Vol. 19, Issue 1 Friendship Force of Western North Carolina January 2019 FFWNC P.O. Box 1425 Skyland, NC 28776 Website: www.ffwesternnc.org Next Meeting Sunday, March 17, 5:30 p.m. Mills River Presbyterian 2019 Dues Are Due The membership renewal fee is $32.00 and a new member membership fee is $44.00, which includes a one-time $12.00 fee for the membership badge. You may mail them to Jack Mullen, our treasurer, at the above address. From the Desk of the President Hello Everyone, FFWNC has a busy and interesting year ahead with some new AND renewed friendships on the horizon. Larry Harvey started a new tradition with very successful lunch gatherings in 2018. In 2019 our lunches will be planned to occur on a quarterly basis. It s a fun way to learn about other cultures and cuisines as well as a way to connect with each other. The lunches will be planned to alternate between Asheville and Hendersonville, and maybe points in between. Stay tuned for an announcement about the first one of 2019. In November Diane Tokarski, Marlene Beggs and I attended the Super Regional Conference in Charleston. It was a productive and informative time together with members of other clubs. Allison Lindsey, Director of Operations, was with us all three days; Allison provided a wealth of useful information. Jeremi Snook, FFI CEO, joined us by video and shared an upbeat message about the importance of citizen diplomacy in today s world. Out of that conference we made some good connections for future opportunities, including an upcoming day activity with the Charlotte Club and an incoming journey with Southern New Jersey. You will see a list of our exciting 2019 journeys elsewhere in this newsletter. Please continue to invite folks to check out our club. Word of mouth remains one of the best recruiting tools. And, if you re a member who has not been involved with an incoming journey, consider making this the year you do that. Being a home host, day host or dinner host can be very rewarding and enjoyable. Friendship Force is powered by the efforts and energy of our many generous volunteers. This quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sums it up nicely: Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. Mark your calendar now for the next general meeting to be held March 17, at 5:30 p.m. at Mills River Presbyterian Church, 10 Presbyterian Church Road Mills River. In Friendship, Kay
FFWNC WEBSITE Do you know you can access club information at the tip of your fingers? Our website provides current information for upcoming club meetings, contains the most up-to-date membership directory, houses information about current and past journeys, and has many more pertinent club-related items. Our website address: https://www.ffwesternnc.org Please visit the website and familiarize yourself with what it has to offer. Details on the upcoming general meeting are found in the lower right-hand corner of the web pages. In the upper right-hand corner of the web pages, the calendar for all 2019 club meetings (Board and General) is there for you. We hope you find the website to be a useful club tool and welcome your comments and suggestions. In friendship, Diane Tokarski dtokarski3@gmail.com Future Meetings Sunday, March 17, 5:30 p.m. Sunday, May 19, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 13 Picnic 12:00-3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 15, 5:30 p.m. Sunday, November 17, 3:00 p.m.* *Election of officers for 2020 Mills River Presbyterian Skyland Fire Department Mills River Town Park Pavilion Mills River Presbyterian Skyland Fire Department 2
2019 Journeys Inbound Cape of Good Hope, South Africa - Jan Partin and Larry McGaughy, Co-JCs June 17 24 Nara, Japan October 3-10 - Chuck Stevens, JC Southern New Jersey - Spring dates TBD JC TBD Outbound Canada - Medicine Hat / Calgary Region - Susan Harvey and Lynn Cigal, Co-JCs August 8 14 -Medicine Hat Club, and an optional extension August 15-21 Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper Ice Fields. There is a final two-day option on Aug. 21 and 22. Cape of Good Hope Club Coming... We are very excited to have the Cape of Good Hope joining us next year, from June 17-24, 2019! We were ambassadors there in 2013 and found the people to be so full of fun and incredibly delightful. They showed us a wonderful time and we want to reciprocate the hospitality! We still need some dinner hosts! Contact Jan at janpartin@hotmail.com or 828 606-9191. -- Larry McGaughy and Jan Partin, co-journey Coordinators 3
Sue Fernbach Originally from Vestal, New York, Sue lived in Melbourne Beach, Florida before retiring to Asheville with her husband in 2011. She graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in Elementary Education and later received a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. She was an elementary teacher and administrator in the Brevard County school system for 30 years. Sue and her husband Jim have been together for 45 years, having met during the George McGovern campaign! They have enjoyed travelling together and spent a year in Europe in 1983/84. Both strongly believe in the value of travel as a means of international exchange. Sue is a passionate advocate for raising the quality of life for females around the world. She is the Asheville chapter leader for Dining for Women, a global giving circle dedicated to transforming lives and eradicating poverty among women and girls in the developing world. She is also active in Women for Women, a local giving circle focused on improving the lives of women and girls in Western North Carolina. Carol Freeman My father was a diplomat. I grew up in Indonesia, India, Liberia and Switzerland. I attended three high schools on three different continents followed by a year in Paris at the Sorbonne. I have traveled extensively in Asia, Europe, Africa and Central and South America. After graduating with a major in international relations, I followed my father s footsteps and worked for the Agency for International Development, including a two-year assignment in Senegal, until the birth of my oldest child. Not wishing to travel when my children were young, I worked for human service nonprofits in Alexandria, VA that served an international, low-income population. I moved to Hendersonville in 2014 to care for my mother who has since passed away. I have two children and two grandchildren. I share my home with my cat Mia. I am an emerging potter and share a studio in Asheville with 19 other potters. I love working outside caring for my yard and learning about plants. 4
Friendship Force Western North Carolina 2019 Board Members Officers President: Kay Manley President-Elect: Larry Harvey Past President: Diane Tokarski Secretary: Lynne Cigal Treasurer: Jack Mullen Directors 2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 Betsy Gumpert Nancy McGaughy Marlene Beggs Carol Mullen Chuck Stevens Joe Robustelli Standing Committees Membership: Larry Harvey Directory: Diane Tokarski/Chuck Elston Journey Committee: Susan Harvey, Larry McGaughy Communications Newsletter: Ron Partin Publicity: Renee Kumor Website: Diane Tokarski Facebook: Ron Partin Hospitality: Debbie and Bob Wood Archives: Chuck Elston Sunshine: Judi Wondolowski Chair: vacant 5
Membership Application / Renewal Send to: Treasurer, FFWNC, P.O. Box 1425, Skyland, NC 28776 (Separate Application per person) PLEASE CHECK ONE: New Membership w/badge $44 per person Renewal Membership $32 per person Associate (if you are a member of another FFI club and pay that club s full dues) $12 per person $ $ $ Name: Address: Phone: Cell Phone: Email: Year joined FFWNC Date of Application TALENTS OR INTERESTS YOU COULD SHARE WITH FRIENDSHIP FORCE: Foreign languages spoken Countries visited or knowledge of Talents and skills Profession (or former) Revised 11/14/2019 6