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Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! Everyone's Input is Valuable: FFSFBA General Meeting Survey
Contents
Exchanges
Have Many Echoes; Visit
to German Consulate;
Madison,
Wisconsin Incoming Exchange;
Area
Coordinators Meeting;
Area
Group Activities cont: Election; New Members' Reception; Holiday Luncheon; Thank You! |
Vol.
24 No. 4 SAN
FRANCISCO BAY AREA NEWSLETTER PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE The life’s blood of any organization is its new members, and, fortunately, FFSFBA has been attracting some. With the combined efforts of the members, new member receptions, and the speakers’ bureau, we are starting to attract folks again. So that the new members feel wanted, the Board has set aside up to four slots on the next exchange for our new additions. The organization wants our newest additions to experience the glories of meeting exciting people and visiting new places. 2008’s outbound exchange is to Eastern Canada. The club has just gone through its once a year struggle to find new officers. Our bylaws have term limits to ensure new blood at the most important leadership levels—president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Unfortunately, our able committee had to endure too many negative replies before they were able to attract what I see as an outstanding set of prospective officers. Why is that? Why does an organization that lives up to goals, gives its members something to believe in, and is successful in trying to establish world peace have so much trouble finding leaders? Yes, I know that we have an aging population. Yes, I know that many have family obligations. Yes, I know that everyone has some health issues, but folks, what we do in this organization is important and beneficial. I can also say, satisfying. By working with your fellow members in leadership roles you become aware of their complex attributes. You get to be creative, speak your mind, take responsibility for your actions, and give back to those who have helped you in the past. Being on the Board is challenging, fun, and fulfilling. A day of accomplishment, an event with your stamp on it, and a year of contributing your expertise is a great way to spend your time. So remember, next year when a person from the nominating committee calls, say YES. See you in September at the San Francisco Main Library. In friendship, —Barry Rader, President EXCHANGES HAVE MANY ECHOES Dave & Dee Gustavson enjoyed hosting a Friendship Force family from Mexico in late August. Dee met them in 1999 at a Tuxtla-Gutičrrez, Chiapas, Festival. Mavi, Enrique, and daughter Silvana Ramirez arrived by Amtrak from a week in Reno and another in Whidby Island, where they were participating in Friendship Force exchanges. Silvana is starting an exchange program that puts her at Santa Clara University for one quarter, studying industrial engineering as a Junior. We all kept busy with helping her find a room and furniture and choosing a laptop computer, and then moving her into her room. It was amazing how many people were so helpful, and how many lucky events conspired to make things work out well!. For example, the room she chose is very nice, and very close to campus—and it was the result of a contact through a neighbor of a host in Reno! And someone at a garage sale in Sunnyvale drove to Redwood City to get some things Silvana could use. It has been a great example of how Friendship Force not only starts friendships around the world, but maintains them.
VISIT TO GERMAN CONSULATE Our visit to the German Consulate at 1960 Jackson Street in San Francisco has been rescheduled for September 10. Karsten Tietz has agreed to answer our questions about Germany. I hope that all of you who originally signed up for the July date are still able to attend. Please RSVP to Sara Turner by Thursday, September 6 by email or phone. Please indicate whether you plan to meet the group for lunch at 11:30 a.m. at “Left at Albuquerque,” a Tex-Mex restaurant at 2140 Union St. Those who RSVP will be emailed directions to each site. Hope to see you on September 10 in San Francisco, (and also on Sunday, September 23 at the F.F. General Meeting at the S.F. Public Library at 2 p.m. Come and meet the Ambassadors from the Madison, Wisconsin exchange that day!) —Dee Gustavson, Exchange Director for Germany
GERMANY IN OCTOBER The departure time is approaching! The home-hosting lists have been sent and all twelve ambassadors from the FFSFBA Club have communicated with their hosts in Chemnitz and Hannover, Germany. We’ve been diligently studying our German phrasebook and ordering German Rail Passes. The Hannover train station will be the meeting place for us and the 13 ambassadors from the Rocky Mountain F.F. Club (from Estes Park, Colorado) who are sharing this exchange with us. We leave on September 29, hopefully in time to experience an Oktoberfest while in Germany. The added bonus of attending the Berlin Friendship Force Club’s meeting on October 6 is offered to those who wish to participate. —Dee Gustavson, Exchange Director for Germany MADISON,
WISCONSIN INCOMING EXCHANGE Finally, we have the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the Madison, Wisconsin club as a “Thank You” for their hospitality in 2006. Home hosts will be in Novato, San Rafael, Pacifica, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, San Jose, and Fremont, which will give the Ambassadors a wonderful opportunity to see many areas of the San Francisco Bay Area club’s communities. All members are invited to attend all the events and outings that have been planned for the week. Please contact Gail Boyd, Exchange Director, for information if you have an interest in attending any activity. Here is the calendar for the week: SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES 9/19–9/23 Tuesday 9/18: arrival Wednesday,
9/19: San Francisco city tour 9:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Thursday, 9/20: Free day with hosts. Pot luck dinners. Friday,
9/21: Filoli Gardens tour 9:30 a.m. Lunch at Filoli Gardens.
