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Clctober 2011
Messase frorn the Council Leader
2fc11WG FF CALENDAR
1016 Community Service
Kid's Aid
1A113 Community Service
Kid's Aid
1O113 FF General Meeting
Program
6:15pm, Comm Hosp
Taco Bar, $S/pp
1Ol
19 Armchair Travelefs
Presents ;7 .34 pm at
Colorado Mesa
University's Maverick
Center, Room 155.
1
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19 Community Service
Kid's Aid
10125 Community Service
Kid's Aid
1111O FF General Meeting
Program: Romanial
Germany Exch Report
6:15pm, Comm Hosp
Soup Supper, $5/pp
1218 End Of Year Potluck
6:15pm, Comm Hosp
lnitiation of 2O12
Leadership Council
Bobbie, Mircea, Sue, Maria
Hello Friends
-
Romania
- I'rn back!
The fabulous exchange to Eastern
Europe was educational, enchanting and memorable. The
twelve U.S Ambassadors ffaveling made a "Delightful
Dozen". We not only nnade new friends in Europe but
enjoyed each other's compaay throughout the trip. Our first
week was in Sibiq Romania. We were welcomed by "Warm
and Friendly" folks from Friendship Force. Sibiu dates back
to I l9l. Sibiu was oile of the oldest centers and was
importaut econcmicall.v and culturally to the areas in
Transylvania. !V'e spent a *.sek enjoying history, great food
and socializing. The second week we spent in Prague. Our
tour guide, lrena' met us everyday at the Rott Hotel to take us
on historical walking tours, to enchanting castles and sacred
buildings - small and large. Prague is an unazing city of
architectural diversity. The third week \Me were welcomed by
the Vogtland Friendship Force. Eastern Germany was green
and [ush; with astounding history in every village, town and
city. The Vogtland dub shovred us the "Best of the Best" of
their area. Stay tuned for the official "Presentation of Eastern
Etrrope" in November -w-here you'll hear the rest of the story.
Time is marching on and the council has many tasks to ccmplete before the end of 201l. One
of the top priorities is selecting a'Nominating Committee" for ZA1,2 Iradership Council
members. If you're interested in serving on the Nominating Committee, please contact me.
Enjoy this beautifrrl fall weather! In Friendship, Sue Ptlmer
Next FFI Regular teeting will be Thurcday, October {3ih, 6:t5 PM,
Gommunity Hospital - dowrrstairc Gq*ererrce Rsana
Our Gouncil tembe;, AlSr* Wade will giye a prescntation on her trip
to Argentina!
Taco Bar sen ed at 6:{5 shartr, $5lpp
TRAINING ANNOTINCEMENT
!
We're still looking for a few good rnen and vyomen to leam tmr to conduct a successful Exchange,
/t'e will be offering an Exctrange Director'stfhrkshop mr Satur&y, Jantrary 24|fi,2A12. Workshop
will include lunch arvC all materials. Leam hor* to navigate a success*.rl Exchange, both as lncoming
for this FUN learning
ED and as Outgoing ED. Contact Phil, 216€804 or
opportunity.
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Don Pilarski
Susan Moyer
Sue Smith
Alyse Wade
Linda Smith
Arlyne Faulkner
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Council Coordinator
Secretary/Historian
Treasurer
Exchange Coordinator
Membership Coordinator
Pu blicity/Newsletter Coordinator
Newsletter
Webmaster
Sue Palmer
Cindy Beckage
Verna Bunn
PhilSrnith
Bobby Rickerd
Lin& Smith
Alyse Wde
Vacancy
241-9122
4244419
242-5929
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4244851
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spalmer2402@msn,com
deserhrrnnl Ol @vahoo. com
vbunn@bresnan.net
smithoico@earthlink. net
igotewebabe@ bresna n. net
smithqico@earthli nk. net
aswad@bresnan.net
Notes From Your Leadership Gouncil:
Friendship Force members enjoy the pictures and reports &om those who have made trips to foreign
destinations, They bubble over with enthusiasm and wear Cheshire cat smiles- However there is another side
that carries a responsibility.
We reciprocate by hosting. We show them our beautiful scenery. \Ye invite them in our homes. We entertain
them with welcoming parties and dinners. lVe enjoy them and introduce them to our culture. We learn from
them.
Home hosting takes a little effort but it can be so rewarding- Your visitors may be a little anxious, but there are
no strangers in Friendship Force. Possibly, they are not proficient in Englistq but someone in their parry will be.
Then Barnes and Nobles has an ample sllpply of dictionaries. Try hand sigrrals. You can usually elicit a good
laugh if nothing else.
