The Annual Picnic was a great success, and our thanks go out to Margaret and Mark Dryer for their excellent hospitality. Thanks also to the organizers, Cel and Kathy, and all those who provided the excellent food and drink. Although the weather was hot and sometimes wet, there was a good turnout and we all stayed cool and dry.
Now we look forward to the next event; instead of a mystery dinner we will be having a potluck social in the hall of the Church of the Incarnation. In addition to a dish, there will be a small charge of $ 5.00 for admission, to cover the cost of the hall and drinks, but those members who bring a (legitimate potential member) guest will be admitted free, as will their guest(s). Activities will start at 5.pm on Oct 28th. Sign -up sheets will be available at the next meeting.
Looking even further ahead, the Christmas party will be held at Mamma Mias on December 6th, so save that date. Full details of the cost, and directions, will be available soon.
The membership committee has been very active, and there will be some proposals to talk about at the next meeting.
Our best wishes go to the Outbound exchange team going to Russia on the 17th Sept. We wish them safe journeys and a fruitful exchange and extension tour. It looks to be very exciting.
Finally, don't forget; The Russians are coming from October 15th to 23rd. For those of you not actively involved in hosting, or in the program, you are welcome to attend the Welcome party on the 15th, or the Farewell party on the 22nd, and meet our guests. We will not be holding small dinner parties this time as there will be an organized presentation of "The Russian Exchange" activities on the Wednesday with attendance by our guests, the public and possibly other Russian students/visitors. We have been asked to avoid filling all their spare time with organized social activities. Further details of times and locations will be published in due course.
As agreed at the July meeting, a Membership Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Rita Stoll. Two meetings have been held and it has been agreed that there is an urgent necessity to recruit new members.
Initially, a three-pronged approach is recommended, consisting of;
Details of these proposals will be presented for information and discussion at the meeting
The cost of these actions is estimated to be of the order of $1500 to $2000. While there is more than this in our account, the budget established in January allows just $300.00 for Advertising. As stated in the Budget Analysis in the last issue of the Ambassador, this expenditure, if considered to be a "one shot" charge, would be a legitimate use of what may be considered to be "excess funds" in the club account. Your approval is of course needed to spend this additional money, and the question will be put to the vote at the meeting on September 6th. (It may be considered that each new member means additional net income of $20.00 per year. Thus, if we were lucky enough to recruit 40 new members, we would recoup the above spend in two or three years).
Zutphen in the Netherlands has cancelled our outbound exchange, so we are left with an outbound to Besancon in France that is now planned for May 1st for one week. Due to the close proximity to the Inbound exchange from Murray Bridge Australia which is planned to start May 29th, we are looking into the possibility of taking a week of touring (possibly a river cruise) before the Besancon visit.
Murray Bridge (inbound) starts on May 29th.
Adelaide (outbound) will now start on September 23rd or Sept 30th
You are a part of Friendship Force history!
Since the inauguration of the Open World Program in 1999, Friendship Force International has hosted delegations each year. Over the past six years, this has brought us more than 1000 Open World delegates, with a peak participation in 2000 and 2002 of just under 300 delegates each year. In 2004, we received 238 delegates, who enjoyed an arrival orientation program in Atlanta followed by hosting in 23 different communities in eighteen different states. We consider the entire history of our involvement in this program to be a great success, both with the participants and with our local host families. Our members believe in the importance of the Open World Program and the need to expose these young leaders to the workings of American civil society.
The Center for Russian Leadership was established in Public Law 106-554 to enable emerging Russian leaders to gain significant, firsthand exposure to the American system of democracy through visits to local governments and communities in the United States. The Center's exchange programs, known collectively as "Open World", are based on the successful Russian Leadership Program (RLP) pilot projects administered by the Library of Congress in 1999-2001. The Center is physically located at the Library of Congress but is a separate, independent entity with its own governing board and staff.
The Center's major grant program for 2005 is the Civic Hosting Program, which will focus on young Russian political, civic, and economic leaders from the regional and local level. Candidates for the Civic Hosting Program are nominated by Russians, U.S., and international agencies and organizations. English-language ability is not required. Open World delegates come from all 89 Russian regions and reflect the country's ethnic and political diversity.
The overall goal of the Open World 2005 program is to provide an opportunity for Russian elected officials and emerging political and civic leaders from all jurisdictional levels to observe the American political system and effective, responsive government at the federal, state, county, and municipal levels. The principles of accountability, transparency, and citizen involvement in government are among the concepts to be emphasized in the host program.
The themes are ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES, LOCAL GOVERNANCE, RULE OF LAW, AND WOMEN AS LEADERS. Our Charlottesville theme is HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES.
Our objectives are that participants will have substantive meetings with a core group of leaders and influential individuals in the community and receive an overview of the relationships among: a) hospitals, other healthcare providers and the government, b) social services such as JABA, Region 10 etc, and c) individual citizens. Participants will meet with representatives of the healthcare industry, the business community, and other local institutions, and they will participate in community events, leading to an understanding of the role of the citizenry's and community organizations' interactions with the system.
Participants will be given opportunities to inform their American contacts about their professional activities and to share ideas for dealing with shared challenges. Open World participants include some of Russia's most dynamic, highly educated young leaders, and host communities can benefit from their insights and suggestions. Participants will take part in local cultural and social activities. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss issues of mutual concern with local leaders in their field and to educate Americans about current practices in Russia.