Saturday, 9/22: Free day with hosts. Pot luck dinners. *Sunday,
9/23: Farewell Party at 1:00 p.m., San Francisco Public
Library. Monday, 9/24: Departure *Please note: Since this is not a Library Sponsored Program, do not call the library. The location of the San Francisco Public Library is 100 Larkin St. Use the entrance at Grove Street. Enter 30 Grove St., proceed downstairs to the Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room, located on the Library’s lower level. Street parking is available on Sundays, with no meter fees. For information, please contact Gail Boyd. At this time may I extend my thanks to club members who have opened their homes to Host, as well as Day Hosts and Pot Luck coordinators. A special thanks to the exchange committee, who helped plan the week’s activities, spent hours preparing our exchange booklet, and to hosts for all their great ideas planning for this exchange. During this exchange, the Madison Ambassadors and I are looking forward to seeing many of our members. —Gail Boyd, Exchange Director
FFSFBA
ANNUAL MEETING
FROM
THE NORTH Golden Gate Public Transit: 415-332-6600
Caltrain Tranport: 800-558-8661
Bart
Transport: 510-788-2278, TTY 510-839-2200
ANNUAL PICNIC AT PRUSCH PARK
Prusch
Park picnic—checking out our Friendship Forest are: Rita Hammer,
Dick Hammer, Our annual picnic at Prusch Park, this year on June 24th, brought out many members and several new faces. For the first time, we met inside the hall, and the indoor venue gave us the opportunity to hold a brief business meeting and to hear (actually!) a program. We love our Prusch Park, but the noise of all those intersecting freeways makes communication difficult in the outside picnic areas. After catching up on all the current business, we enjoyed Steve Smallwood’s lively account of his and Lois’s exchange to New Zealand with another chapter. Natalie and Ivan Heling accompanied them on that trip, also. Of course, most of us sauntered down to the Friendship Forest to check on the status of our trees and to admire the recent efforts of our foresters to clear the annual weeds. The park has added some attractive new structures—a uniquely designed children’s playground and a barn-shaped gazebo—that carry out the farm theme and make the park more user friendly. Our own club’s memorial benches should be installed in or near the gazebo soon so that we can admire them at next year’s picnic. —Karen L. McCready AREA COORDINATORS' MEETING The August 14th meeting was postponed, and the new date has tentatively been set for Tuesday, October 30th. June Cademartori will contact the coordinators about the new time and place.
A R E A G R O U P A C T I V I T I E S
Martha
LeRoy, Rita Hammer, Ed Shannon, and Gerry Shannon at the Mongolian
restaurant. A TASTE OF MONGOLIA: NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY COOKS Many cooks only improved the broth on June 14th when 22 members and 4 guests gathered at the Mongolian Hot Pot in Union City. We assembled from all over the Bay Area, from Marin to San Jose and Half Moon Bay to Livermore. Although the Inner Mongolia Little-Sheep Company has 700 restaurants in China, the Union City branch is the only one in America. Our enthusiastic group seemed to prove that Americans like this do-it-yourself-while-eating-out cooking, too. As our courtly waiters brought on platter after platter of fresh meats, seafood, vegetables, and noodles, we took turns ladling them into the herbal and spicy broths bubbling on our tables. After some brief instructions, all delved into the process like expert chefs, everyone now certified to cook Mongolian food anywhere in the world. Servings of succulent cantaloupe polished off the meal. As if that were not enough, everyone adjourned to Karen and Barry’s house in Niles, a mere mile and a half away, to extend our group visit and to enjoy some purely American desserts. Our experience of Mongolian culture may have been primarily through our taste buds, but it undoubtedly left a lasting impression. A special thanks to Margaret Tracy for bringing three of her friends to share the Friendship Force experience. We hope that Martha LeRoy will also join us again soon. —Karen L. McCready
BOCCE BALL OUTING IN FREMONT On August 24th, Joy Hillman and Elizabeth Shumway joined East Bay area members Lori English, Steve Cooper, Pat and Margaret Kingery, Karen McCready and Barry Rader, Dick and Rita Hammer and their son, Steve and grandaughter, Claire for some rousing games of bocce ball at the City Beach Sports Club in Fremont. After 1 1/2 hours of enjoyable but intense competition, they retired to the club Cafe for lunch. Almost everyone began as novices, but are now ready to take on any and all competition. The East Bay area group thanks everyone who participated and look forward to some more members joining us for another round of bocce ball in the future. —Rita Hammer A R E A G R O U P A C T I V I T I E S cont
