Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia June 2013 Newsletter

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Linda Stanley
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1 Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia June 2013 Newsletter Upcoming Events June 23 rd Picnic, Grandview Lake 4:30 till 7:30pm (Details enclosed; Map attached) June 28 th Board Meeting 1:30pm July 21 st, Floyd and Charlotte Hale, FFI Germany Experiences, 4:30pm, Sconti Clubhouse, Big Canoe August 18 th, Travel Trivia! 4:30pm, Simply Southern, FreeHome President s Message May 19 th we had a superior and passionate presentation by Jean Ann & Bill Miller on GEO catching. They have traveled both US & the world having a most interesting adventure. The June 23 rd Picnic at Grandview Lake will be a great time to kick off summer with a great fellowship and summer picnic. The Membership Committee and other volunteers are working on a focused material to have extensive handouts for our recruitment meeting September in Cumming and November in Big Canoe. Some of the materials being prepared: Be Sure to Mark Your Calendars! 1. Orientation Package; 2. Tips on hosting as well as being ambassador; 3. Friendship Force Big Canoe History including outgoing and incoming exchanges; 4. A one page summary of Friendship Force Atlanta Head Quarters ; 5. A one page summary of Friendship force Big Canoe N. GA Mts ; 6. A mentorship program; 7. A survey of our members for input on growing our club, feedback on optional 4 days exchanges in 2014 Morganton NC club & Lake Hartwell Club NC; 8. We have requested incoming exchange with teachers in 2014; 9. Need input from club members on Rotary Club, Business leader groups, and women s club to give a brief PowerPoint or handout on friendship force and our club for the fall 2013 spring 2014; 10. Having a printed invitation for our Sept.& Nov. Orientation meetings requesting each club member to send out the prior month a pre-printed invitation with potentially interested guest to the meeting.

2 See you at the June 23 rd Picnic! In Friendship, Fred Mullins, President Special Thanks Special thanks are extended to Bill and Jean Ann Miller for sharing their worldwide Geo Caching experiences with us! Jean Ann even led Phil and Bob to a hidden cache in rain drizzle at the Foothills Shopping Center! Thanks again! Minutes of May Meeting Fred Mullins welcomed members and guests. Louise Morgan introduced guest Grace Brown. There were 26 in attendance. The meeting opened with the Friendship Force Pledge. President Fred Mullins introduced guest speakers and early Friendship Force members Bill and JeanAnn Miller, Big Canoe residents since The Millers gave a PowerPoint presentation that gave an overview of Geocaching, a treasure hunting game where participants use a GPS to hide and seek caches. Caches are located world wide from Africa to Vietnam and all in between. The Millers noted that they have made friends in many places through this game. They explained that the rules of the game state that if you remove a treasure from a cache, you must replace it with something of equal or greater vale. You must write your name in each log found in every cache and you must log your experience at Caches vary in size, but are usually found in containers no larger than a peanut butter jar. Bill and JeanAnn were thanked for their interesting presentation and for their earlier participation in Friendship Force exchanges, noting that JeanAnn was an exchange director to Russia at one time. Membership Committee: Marie Williams said that she and Peggy were working on a handout about the Big Canoe/North Georgia Club. Help from members is needed. Also Nancy Davis and Margaret Loan are working on a member directory. Communications Committee: Charlene Terrell said she was sending articles and photos to the Smoke Signals (Big Canoe), the Pickens Progress, the echo (Bent Tree) and the Dawson County Advertiser and News. Activities Committee: Peggy announced the annual picnic would be held on the 4 th Sunday in June at 4:30 p.m. since the 3 rd Sunday is Fathers Day. The picnic is at Grandview Lodge, a rustic clubhouse in the Grandview community. Alan Johnson has agreed to grill the hot dogs and hamburgers. A sign-up sheet was distributed for members choose which side dishes they wish to bring. Incoming Exchange: Ray Bowyer reported on the October incoming exchange from Pike s Peak, Colorado. The

3 Big Canoe Community Dinner falls on October 28 and guests and hosts are invited to attend. It will be a great way to introduce Friendship Force to others in attendance and to recruit new members. The July meeting will be at the usual time and date at the Sconti Clubhouse with Charlotte and Floyd Hale presenting information on their visit to Germany. The August meeting will be at Simply Southern Restaurant located on Hwy 20 between Canton and Cumming in the Free Home Community. A game of trivia is planned. The September meeting will be in Cumming and both September and November will focus on new members. Harry Yarbrough reported that the planned outbound exchange to Hawaii with a possible week on the West Coast is still on, but members of the Hawaii club have requested the date be moved until after April 15, because the club has several tax accountants as members and they are very busy until income tax deadline has passed. Ray Bowyer moved that we accept the change; Marie Williams seconded the motion, which passed. It was noted that the original limit is for 15 Friendship Force Ambassadors. The meeting was adjourned for dinner. Respectfully Submitted, Charlene Terrell, Secretary June Meeting Rain or Shine (hopefully the latter) our next meeting will be our Annual Picnic held Sunday June 23 rd from 4:30pm to 7:30 pm at the Grandview Lake Clubhouse. Directions are attached. Alan Johnson has been coaxed out of retirement to grill some burgers and dogs. The Club will provide the meats, paper products, utensils, tea and lemonade. Feel free to bring other beverages. Please bring a pot luck salad that will serve about 16 people. If we have a good baker in the Club, we also need some members to bring a few cherry pies, and the single guys as usual can always bring potato chips or vanilla ice cream (we have access to a refrigerator/freezer). Call Peggy ( ) for more details. We will use the Phone Tree the week before the picnic to get a more accurate head count and remind you of your contribution. Feel free to bring lawn chairs and maybe a hat, sunscreen and insect repellant. Fishing and swimming may be available; if you fish I hope you will not be offended if the Club does not rely on your success or failure! Feel free to bring any family or friends! Carpool if you can as parking is limited! Let s have some sun and fun! Board Seeks Your Feedback! The Board is attempting to locate and rotate alternate meeting sites that offer a central location, good food at a reasonable cost and a private meeting room with audio-visual capabilities for our Club especially as we try to grow our membership. The Board will also be circulating a short survey within the next few weeks via ; we very much appreciate your prompt response! If you have other suggestions or any concerns please voice them to Fred or any member of the Board. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for Friday June 28 th 1:30 pm at Harry and JoBeth Yarbrough s home (1051 Hunters Trace, Big Canoe). Officers and Committee Chairs please mark your calendars!

