Hang in there!  Spring is on its way … and so are warmth, flowering, and light-filled days.   We're already warmed up just thinking about our general meeting on March 12 when Martha O’Bryan and Katie Foley will offer their dramatic slide show of Australia, along with a few more remarks about the Friendship Force international meeting they attended.  There is no need to bring desserts to the March potluck dinner because Martha and Katie will have a surprise for us.

FF-Louisville's 2010 Exchanges!  FF International has announced that our club has been selected for an outbound exchange to Flanders, Belgium, in July 2010.  This is a fantastic opportunity for those looking for rich travel experiences.  Also, in September 2010, we will host an incoming FF club from São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil.  São Jose is about 300 miles inland from São Paulo.  Our board of directors has approved these offerings.  So, we’ll be looking for exchange directors to guide these events.  Are you interested?  If so, let us know, and we'll let you know the next steps.

New Logo.  We’re also excited because we are well into the process of changing our club’s logo and appearance to the new FFI logo.  We’ve looked at many options, consulted a number of members, and selected what we think are the best values – good quality and affordable prices.  In the coming months, we will be ordering new Friendship Force of Louisville polo shirts, name badges, logo bags, club banner, and even notecards.  The changeover will take several months, and we hope you will be pleased with the new, energized appearance of these items.  Be on the alert for future announcements.

Special Events.  So many members had asked for something to help keep the Friendship Force spirit going throughout the year.  Many thanks to Martha O’Bryan and Katie Foley for their work on special events for the months when we do not have general meetings.  They have come up with some interesting and fun ideas on how to make the Friendship Force motto come alive for us.  Read about their special cultural event for April in this newsletter.

“Changing the Way You See the World – To Explore, To Understand, To Serve.”