March is the beginning of spring with hopefully no more freezes and Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes busting out. SXSW is upon us so be careful out there with those 300,000 visitors and closed streets. We are all ready for our incoming Journeys in April with Nebraska and May with the Sunshine coast of Australia. The Host Coordinators and their teams are planning exiting weeks of activities. We just semi-hosted four drop-in Ambassadors from Niagara Area NY after they complete their Journey in San Antonio. They have also invited us to join the San Antonio club when they Journey to Niagara NY in June. June is southern Canada sounds pretty nice. We will not have a Leadership Council nor happy hour this month as we are having our spring General Meeting/Party on March 16. It will be held at Ursula Brinkman's Clubhouse, 8218 SUMMER PLACE DRIVE, Austin, 78759. It will start at 4:00 P.M. As usual this is a partial pot luck (see below for things to bring) with the club bringing the main course and drinks. It is a great opportunity to bring those friends to introduce them to the friendship force and meet our members.
FF Austin Communications will now be coming from Google Groups where they used to be from Yahoo Groups. If you are not receiving notes, contact Joseph Hunt (joshunt@sbcglobal.net) Dues were due in December for next year and they will be $35 ($40 for new members which includes a badge) per person. If you haven't paid yet please send a check to Judy Ratliff at 1322 Nightingale Dr. Cedar Park, Texas 78613.  We are planning where to request to have Atlanta match us for 2020. We have overwhelmingly voted for Germany and Japan for an international outbound journey, but as luck would have it we did not get either. They are working on alternative International Journey locations for us. We will arrange the domestic trips on our own. In 2019 we have two international outward bound trips - Costa Rica and Turkey. We also have inbound International from Sunshine Coast Australia and domestic inbound from Nebraska. The May 2018 newsletter was distributed by email and it is also found here. Press this link to download or view the February 2019 Newsletter. Thank you Lin Hughes for preparing this for us. Please think about contributing your travel and Friendship Force items of interest to the next newsletter. Send a note to our editor Lin at for her consideration. 2019 Journeys and coordinators:
If you are a member and not receiving our Google Group communications, please send a note to Joseph Hunt - joshunt@sbcglobal.net and you will be added. Leadership Council Members - 2019 approved
Thanks to committee members:
,_.___ Interested in getting more involved? Contact any board member to see how you can help. Also, we are actively seeking new members, so talk it up with your friends, neighbors, and social clubs. Can't wait for our next trip? Visit Friendship Force International and join another club on their trip. http://catalog.thefriendshipforce.org/ We are the Austin chapter of Friendship Force International. We join others around the world who believe that "a world of friends is a world of peace". This is a people to people program to learn about each other and strengthen ties of friendship. We hope you will join us!!  CLUB PROFILE Our club was established in 1984. Our mission is to sow the seeds of friendship across the nations of the world. Since 1985 our active members have participated in Friendship Force sponsored trips to Australia, Africa, Cuba, Europe, the Far East, the Middle East and South America. In addition, Friendship Force clubs from Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Taiwan, and some within the United States, have visited us to have the Austin Experience. . Our members are adventurers who enjoy forging new friendships as we explore places around the world. We live, work and play in Austin and the surrounding communities when we aren’t traveling. A typical inbound/outbound exchange. Travel to the exchange location is usually arranged by the member. Exchanges are typically one week at each club and some exchanges may go to two clubs on an exchange. The exchange begins with a welcoming party for the arriving ambassadors. Ambassadors are hosted at club member homes during their visit. During the visit ambassadors see sites of interest in the area. The exchange concludes with a farewell dinner with our new friends. Often an exchange will include an optional after exchange tour.  http://catalog.thefriendshipforce.org/ We are committed to the following 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 others will be watching me. I know that through my own example to my own fellow citizens and the people of other countries, the cause of friendship and peace can be furthered. I can make a difference. For more information on the Austin Club or to receive a membership application eMail us at sallyscott33@gmail.com or download this link Learn more about Friendship Force International at http://www.thefriendshipforce.org |