Through the Open World Program, the participants should:
In the words of Friendship Force International this is "A WORLD OF FRIENDS IS A WORLD OF PEACE."
We trust this will have more profound meaning for each of us as we participate in this Open World program October 15th to 23rd, 2005 here in Charlottesville. Other cities participating during the same time frame will be:
Asheville NC, Health and Social Services.
Cedar Rapids IA, Health and Social Services.
Cheyenne WY, Health and Social Services.
The Friendship Force of Charlottesville meeting was called to order at 3:30 pm at the Dryer's home.
John Webster, President, presided.
John introduced a new member, Margaret Ann Melvin. He assumed that all members had read the minutes in the last "Ambassador" and asked for comments regarding the new budget.
Comments:
Cheryl Kasper: The amount budgeted for attending conferences is over $2600. She felt that it was a lot to have to raise.
Jane Czarniak: She was in an organization the paid for a representative to attend a meeting and his/her spouse. She feels that we could pay for 1 person; no more.
Bob Schwagerl: When he went to London, the club funded $400. Past presidents know how many hours are devoted to the job. Other FFclubs our size pay for a representative and spouse to go to International Conferences.
John Webster: He was not thinking of a spouse but 2 representatives. He clarified that the $2650 would be for all conferences.
Chuck Johnson: We are not a charity but a nonprofit which would involve a tremendous amount of work and difficulty to raise money for our purposes.
Dave Ahearn: We have $5700 in the checking account. So far we have only the Friday After Five income. He received a check for $149 from the silent auction from Trinity Episcopal church. Income this year is slightly ahead of expenses.
John Webster: We need a financial reserve and cannot run it down.
Kathy Saurman: our main concern should be our shrinking membership. We should address the fall of membership from almost 100 to 60 in the past 2 years.
Jane Czarniak: We have given a scholarship each year. Why do we do this when we don't have a lot of money?
Bob Schwagerl: It is used for outreach to the community and to foreign language students. It is a small amount of money.
Betty Black: Asked if National helps in providing local promotion. Bob responded that National has hired a P.R. firm to promote the organization. By October we will have a professionally developed brochure available.
Frank Saurman: They should go further and provide ad slicks for newspapers.
Bob Schwagerl: He is developing the speakers group for attending church group meetings. The first will be at the Church of the Reincarnation in Sept.
Dave Ahearn: Membership is going to be a long term issue. Question- is it prudent to spend $2600 per year for delegates when we need to spend money to get more members?
John Webster: He would like to form a membership committee. Bob Schwagerl, Ann Farwell, Kathy Saurman and John Webster have volunteered. The first meeting will be 7:30 p.m., Aug 8 at Schwagerls. All members are invited.
Fund Raising: Cheryl Kasper reported that we have done two nights at Friday After Five. One other was rained out. She read the new procedures for the new pavillion. Workers will receive complimentary drink tickets. We are to wear our FFI shirts for identification. There will be other functions besides Friday nights, starting July 27th and going to October 13th, Thursday through Sunday. Cheryl asked for a co-chair volunteer. Barbara Kelshaw offered to do it.
Dave gave the treasurer's report for June and July. Correct Balance is $5797.79.
Membership dues is questioned. In September FFI will review methods of collecting dues in relation to magazine subscriptions.
Exchanges:
Russian Leadership Program: Will include professionals in the medical and social services areas. Margaret Anne Melvin is working on their program. We are expecting 10 - 12 attendees plus interpreters and facilitators. Hosts, function organizers and an exchange director are needed. Babs Fickes has volunteered to organize transportation for them. Cheryl will coordiate home hosting.
March 30-31, 2006 will be the Regional Presidents Conference in Charlottesville. Home hosts will be needed for 2 nights. There will be 12 couples. The International Conference will be in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2005. Future International Conferences will be: Ireland in 2006 and Atlanta in 2007. Jimmy Carter is a possible speaker in 2007.
Scholarship Fund: It was decided to give the scholarship money to the Office of International Health at UVA. They are organizing the Russian Leadership Program. We have $200 in the budget. It was agreed to support this project.
The next general meeting will be on September 6. The Christmas party will be in December at Mama Mia's restaurant.
The meeting was adjourned and the members enjoyed a delicious barbeque provided by all of the attendees. We thank Margaret and Mark Dryer for being our generous hosts.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynda Johnson, Secretary
The "Help Winneba Read" Silent Auction raised $3179. Of that, the Friendship Force Legacy Fund received 5% or $149.20. Many thanks to all who donated goods and services and bid on items at the auction. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
Presently we are participating in Fridays After Five. Lately we have been the ID Checkers which means we check drivers' licenses and band those who wish to purchase beer or wine. It is quite enjoyable as we are able to greet all who enter the Pavilion. Thus far we have "earned" $780. We will continue serving when asked until the Pavilion season ends mid-October. If you wish to participate, please phone me at 879-6148.
We are again hoping to wrap presents during the holiday season at Barnes and Noble. More information will be forthcoming.
The Ambassador Friendship Force of Charlottesville, Virginia LeRoy Moyer, Editor 1863 Thomas Jefferson Parkway Charlottesville, VA 22902-7520