FRIENDSHIP FORCE OF DAYTON, OHIO … some persistent problems like Middle East strife and auto industry crises, the GOOD NEWS is the Friendship Force of Dayton is still ac-tively involved

PRESIDENTS COMMENTS

August 20, 2009

Issue 8

DAYTON OFFICERS

Vicki Thompson, President

[email protected]

937-376-3213

Dick Graf, Vice President

[email protected] 937-937-238-3491

Gary Mitchner, Secretary

[email protected] 937-299-1663

Frank Sensel, Treasurer


DAYTON DIRECTORS

Steve Birt


Jeanne Comer


Mary K Federle


Tom Graham

[email protected]

937-885-1223

Joan Lambert


Bob Remm


Terri Stockman


Louise Van Vliet


ON THE WEB

www.friendshipforcedayton.com

(Dayton FF web site)

www.thefriendshipforce.com

(FFI web site) ALL NEW!!

August 2009

E X T R A ! E X T R A !

The year was 1979 . . . do you remember a few of these headlines?

ROSE BOWL: USC 17, Ohio State 16

Vietnam Takes Over Cambodia

Shah Leaves Iran for “Vacation”

Accident at 3-Mile Island Nuclear Plant Threatens Area

$1.5 Billion Federal Bailout Approved for Chrysler

Dudley Moore, Bo Derek star in “10”

Best Pop Female Vocal: “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” Dionne Warwick

OPEC Announces Further Oil Price Increase, 50% in One Year

Margaret Thatcher Elected First Woman British Prime Minister

New Dayton Friendship Force Initiates Inaugural Exchange with Cali, Columbia

Could it be? Have 30 years really passed? In many ways the world is a different place. Maps have changed. Technological changes have radically transformed the way many of us live, work, and communicate. Yet some things never change. Despite some persistent problems like Middle East strife and auto industry crises, the GOOD NEWS is the Friendship Force of Dayton is still ac-tively involved in building friendships and goodwill around the world. So be certain to make your plans to join us for celebrations on October 4. It will be a grand event you’ll not want to miss!

While we look back and remember the great legacy of the Dayton club, we want to continue to build on that heritage for the future. The Board and club participants spent Saturday morning, August 15, brainstorming ideas to move us toward the future. Read more inside this newsletter—and be proactive by contacting a “Goal” leader to see how you can help us step forward toward the next 30 years.

In the meantime, buy your raffle tickets for the beautiful quilt designed and stitched by our own Charlotte Paugh, AND plan to meet new friends from Switzerland and Minnesota at a welcoming potluck dinner at the Oakwood Community Center on Sunday, Sept. 27. See you then! In friendship, Vicki Thompson, President

NEWSLETTER

FRIENDSHIP FORCE OF DAYTON, OHIO

Orville Wright in flight over

Huffman Prairie, approxi-mately 1,760 feet in 40 1/5 seconds,

F R I E N D S H I P F O R C E O F D AY T O N NE W SL E T T E R p a g e 2

H elp! Muscles needed. We need more men

to help setup tables, chairs and flags for the 30th Anniversary party. This will be done on Satur-day, Oct. 3. starting about 9 AM. If you can help, please let Frank Sensel know . We will have to take down after the party too.

T hanks to all the Greenville folks who made the annual FFD picnic a success!

We had a great time seeing old and new friends and of course there was the chicken, corn, ice cream and homemade goodies! There were a number of new faces including the family from Switzerland visiting the Grafs.

N ewsletter delivery. Currently, production

and mailing of the newsletter is one of our lar-ger expenses. There are advantages to you and the Club in receiving the newsletter either through the Adobe PDF link Bill Meers sends you or from the Day-ton Friendship Force web site. If you are currently receiving the newsletter by mail and wish to receive it electronically only, please email Tom Graham at

[email protected]

B ill Blaine is doing well. He is out of rehab

and at home. Everything went well and he is making a speedy recovery. He goes out walking, at-tends meetings and made his class reunion. Keep it up Bill!

G ary Mitchner reports that the preparations

for the inbound exchange from Solothurn & Minneapolis-St. Paul are going well and are nearly complete.

He also requests that if you are interested in the Global Exchange to Australia and New Zealand in 2010 to please contact him.

[email protected]

T he Silent Auction needs additional

items. We have 17 and would like to increase it to 30, one for each year of our existence. We need a variety of items and they do not necessarily have to be connected with an exchange. Call/e-mail Char-lotte Paugh, 832-6347 or [email protected] to reg-ister your donation. Thanks for all your help. Charlotte Paugh

A viation Group Honors Volunteer

DAYTON -- Betty Darst, an aviation historian and supporter known for her portrayals of

Katharine Wright, sister of the Wright brothers, has received an award for volunteer service from the Na-tional Aviation Heritage Alliance.