Don't have the facilities for home hosting- Can you drive, do a dinner, sr eveil take someone out for pizza? Use
your talents. Make a small souvenir for them to take home. The possibilities are endless. Remember. "Mi casa
es su casa"--Alyse Wade
Meet Susan Lane
I was born and raised in Glenwood Springs. I was ruppose to be born on April 28, but SURPRISE I arrived on
February 29th, Leap Year. Ithouglrt my Mother could have waited another day so my birthday would come
lvery year and not every fourtL but she said that I was in a hurry.
My middle name is rather unusual so when I was at that "smartis" age, I askd my Father why they called me
that. He said that it was his favorite teache/s name in first grade in Collbran. He hoped that I would also be a
teacher, My reply --"Never"!"
lollowing college at Gunnison I taught first grade for two years in Gallup, Nlr4 srbbed two years in
Carbondale, taught fifth for two years, fourth for 24 years and my final year was in second grade in
Carbondale, My husband was a middle school social studies teacher. He passed away five months after
retirement and just after we'd moved to Grard Junction. Our daughter is also a teacher, (ahhough we advised
her not to go into education) in Deerfield, MA She marrid this June 1lth in New-Hampshire to a fellow
teacher. I substitute teach and also babysit for two delightful small children" I like to work in my flower
garden, taking photographs, dolng crafts and quilting- I also enloy cooking. I walk my dog 2-3 miles, seven
days a week and have recently joined Silver Sneakers and a yoga class.
My daughter got her masters in teaching at the Universrty of Ausrralia where she went by herself and not with
college program from the states. Although t had a terrible fear of flying I went to New Zealandto visit her
while she was in college. I also went to Australia while she was teaching there.
I am enjoying meeting the people in Friendship Farce and lisedng to the programs
and adventures that you
have while traveling.
6R4ND ,IIESA ANNUAL HT6HWAY CLEANUP
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow kept our volunteer Ffighway Cleanup Crew Aom fulfilling their obligation on
op of Grand Mesa on September 17th! Smokey the Bear would have been proud of that hardy bunch, toiling
along 2 miles of busy highway, fighting wltures over stinky road kill, and sloshing through leech infested
waterways to pick up refuse. You can thank the following people fcr risking wet feet and colds, so that
Friendship Force of Western Colorado can hold their heads higt\ knowing that our designated state highway
miles are now- clean and fresh smelling: Bill Bailey, Nd and Verna Bunn, Sue Moyeq Kathy Nielsen, Gunilla
Bishop, Kathleen Davis, and yours truly, Cindy Beckage Thaaks also gws to the Council for the lunch.
P.S. Even though Sue Moyer lead some of us astray on the x-ay home, causing others to wait in agony
Iunch.
for
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coffiTyr{AppENrNGs
Armchair Travelers Presents
on lVednesday, October
lft[
7:3O PM aa Cotrorado Mesa
University's
Maverick Center, Room 155-
,vlesa Countv Concert Association Presents "The Unexpectd Boys" on Thursday October 6th, 7:30
PM at the Grand Junction High School Acditorium. This is an award-winning tribute to Frankie Valli and the
a
Four Seasons with familiar songs from the 6Os. Tickets are $25.00 for each corc€fi, or $50.00 for the complete
six concert series. Tickets may be bought at the door.
Bucket List Dreams bv Alyse \ilade
On my retirement, reflections of what I could do with the free time elicitd mixed feelings. What about all those
books I never had time to read orthat exercise regimen I promisd myselfl Don't forget all those projects. Wait
a minute. This is not sounding like an exciting retlrenrent. Where are the new horizons? Remember how I
longed to visit exotic places and mee* interes*ing pmple. I don't want to give up on that, but my finances are
limited and I don't want to travel alone.
Luckily, I was introduced to a wonderf.rl group of people whose gcals and passions appealed to me. How did I
meet them? A lady I met on my second carffir invited me to a meeting of Friendship Force. t joined that night.
Since then a new world has opened for me.
I trave had more amazing
adventures than
I ever dreamed possible.
I
Ctreat Wall and boating dovrn the Yangtze River. More importantly, I
remember the grandfather watching his toddler grandson feeding birds in a parh the visit to the home of a
doctor and his wife, and how much the Chinese love ttreir chil&en and revere their elders. Despite language,
culture, and other factors there was a boad of respect and commonality.
will never forget standing on the
A whole book could be wriuen about Grmany. My hostess in Berlin told rne about tryrng to get to her sister in
East Berlin when the sister was in the hospital. In Herne my hostess had a dinner and invited her two brothers
and their wives. I asked ifthey knew any patriotic songs. Silence fell- Then the discussion turned to how heads
had been turned by the frenzy creatd by appealing to crowds with songs and marshes. How different I feel
vhen I hear the National Anthem or C-pd Bless Amsrica. Finally, there was the retired couple who did not speak
much English. The gentleman rryas driving three ofaur ladies in the goup when we let him know we needed to
*Go in
make a stop. He drove us to a wooded area and said,
the wmds." Nowthat's something I understand.
