friendship force florida suncoast
Newsletter - December 2013
Our Website:   www.ff-fs.org
From Our President

 

For those of you who attended our holiday party - Wow!!  Wasn't it fantastic! From the delicious food catered by Marguerite's Caf� to the carols lead by Tony Mancini (our own Dan "Fitz" Fitzsimmons) and Catherine Conover to the silent auction to benefit the Friendship Force Legacy Fund, it was an evening of pure fun and friendship.  And our pianist provided music throughout the evening. We were able to raise $500 from the silent auction and cleared $110 from the 50/50 pot.   (See photos below) 

 An Important Reminder

Renew, Renew, Renew!  

Please renew your membership by January 1.  Single renewal membership is $25 and a family renewal membership is $40.  To print out the renewal form, just click here.  The form has mailing directions.   

 

We have much to be thankful for this past year. We had successful exchanges from the Ukraine and from Germany. Our programs were educational and informative. And most of all, our wonderful members have continued to help spread our mission of breaking down barriers that separate people. May 2014 bring peace and happiness to you and yours. 

Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!

 

Sandy Hoover 

No Snow  
But Plenty of Cheer at Our Holiday Party 

Special thanks to members of the Program Committee for arranging the party:  Chairperson Catherine Conover and members Ruth Samuels, Dan "Fitz" Fitzsimmons, Sage Chaney, Francine Silberman, Sandy Gourdine and Sandy Hoover.

See more party photos on our website: www.ff-fs.org, click on Photos.




Renew Now Because We've Got Dynamite Programs Planned for 2014!

Celebrate Tet with Us
Sat, January 18, 2014 at 2:30 pm, room ES 104 at
St Petersburg College-Clearwater
2465 Drew Street, Clearwater 33765.  No reservations required.

 

Tet, Vietnamese New Year, is the most important celebration of Vietnamese culture. Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse, is Jan. 31, 2014.

 

Nhan Nguyen, whose family owns Cho-Lan Oriental Market and Ha Long Bay Restaurant in St. Petersburg, will tell us how her family came to St. Petersburg, and how Vietnamese celebrate some of life's milestones, especially Tet. She hopes to bring Lion Dancers, and will bring a selection of Vietnamese New Year's sweet treats for you to enjoy.

   

Post-Chinese New Year Luncheon
Sat,  February 15, 2014
at 12:30 pm at  
Hao Wah Chinese Restaurant 
10454 66 Street N, Pinellas Park 

 We will have a Post-Chinese New Year (The Year of the Horse) celebration.  This is a buffet luncheon featuring a variety of soups, salads, meat and seafood dishes plus a Mongolian grill on which they will stir-fry your plate of selected veggies and meats.   Reservations may be made at the January meeting.   

$11 covers buffet, beverage, tax and tip.  

 
Let's Have a Party! 
Celebrate International Friendship Day 
Sat, March 1, 2014 at 5:00 pm 
Imperial Pines Clubhouse
3076 Eastland Blvd, Clearwater 33761
We will have an International Pot Luck, so start looking through your recipes!
 
Emerald Isle - Celebrate the Irish with Songs & Program 
Sat, March 29, 2014 at 2:30 pm 
St Petersburg College-Clearwater
2465 Drew Street, Clearwater 33765.  No reservations required.

          Failte! We are off to the Emerald Isle: Ireland for our March Program. Mary Thornton, an Irish lass, who still spends her summers in Ireland, will talk to us about the culture and people of her native land.   We will nibble on some Irish fare, and have our own Guy Chaney sing for us and lead us in a sing-a-long of Irish folk songs.

 

Mac & Gaby Mackenzie Honored at
World Conference


FFI President/CEO Joy DiBenedetto with Gaby & Mac
At the recent FFI World Conference, Mac and Gaby MacKenzie were recognized for their generous contributions to FFI and unwavering commitment to global understanding.   Mac and Gaby have been members of Friendship Force for 19 years, including nine years in leadership positions with the Dallas club and 10 years with our club.  Mac was our club president in 2005; Gaby was membership VP in 2009. Mac also served on the national FFI board for five years including positions as treasurer, chairman and past-chairman. 
Fun & All That Jazz at the New Orleans World Conference 

Over 700 delegates from 32 countries attended the Friendship Force World Conference in New Orleans in November 2013, including 20 members of our Florida Suncoast club.     

 

Our delegates covered just about all of the various sessions. We will be compiling our notes to glean ideas that will be applicable to our club. Thanks to all who attended the conference.

Friendship Force

Mission
To promote global understanding across the barriers that separate people

Values
Mutual Respect, Cultural Diversity, Cultural Exploration, Service

Highlights from December 2013 Board meeting

 

 1.  2014 Exchanges:   

 

Inbound

   Shelby, N.C.  

   March 3-10

 Inbound

   Ottawa,Canada       May 2-9

 Outbound

   While at the FFI   

   Conference we  

   made contact  

   with Trujillo, Peru    Club President.

   We will visit them    in November   

   2014

 2. Membership 

    122 members.

        Francine  

   Silberman, VP of  

   Membership,  

   resigned due to  

   future travel  

   plans.

 3.  Sandy Gourdine

   will research a  

   new club banner.

 4.  A Florida FFI  

     Conference will  

     be planned for  

     fall 2014.     

A New View of Ukraine and South Africa
Those of us who traveled on our club exchange to South Africa in 2010 know how much Nelson Mandela was loved by our home hosts and their fellow citizens.  Some of us are now sharing emails with them regarding the loss of their great  leader and their concern for the future of their country.  And some of us who home hosted the Ukrainians last spring are now sharing emails with them about the demonstrations occurring throughout Ukraine  and their fears and hopes. 
    Because of Friendship Force, South Africa and Ukraine are no longer just places on a map.  We are connected by friendship and what happens there is truly personal.  That is the power of Friendship Force.
Sandy Gourdine

The FFI Legacy Fund

The Legacy Fund was established in 2005 to raise donations to fund special programs to extend the Friendship Force mission of international friendship, to start new chapters and to develop new leadership for our global network of clubs.  Because of the Legacy Fund, we've been able to add 30 new clubs in the past five years including the newest clubs in Morocco, Nepal and Albania, plus lay the groundwork for other new clubs and leadership workshops. 

Our Board  

Our board is composed of elected officers and chairs of standing committees and directors of active exchanges.  They meet monthly.  Elected Officers: 

 

Sandy Hoover

President

 

Catherine Conover

VP/Programs

 

Mair Murphy

Treasurer

 

Ed Evan

Secretary

 

Oma Pantridge

Past President

 

Open Position

VP/Membership

 




See more party photos on our website: www.ff-fs.org, click on Photos.


Thanks to John Conover & Jean Choong for photos.