Rambling Rita

My year as President of FFC is nearly over. The year went by so quickly. Now with three years serving on the Board and 6 years as a member, I do have some experience under my belt. I have also had time to form some opinions.

The ideas of the club are creditable to both our country as well as the world at large. Everyone who has been involved with the group can agree on that subject. Most will also agree that our biggest problem at the present time is lack of growth. I feel we must develop our club on the local level. It is very important to reach out to the greater Charlottesville area.

Volunteering our services as a group could be a valuable way to reach others. Giving honorary membership to local citizens, we feel may help us spread the word, could be of great value. (Clergy, Leaders of Newcomers, Leaders of Civic Organizations, News Reporters and Realtors). Offering an outlet not available to our citizens is a great way to reach out. The Photo Contest is a great example of a way to offer a community outlet. Be one of the first to volunteer to lead an outreach project.

We have an interesting mix of seasoned and unseasoned people coming on to our board next year. Be one of the first to enthusiastically welcome them. Your support will be appreciated. Remember to volunteer before you are asked and always say yes when asked. This will make you a valued member.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Rita

Dinner Meeting January 2, 2007

The next club meeting will be on January 2, 2007 at the Jefferson Heights on Pantops Mountain Place. A catered dinner will be provided before the meeting if you desire. The menu choices are

Dinner is $12. Please make your reservation by contacting Mark Dryer at 434-978-7021 or mkdryer@aol.com

Leicestershire is set in the heart of England, and the countryside is a mixture of small rural villages and industrial towns. The City has a population of about 500,000 and is the center of "fox hunting" in England. It is driving distance from Warwick and Belvoir Castles, Stratford upon Avon and the ancestral homes of George Washington and Princess Diana.

After our homestay in England we shall take a train up to Scotland where the spectacular scenery of the Highlands await us. Starting in Glasgow, we shall follow the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond and then take the ferry for an overnight stay on the romantic Isle of Skye. Further, on into the remote Highlands, we shall visit the unique Inverewe Gardens with their subtropical plants made possible by the warm Gulf Stream. After strolling through these lovely gardens we head on past Loch Ness into Inverness, the Highland capital, where we shall spend the night. The next day brings a stop at the battlefield site of Culloden Moor and a visit to a whisky distillery, and then following the River Dee through the Grampian Mountains we come to the area where the Royal Family spends their summer holidays and we pause for a stroll in pretty Braemar, before heading on to Dundee for the night. The next day we have the opportunity to hit a few balls at the St. Andrews before visiting the Scone Palace where we shall be welcomed with coffee and shortbread and afterward have plenty of time to explore the palace's grounds. In Edinburgh, we enjoy an evening with Highland dancers and bagpipers. Our tour of Edinburgh includes both the "New Town" and the "Old Town" as well as its mighty castle. On our way back to Glasgow the next day we visit the New Lanark World Heritage Site, which by the late 1700's was already Britain's largest cotton mill complex. Back in Glasgow a final drive takes in the fine 12th century cathedral, imposing university buildings, and elegant Georgian squares built by the wealthy tobacco barons. On Thursday May 31 we head back to the USA.

The costs for the trip include $75 to the Host Club, $ 250 to Friendship Force International, and $1330 to Globus for the 7-day tour of Bonnie Scotland.

Fundraising Report for 2006

The following were the funds raised by the various activities of the club.

Fridays After Five                       $885.00
     (five concerts)
"Visions of Peace and Frienship"          $62.00
     (Photography Show)
Sales of VA Books, FFC pins, FFC pens,   $197.50
     (FFC cookbooks)
-----------------------------------------------------
Total funds raised in 2006             $1,144.50

Treasurer - Cheryl Kasper

FFI General Meeting Minutes, Nov. 7, 2006

President Rita Stoll opened the meeting, held at the JAG School.

Cheryl gave a report on the photo show, which was juried. She said that a large number of people dropped in but the showing of our members was disappointing. The club broke even financially. There are leftover photos on the back table that are for sale: $10 for the three prize winners and $5 for the others.

Donnie Ahearn reported on the Christmas party, which will be held at the Ashlawn Graill in the Lake Monticello Club House on Monday, Dec. 4th at 6:00 pm. Entrees include: sirloin steak, chicken marsala, red snapper, and eggplant parmisan.

Bob Schwagerl informed the group that the inbound from Besancon will not take place since their group will not be forming a club. They have returned the $500 start-up fee to FFI.

Rita said that now we do not have an inbound for 2007. She will call Atlanta and see what can be arranged. Bob said that there is a list of U.S. and Canadian clubs, including 4 new ones in Canada, that we could use for a possible exchange.

Our outbound trip will be May 15-22. Helen Ida and LeRoy Moyer are the EDs. We need 10 to 15 ambassadors to go. It has been suggested that we include a trip to Scotland with this exchange. Helen Ida has brochures and tourist information about the Leicester area for our information. We need more sign-ups!

Arlene Bandy showed a slide presentation of their trip to the International Conference in Ireland and the add-on trip they took afterward. 400 people attended and she saw several familiar faces from clubs that we had interacted with in the past. Margaret Dryer described their impressions of the conference.

Jennifer Thornhill, a student whom we helped sponsor to go on a People to People trip to Great Britain, gave a description of her experience on her trip. It included a home stay with an English family. She described the qualifications necessary to qualify as a participant, including service projects and fund raising.

Ann Farwell is not well. The group was asked to send her cards.

Mark announced that the January meeting will be at Jefferson Heights on Tuesday, January 2nd. The dinner will be catered. The cost is $12 for either meatloaf or chicken. Dinner is at 6:00 pm and the meeting at 7:00 pm.

Our International Meeting will be March 30th, celebrating FFI's 30th birthday.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:05 pm.

Respectfully Submitted
Lynda Johnson, Secretary

Officers for the Year 2007

     President: Mark Dryer
     President Elect: Arlene Bandy
     Vice President: Brian Bouton
     Treasurer: Bev Hankins
     Secretary: Barbara Kelshaw