The annual award is named for Ivonette Wright Miller, grandniece of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Darst, of Beavercreek, received the award Tuesday, Aug. 11, at the alliance's annual meeting. This year, Darst was a key volunteer in organizing the National Aviation Hall of Fame's Wings of Women conference which brings together young women and prominent female aviators to promote interest in aviation.

(Reprinted from Dayton Daily News)

V OLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: 1. E.D. needed for 2010 inbound ex-

change from Indonesia. Interested? Contact a mem-ber of the exchange coordinating committee (Bill Hagan, Bill Blaine, or Gene Gross).

2. Get in the "Ho-Ho-Ho" spirit early this year--Volunteer to coordinate the holiday party scheduled for December 13th at Hope Hotel! Contact Vicki Thompson at 376-3213 or [email protected]

M I SS IO N To promote global understanding across the barriers that

separate people

VA LU ES Mutual Respect • Cultural Diversity • Cultural Exploration •

Service

V I S I ON • Each individual will make a contribution to global goodwill.

• The Friendship Force worldwide network of clubs and indi-

viduals will overcome differences among people and na-

tions. • By connecting the world, one friend at a time, we

will create a world of friends that becomes a world of peace.


Friendship Force of Dayton

Strategic Planning Meeting – August 15, 2009

Members of the Friendship Force of Dayton were invited to participate in a strategic planning meeting on Sat-urday morning, August 15. The following members attended: Cindy Clay, Kendall Clay, Suzanne Cramer, Mary K. Fed-erle, Dick Graf, Bill Hagan, Joan Lambert, Helen Miller, Marian Oroszi, Charlotte Paugh, Bob Remm, Frank Sensel, Vicki Thompson, and Louise Van Vliet. The Board conducted a short business meeting, and then proceeded to conduct the planning session.

The planning session kicked off with introductions and a review of FFI’s mission, values, and vision statements, along with the current slogan “Changing the Way You See the World”, and the tagline of “Explore – Understand – Serve”. Then the members reviewed many of the club’s accomplishments over the past 30 years, including: the first Friendship Force club in Ohio; many founding members still active after 30 years; leadership role in establishing other clubs in Ohio, Michigan, Bosnia, France, and Switzerland; success of many outbound and inbound exchanges; leader-ship role in community and world-wide outbounds to Balkan region; aviation festival; district conferences; participation on international board including Chairman of the Board; recipient of every FFI award (Legacy Award, three Volunteer of the Year Awards, two Lifetime Achievement Awards, Club of the Year Award); local recognition (Founder on Day-ton’s Walk of Fame, prominent location of Peace Pole); 30 years of publishing a newsletter; excellent web site; effec-tive e-mail communication system; and the genesis and catalyst behind all the successes—“Out of the box” thinkers and doers!

Participants were then asked to brainstorm about how they view the “Current Situation” of the club. The de-scriptions included: declining and aging membership; declining exchange opportunities; diminished enthusiasm; dimin-ished participation in exchanges; lack of understanding by non-members regarding participation versus membership requirements; existence of little to no PR ; global politics inhibiting some foreign visitors (Visa requirements); percep-tion of world safety; economics and cost of travel.

Participants were then asked to brainstorm about how they would like to envision the club’s situation in the future. They descriptions included: increased membership; more exchanges to more “friendly” places and more easily reached clubs; some outbound exchanges in collaboration with other clubs; a better understanding of club members’ preferences and willingness to support various types of out bounds such as humanitarian, adventure, cultural only, or bridge builder exchanges; more age diversity with young family participation; greater interaction with local cultural organizations and foreign students; increased enthusiasm about programs within the club and among community members.

Next the participants focused on generating ideas of how to bridge the current situation to their vision of the future. While “strategic” planning is generally focused on results anticipated 5-10 years into the future, the group fo-cused on more near-term efforts that will move the club toward the “future” two years from now. The brainstorming ideas included: PR (particularly in local/neighborhood papers); changing the perception about participation (i.e., par-ticipation always equal travel; it’s something that “I” can’t do until the kids are grown, I have more vacation time, or when I retire); collaborate on exchanges; host international speakers at community events; involve foreign students and/or immigrants; establish subcommittees to expand involvement of total membership; survey members regarding what they’re willing to do to accomplish goals; talk with members about what they want; add monthly activities or events; involve intergenerational participants; act as advisors to school/youth groups for language classes, social stud-ies and/or geography classes; develop programs and/or collaborative efforts with other like-minded groups (such as Sister Cities); use inbounds as means toward local community outreach.

continued page 4


from page 3

Participants were given three votes to cast for those ideas they felt would propel the club forward AND in which they would be willing to participate in order to help make the efforts successful. The top three goals are:

Collaborate on Exchanges

Hold monthly Activities/Events

PR and Use Inbound Exchanges for Community Outreach.