4 Next Incoming Exchange Planning continues for the Pikes Peak Area Incoming Exchange. As things stand now, we expect the ambassadors to arrive on Wednesday, October 23, and depart on Tuesday, October 29. They will be visiting the Central North Carolina club the week before they come to us. The planning committee is now being formed. Ray and Margie Bowyer, exchange directors, would love to have someone volunteer for any committee position. At this point, we believe we need four more overnight hosts. Post Conference Homestay There is still an urgent need and opportunity for our Club to host a couple Nov th after the FFI World Conference in New Orleans. Contact Fred Mullins ASAP if you can help! Thanks! Next Outgoing Exchange Our next exchange is tentatively rescheduled for April 2014 to Kauai, Hawaii. Details on the application process will be circulated later once the dates have been finalized. Comings and Goings Club members will be especially interested in hearing in the near future about Barry and Linda Kadechuk s Friendship Force visit to China! We hear it was a truly international experience! And Phil and Jeannette Waldrop are getting ready to go on a Friendship Force visit to Washington state, British Columbia and maybe other parts of Canada and visit some great North American scenery and meet new friends! New Web Site Address The Friendship Force of Big Canoe/North Georgia web site has a new address: You may be surprised to find some dessert recipes (Apple Surprise) from our April dinner welcoming the Hamilton Ontario group. Did you know that our Club also has a presence on Facebook? Thanks to Ray Bowyer we are updating both our web site and the Facebook page. FFI News Check out FFI website for lots of information. At its March 2013 meeting, the FFI Board of Directors voted to increase ambassador fees beginning in Beginning in 2014, the ambassador fee for exchanges originating outside the USA will be US $140 per week, and the ambassador fee for exchanges originating from the USA will be US $165. An increase in the FFI club affiliation fee will be delayed until More travel opportunities are available from the World of Friends catalog which can be downloaded as a PDF file. Here is a sampling: International--Amazon October 27 to November 8, 2013 We hope you'll join us for this once in a lifetime opportunity to encounter the world's largest rainforest, immerse yourself in a unique culture, and make extraordinary friendships across borders. Contact us to apply - we look forward to hearing from you!

Paul and Pat Trotta, FF Southern Connecticut 860.426.2126, pltrotta@gmail.

5 Paul and Pat Trotta, FF Southern Connecticut , International 16 day cruise to Panama Canal and Central America December 18, 2013 to January 3, 2014 On an Enrichment Voyage, every day is an opportunity for discovery. Onboard the ship there are abundant learning opportunities and lectures given by renowned scholars and artists. Friendship Force members often collaborate to lead their own activities on the ship as well. Register through FFI to enjoy a discounted rate, with prices starting at $1,679 USD for an economy cabin. Please submit this contact form to receive further information about booking. Send questions to Laura Romero at lromero@thefriendshipforce.org. National--Great Lakes and Southwestern Michigan September 15 to 22, 2013 Send your FFI Exchange application with $100 deposit to Lyn Hargreave, 215 Sabin St., Kalamazoo, MI by June 24. There are only 20 openings, we would like representation from a variety of clubs. If you are not accepted, your deposit will be returned. Final payment of $375 due August 15. Inquiries or questions may be made to me at: LynHargreave@gmail.com or you may also reach me at (269) before June 25, June July 2 Margie Bowyer 6 Frank Garner 13 Tom Eubanks 16 Charlotte Hale 13 Charlene Terrell 18 Harry Yarbrough 19 Jerry Wall 21 Floyd Hale 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 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 Officers President Fred Mullins First Vice President Bob Anderson Second Vice President Aime Baars Secretary Margaret Logan Treasurer Robert Logan 741 Oakdale Rd. Canton, GA Membership Marie Williams Activities Peggy Anderson Newsletter Editor Bob Anderson Publicity Charlene Terrell Web Site Ray Bowyer Historian Margie Bowyer Past President Mary Ellen Johnson Exchange Directors Ray and Margie Bowyer (Pikes Peak) Harry Yarbrough (Hamilton Canada)

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