This is representative of some of,the trips I have taken with Friendship Force. Now I am packing for another
tnp.Incredible people await to be meet . It's faces not places.
WGFF Kid's Aid GOilHUIIITY SETVIGE
WCFF Community Volunteer Tearns have bqun their wekly bsks o{ prov*ling weekend backpacks filled with
food for District#51 scftoolchildren. 75 weekly scfrol-requested backpacks uere filled and delivered to the
Thunder Mountain Elementary Scfrool ad Grand ifesa Middle SchmlAgain, Kid's Aid is a hone grotill, grass roots, rpn-profit organization in Mesa County trat is all volunteer-run,
created in2ffi7. Kid's Aid provided weekend rneals for over 1,500 "at-risld school cfiildren in Mesa County
last school year with more anticipated reqLesB for &is scfrool 5rear.
WCFF's goal is to provide "Frierdship Fore Volunter Tearns", 2-3 members on each team that rotate tums
on each week of the month to fill fie backpcks with food requests for at-risk cfiildren from two District #51
schools, the Grand Mesa Middle Scfmf ard Thunder llhrntain Ebrner*ary School.
' interested in flnding out npre about t(A and fur WCFF en lelp, contaci Phil andlor Linda Smith. By
involving ourselves as a "FF volunteer team" we can further the meanirg of Friendship right here at home.
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SpecialThoughts and Prayers to Ruth and Harold Moss. They lost their son, Lyle, in a small
plane crash on Friday,9 /3O/Ll in Grayson, Kentucky. Lyle,61, was an ER Doctor.
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The Niagara Falls Friendship Force Canadians are getting geared up to return the hospitality to our club. Plans
will include viewing the beautiful Niagara Falls in Ca*ada- Magara Park Tours are planned to engage in the
history of the region; explore the park; enjcy a short walk to the bottom cf Bridal Veil Falls to feel the mist and
much more. The area offers rcany diverse activities and u.e'll end the w-eek by celebrating "Canadians Celebration"
on July I - lots of fireworks and ftn!
lulv 2 rve ieave to the fascinatir-rg c.it.v of i\.{iiwaukee, llrisconsin. There's
a festivai everyiveekend throug}rout
he vear and the Greater Miir.vaukee Friendship Force is pron.risin,s a fun-filied u,eekl!! Th* club is planning a
BANG-I-jPcelebration-caiied j..:., ..:;=,:,:_ .:1,,;, trYe'll aisonreetnewandoldf]iendsfrom
Charlotte i-lorth Carolina CIub- who'll also be enjoyin_e the week w'ith us.
Both irjiagara Canada and &{iirvaukee c['.-rbs can only acccnrmodate 1.{ AmbageadqrE fr*m our club
ASAI). I rvili have an estimate of ihe prlce at the October l4eeting.
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so sign up
Please sign up EAB.LY to travel r.+,ith us in2012 to liiagara Canada and l{ih.vaukee (fllurlotte llorth Carolina
Ctrub u'ill be jrsirring us ir Ir{ih.vaukee.) 1Ve'il celebrate Independence Day -,i.ith o}d and nerv #iends in both
a{eas. For ruore dctails eontact Sue Palmer,2ll-9172 cr Bobbie Rickerd, at 424-0851 or e-mail.
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This "Special Exchang e" in 2012 is offering an array of activities for visitors from around the world. The
following is some of the ideas to showcase our beautiful area.
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HII(E IN THE COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT,S OUTSTANDING BEAUTY
MOLBiTAIN BIKE WORLD CLASS KOKOPELLI TRAIL
RAFT THE MIGHTY COLORADO RI\.ER THROUGH CTORGEOUS RED ROCK CANYONS
JEEP IN THE MAIESTIC SAN
ruAN MOTINTAINS
ROCK CLIMB FANTASTIC TNDEPENDENCE MONLMENT
I'm looking for your help to sarve on the *Planning Committee" to stere ideas ad tasks forthis exciting
exchange. We will need to kgio pre-plannirg rcw for this very large and exciting Exchange. Interested
memberc please call Sue Palmer - 241-9lXL or 260#53 or o-mail: splrer2402@msn.com
Friendship Force Pledge
As a member of the Friendship Force I recognize that I can make a difference,
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 knowthat ethers will be watching me.
! know that through my example to my own fellow citizens and the people of other nations,
The cause of friendship, love, and peace will b furthered" I can make a difference
I recognize
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Friendship Force International
Western Colorado Chapter
P.O. Box 3665
Grand Junction, CO 81fl)2