Unless otherwise noted, Quarterly Membership Meetings begin at 6:30 PM on the first Friday of March, June, September and December. The business meeting and presentations are followed by a time to socialize, with light refreshments. The December meeting is traditionally our Holiday Party and the meeting where official business and election of officers takes place. Members, guests, and interested persons are invited to attend any of our meetings. Location and details will be published in the newsletter, and provided below.
In concern for the health of all our members, the Board has decided to restrict all FFFW meetings to attendees who have been vaccinated. Please do not join our meetings until you have been fully vaccinated. Masks are optional. Thank you.
Check back soon for more details.
Board meetings generally are held at 2:00PM on the third Saturday of each month at the Benbrook Public Library, 1065 Mercedes St., Benbrook, TX 76126, and are open to all membership. No Board meeting is scheduled for those months with a quarterly meeting. Contact an officer or Board member for information, if you wish to attend a Board meeting.
Note that Board meetings have been moved from 3:00PM to 2:00PM until further notice, to accomodate those who drive longer distances during the winter months.
Ethnic dinners occur monthly, on the third Friday, except during quarterly meeting months. Meeting time is 6:00 PM, unless otherwise noted. If possible, please contact Judy Williams (817) 560-9316 [text, not voice] by Wednesday prior to the dinner, unless otherwise noted below, in order to assist in determining a reservation count.
Restaurants have come and gone. Do you know of a new ethnic restaurant or an old one that we haven't visited in a while? Contact Judy Williams and let her know. She would really like to have your suggestion.
The next Ethnic Dinner will be in October, since we have a Quarterly Membership Meeting in September.
Check back here for details about the 2nd week of October. Members will receive an eblast.
Join us for good food, good friends and lots of good conversation. Guests and interested non-members are always welcome.
We have not been assigned an inbound journey for 2024.
Tuxtla Gutierrez, MexicoWe hosted fifteen ambassadors from Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico in early June. They were great fun to be with, and had a great time in Fort Worth.
Linda Doyle did an excellent job of organizing the Journey with help from a number of members.
New Zealand, November 8-21, 2024
Yes! Once again we will be journeying to two clubs, Northland and Tarangua, with a possible pre- or post-journey tour of the South Island. This is a "don't miss it" opportunity. This journey will be popular, and the best way to make sure you are included is to volunteer to be the Journey Coordinator or Assistant Journey Coordinator. Contact Linda Doyle soon to let her know you are willing to assist with the Journey.
Guadeloupe
Our journey coincided with Carnival and several of our ambassadors attended it in person. Others viewed the activities on TV.
Our hosts were very gracious, and lots of fun to be with. They gave us an extensive experience of the island, including bus tours to North Grande-Terre and both north and south Basse-Terre.
During our second week extension, we stayed in a guest house, and filled in some of the places that we didn't get a chance to see during our hosting experience, including two museums in Pointe-a-Pitre.
We will be sharing our experiences at a future Quarterly Membership Meeting.
Memphis, TennesseeThe Memphis club will be visiting us next May, and we want to really show them around Fort Worth. We will need 8-10 hosts to accommodate 12 ambassadors, so if you are willing and able to host a person or a couple May 7-13, or if you would really like to become immersed in the Friendship Force experience and volunteer to be the Journey Coordinator, please contact Linda Doyle.
Sarasota, FloridaAfter our Journey to Sarasota, we will do a reciprocal hosting of Sarasota some time in October 2024 (days to be established). We anticipate 12 ambassadors, so if you are willing and able to host a person or a couple October, or if you would really like to become immersed in the Friendship Force experience and volunteer to be the Journey Coordinator, please contact Linda Doyle.
Sarasota, FloridaWe will journey to Sarasota in February 2024. The Sarasota club is preparing a remarkable experience for us, which will likely include:
The cost will be $425-$525 plus travel. Current round trip is about $400.
The number of ambassadors will be limited to 13-15, and the selection process will begin Oct. 31.
Contact Linda Doyle if you are interested.
Twelve ambassadors traveled to Killispel, Montana in August 2023 for a very interesting and fun Journey.
The Friendship Force of Flathead Valley has planned some very interesting experiences for us including
The ambassadors were unanimous in their opinion that this was a wonderful Journey. Thanks to Sharon Jackson for all her efforts coordinating with the Flathead Valley club to make this happen.
Lost Oak Wine TastingCome taste some fine wines - and support FFFW in the process
Come on out and bring a friend or two. Lost Oak Winery makes some very nice wines: Red, White, Sweet, Dry. Try them all!
Cost is $15 per person
You can bring your own snacks, or purchase something there ($9-$30).
RSVP to Connie (817) 875-2381 by text or voice mail NLT Friday, September 15.
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If you have an interesting place, within 150 miles or so, that you think our club would enjoy, and would be willing to help organize, contact Jeri Edmunds (682) 559-9335. We can put it on the list for this year or next.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, FFI and other groups created numerous interesting and entertaining opportunities for Friendship Force members to help us stay involved in international "virtual" cultural events. Many of these activities, including the Book Club, are still going on, post pandemic. The latest Virtual Experiences are available HERE on the FFI website, or go to your My Friendship Force member portal.
FFI also includes a time zone converter link on appropriate Virtual Experience blog entries.
International Game NightDue to unforeseen circumstances, our game night has been postponed until later this year. Check back here or watch for an eblast later for an update.
It's time for a repeat of our last very successful and entertaining International Game Night.
Bring your favorite game with an international origin and share it with your FFFW friends. It's surprising how many "American" games come from other countries. If you want, share the history of your game. Also be prepared to explain the rules.
We will join small groups of appropriate size and play the game the group chooses.
Our last game night was several years ago, and everyone had a great time.
Guests are welcome to join us.
Contact contact Jeri Edmunds (682) 559-9335 for more information.