The Friendship Force International, Inc. was formed in 1977 by Wayne Smith with the support of First Lady Rosalyn and President Jimmy Carter. FFI was formed with a single mission: to create an environment where personal friendships are established across the barriers that separate people. A nonprofit organization, The Friendship Force International is active in more than 60 countries, promoting friendship and goodwill through an extensive program of home stay Journeys. The International Office is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Fort Worth Club was established in February 1986. Dorothy and Frank Baldwin moved to Fort Worth from Florida, expecting to find a Friendship Force club in the area. When they found there was none, they started the Fort Worth/Metroplex Club, which encompassed the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex. In about 1994, the number of Dallas residents in the club had increased to the point that it was feasible to form a separate Friendship Force of Dallas. The Fort Worth Club still encompasses a large geographic area, including the surrounding towns of Arlington, Crowley, Colleyville, Keller, Grandbury, Hurst and South Lake, and other locations even farther away.
In 2009, The Friendship Force of Fort Worth, in partnership with the City of Fort Worth, developed an International Friendship Garden. This garden, located in Bluebonnet Park, on South University Drive, commemorates each International Ambassador Journey and Host Journey in which the club has participated. The Journeys are commemorated with paving bricks containing the name of the foreign club and the date of the Journey. The garden is a gift of the club to the citizens of Fort Worth, and is dedicated to promoting international friendships and world peace.
Since 1986, The Friendship Force of Fort Worth Texas has sent ambassadors to or has hosted ambassadors from