News

Friendship Force Monthly meetings are the 1st Monday of each month at 6:30PM located at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Founders Hall 1009 Benson Street Hartwell, Ga. 30643
(Friendship Force is not affilated with the Catholic or any religious organization) Directions

 

I Can Make a Difference 

By Dave Leverette

That’s what we pledge at every meeting. I’d like to describe a few instances when I believe a Friendship Force experience did that. And that will make my case for urging us to aggressively seek the Indonesian Student program.

Mary Lou and I attended the FF King Arthur Festival in England several years ago. It was a wonderful event, but the most poignant memory is two young Korean girls, probably ten or twelve years old, who were in tears when we all said goodbye. I believe they will carry a positive impression of the English, Australians, Americans, and all the others who were there. They will remember foreigners as good people. We probably made a difference.

Several years ago Paula and Pete were the Exchange Directors for a South African group. Their ages ranged from an elderly gentleman (who loved to sing and dance) to several teenagers. They were terrified when they discovered that they were to stay with white people. One even gave Carol Ford all her money because she knew it would be stolen. Ask Carol about her response! They left with a different opinion on how things can be. I think we made a difference.

Dave Purcell headed our Open World Project. We put on a week long series of seminars on economic development for promising up-and-coming Russian entrepreneurs. It was exhausting. But those young Russians were so enthusiastic and so surprised to find that we can and do operate in an open and relatively corrupt free business environment (as compared to theirs). I think they left with a different appreciation for free enterprise. I hope we made a difference.

Our club hosted, on short notice, a group of English teachers from Indonesia. They came expecting to find a “super power” inhabited by Michael Jackson clones, who all lived in apartments in large cities, and were involved in their third or fourth marriages. They believed we practiced apartheid. They were shocked to find out that we live in country settings, that we cherish our families, and that in many ways “we’re just like them”. I’m sure they are giving their students a more realistic view of the USA. Now one of them wants to return to show her students what she saw. I know we made a difference.

The common theme in the above experiences is that they involved young people. They have their life ahead of them and they may be able to use their experiences in ways that we can not even imagine. When they do, we will have made a difference.

That’s why I firmly believe that we need aggressively pursue Indonesian Student Exchange!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friendship Force Pledge 

 Members of the Friendship Force subscribe to the following pledge:

As a member of The Friendship Force,

I recognise that I have a mission.

I recognise that I can make a difference

That mission is to be a friend to the people of the world.

As I embark on this adventure,

I know that others will be watching me.

I know that through my example to my fellow citizens

and the people of other nations,

the cause of friendship, love and peace can be furthered

I can make a difference! 

 

 

 

2010 BOARD MEMBERS

President……............Bobbie Jones

Vice Pres…............…Richard Brister

Secretary…......Jackie Kuppersmith

Treasurer..........…....Jerry Weber

Historian….........…Jeanne Andrews

Parliamentarian........Skip Walter

 

2010 Chairs

Hospitality…............Judy Sanfilippo

Membership............ Merilee Brister

Newsletter….....MaryLou Leverette

Publicity…….........… Jeanne Howe

Sunshine……........… Sandy Martin

Ways & Means….......Pat Christman

Web Site............…...Chuck Thorne

SPECIAL ORGANIZERS

Baseball.....................Bill Schafer

Club Logo Shirts........Bill Schafer

Golf.........................Dennis Andrews

            

 

 

 

 Exchanges

        

2010 CALENDAR

July 2 – 9 Baku, Azerbaijan Teachers visit FFOLH.... . Merilee and Richard Brister, EDs

Sept. 12-17 FFOLH visits NAPA CA and Sept.17–22 SACRAMENTO. Gayle Reynolds, ED

 

 

 Oct. 5 – 12 Cheyenne, Wyoming visits FFOLH.....Pat Christman. ED

 Oct. 16 – 18 International FF Conference in Washington, DC.....for information on the conference go  to www.thefriendshipforce.org Registration is now open.

2011

February FFOLH visits Adelaide and Murray Bridge, Australia.... Marti & Rich Reckdenwald, EDs

April Niagara-on-the-Lake visits FFOLH Susan & Bill Schafer EDs

 Exchange Experiences

Want to know what you may see or learn from exchanges? Well just take a photo journey of the wonderful times shared with various clubs throughout the world.(clickhere and view the slide show).

Previous Exchanges  by FFOLH:

 

 Incoming from Santa Barbara, California

Outgoing to Great Falls Montana

Outgoing to Cornwall & New Castle, England 

 Outgoing to Curitiba and Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  

Incoming from Sydney, Australia.

Incoming Auckland, New Zealand.

Mini Exchange TO Knoxville.  

 

Find out more about Travel Guard Insurance

Click here to go to the Travel Guard website