FFSFBA'ers
at the Presidio Officers' Club, viewing Robert Cameron's "Environmental
Journey" PRESIDIO OUTING The North Bay area group had a wonderful outing at the Presidio in San Francisco. We toured the Robert Cameron exhibit “Environmental Journey” at the Officers’ Club. We had an excellent docent who explained the location and background of the beautiful huge pictures. This exhibit covered the Western United States. After the tour we had a lovely lunch at the Presidio Cafe. Attending were: Nancy Barnoski, Gail, Rita and Dick Hammer, Joy Hewett, Joy Hillman, Katharine Kleinke, and Elizabeth Shumway. —Elizabeth Shumway MARIACHI FESTIVAL 2007 A schedule of events for September’s Mariachi Festival was emailed to our members by Karen McCready on August 31. Several activities will take place at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose. Janis Maurry has offered to organize a group to attend a Mariachi Festival event on Sunday, September 30 in the Arena Green, next to HP. Mass is given at 9 a.m. in the park, and the music goes on all day. Admission is $5 per day. Contact Janis if you’re interested in Sunday’s events, and she will organize a time and place to meet. ELECTION The election of officers will take place at the September 23 General Meeting. The Nominating Committee has proposed the following slate of officers: President: Karen McCready Vice President: Dee Gustavson Secretary: Steve Smallwood Treasurer: Ivan Heling Other nominations may be presented on the floor at the meeting; however, nominees must have agreed to serve in the office before the nomination is presented. We are grateful to Sara Turner, Bob Cowen, and Yvonne Bretoi for serving on the Nominating Committee.
NEW MEMBERS' RECEPTION On July 29, a group consisting of board members, experienced members, new members and prospective members met in Los Altos and enjoyed an afternoon of sociability, good eating, and sharing of information at the first annual new members’ reception. We were able to hear the DVD from FFI (although the light didn’t allow us to see it very well) and hear the presentation that Karen McCready and Barry Rader have developed for use with the speakers’ bureau. After the presentation there was a question & answer period in which experienced members shared experiences with new and prospective members. We all enjoyed the afternoon, and one result was two new members for our club. —Louise Heiduk
THANK YOU! The FFSFBA Board presented our newsletter editors, Dave & Dee Gustavson, with a lovely orchid plant at the April general meeting. The editors wish to thank the Board for this recognition, which is being much appreciated and admired. EVERYONE'S INPUT IS VALUABLE! Dear members, Enclosed in this newsletter [see below] you will find a survey regarding the programs and other features of our general meetings. In the interest of attracting more members to meetings and offering the most worthwhile possible programs, please give your feedback to guide future program directors. Thank you, —Karen McCready, Vice President (Program Director)
FFSFBA General Meeting Survey Directions: Please check one or more responses on each of the following and add any specific details and/or suggestions to help us. 1. Check any of the following that might have discouraged you from attending a general meeting in the past. ___
type of meeting place (e.g., not easily accessible) ___
program ___
distance of travel to meeting ___
unfamiliar site or complicated driving directions ___
health or family obligations ___
lack of transportation ___
day of the week (usually Sunday) ___
time of day (generally 2-4 p. m.) ___
admission cost ___Other:
2. Check all of the types of programs that would appeal to you. Indicate H for high interest or M for moderate interest. ___ cultural lectures about other countries and nationalities ___ senior issues, such as health ___ reports about recent outgoing exchanges or conferences ___ travel tips, such as packing, acquiring travel documents ___ entertainment, such as singing or dancing groups ___ cultural movies ___ world religions
Please note if you would like to present a program on any topic.
2007 FFSFBA COMMITTEES EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President:
Barry Rader President@ffsfba.org STANDING COMMITTEES Activities
Chair: Darlene
Boyanich Activities@ffsfba.org EXCHANGE DIRECTORS Inbound Outbound Domestic SUPPORT COMMITTEES Exchange
Banker: Herb
Clough ExchangeBanker@ffsfba.org 2006 CALENDAR
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