rose’s active background as a physical education teacher and a master gardener makes her a perfect fit for FFI exchanges. She also understands that FFI is more about the people and not so much the places.

To read the complete article in the Ottumwa Courier click here.

Here is news from Montgomery, Alabama…

Shirley Jensen writes about Motgomery’s WFD 2007…

It was outstanding – decorations, entertainment, eclectic ethnic attendees, young adults participating, Thai food plus gobs of Southern traditional dishes (celebrating incoming of Thailand teachers and business owners, etc.)We had our (30th Anniversary) home hosted guests with us – Texas, Wisconsin, California, Michigan, Slovakia.

Lovely young Chinese girl did a presentation of an interpretive “dancing with the wind”. Had young sax player and older pianist entertaining at different times.

FF of Southeast New York in the News

I noticed in the Times Herald-Record newspaper that serves Hudson Valley and the Catskills in New York that Friendship Force of Southeast New York is looking for families to host ambassodors from Cyprus the first week in July.

I hear they have a variety of activities planned and I am sure it will be a great experience. If anyone in the Southeast New York area would like to participate get in touch with Francine Quigg, Sue Anthony, or Adrian Reynolds.

Congratulations to the Southeast New York club for doing such a great job at publicizing the exchange!

To see the actual Time Herald-Record article click here.