Those present then split into three groups (see Notes on Goals on page 5) and dialogued about action plans to accomplish the goals. Although the day’s scheduled permitted only limited time for this important effort, each group then shared some of their key ideas and thoughts. A leader stepped forth for each area and will continue with their teams to push toward further developing their plans for implementation. Participation by other club members is highly encouraged, so find the area that interests you and let the goal leader know of your willingness to participate. Together we can build upon the heritage of the first 30 years and propel the club forward for an even more enduring legacy in the future!

MEMORIES OF A PAST EXCHANGE

I n 1997, the Dayton FF had an exchange to Bockhorn, Germany. One of the many pleasures with that club was the planting of a tree in our honor. We were also given a document showing that we were the godfather of a

German-Oak tree, planted in our honor. I (Bill Blaine) have just received the above picture of our tree after 12 years and thought those of you who were on that trip might like to see how well Helmut and Christa Bartels have taken care of it.

Those on that exchange were: Helen Miller, Murray & Jan Elsass, Ralph and Diana West, Anna Cooper, Joan Lam-bert, Don & Gwen Juszczyk, John & Sally Farnbacher, Ralph & Dawn Beasecker, Bill & Mary Ellen Hagan, Don & Sue Blaine, Jim & Wanda Ney, Dale & Wanda Rismiller, Anita Peltier and E.D. Bill and Joan Blaine.

Unfortunately, some are no longer with us, and some are no longer in FF, but all are immortalized in this magnifi-cent tree growing in Bockhorn.


NOTES on GOALS Collaborate on Exchanges

- Goal Leader: Bill Hagan

- Workshop Participants: Joan Lambert, Charlotte Paugh, Bob Remm, Frank Sensel

- Ideas:

-- Start with knowledge of clubs

--- Understand which exchanges our club members will support

--- Learn about Host clubs and numbers to host

--- Pre-Coordinate with other outbound club before proposing to FFI

---- Domestic and/or International

---- Upfront agreement for oversubscribed exchanges

-- Contributes to more economical opportunities for post-exchange tours (i.e, larger numbers of participants enhance chance for private group tours at better prices)

-- Discuss concept with George Brown

Monthly Activities/Events

- Goal Leader: Louise Van Vliet

- Workshop Participants: Cindy Clay, Suzanne Cramer, Mary K. Federle, Helen Miller, Marian Oroszi

- Ideas:

-- Include outreach efforts as events supporting exchanges

-- Annual meeting

-- Annual picnic

-- Holiday party

-- Add other events to attract those with diverse interests

--- Dinner with foreign students

---- Consider holiday caroling

---- Need to identify list of hosts

--- Breakfast/lunch socials with speaker

--- Meet with other like-minded groups on occasion

Public Relations/Uses of Inbounds for Community Outreach

- Goal Leader: Kendall Clay

- Workshop Participants: Dick Graf, Vicki Thompson

- Ideas:

-- Identify “PR Czar”

-- Develop data base of contacts

--- Media

--- Other organizations such as Sister Cities, World Affairs, international departments at Universities

-- Expand Exchange Coordinating Committee to add role for PR Czar support

-- Consider student-guided tours of campus (foreign student involvement)

-- Outbounds: work with E.D. re: preparation of articles and pictures


HURRY! PACK YOUR SUITCASE FOR "MYSTERY FLIGHT #30"

I know you would be terribly disappointed if we didn't have a friendly reminder about the "Mystery Flight #30" here in the Newsletter --and I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint you!

Hoping not to sound like a broken record, we want to again remind you of our "Mystery Flight #30"--a won-derful gala celebrating our 30th anniversary of existence in the Friendship Force: Sunday, October 4, 2009, 4:00 P.M., at the Wright "B" Hangar, Springboro Pike, Miamisburg. Ohio.

We know there may be some out-of-towners who would like to attend if circumstances were right. As true Friendship Forcers, we are offering one or two nights of home hosting for this occasion, courtesy of our very generous club members--if that would be an incentive for you. Please call Jeanne Comer at

(937) 434-5414 or email [email protected] to make arrangements or for more information.

We promise everyone a fantastic evening of camaraderie, fun, enlightenment and entertainment. Hear FFI President Dr. George Brown expound on the bright future of our great organization and how we can avoid some of the pitfalls. Amanda Wright Lane will speak about her uncles, the Wright Bright Brothers. Ms. Wright-Lane is involved in everything "aviation"; possibly she will answer some questions for us.

Invitations will soon be in the mail, probably the early part of September. We hope you will send your reser-vations in promptly--no later than September 25. And yes, you may invite your friends if you wish. We do hope to have an overflow crowd. This is such a milestone for us--there are very few clubs who have reached this point. We have invited several other nearby Friendship Force chapters to join us also. We are very proud of our 30-year history, and even though we really don't want to brag about it, we do have a difficult time keeping totally silent!

Perhaps you wonder why our club has been so successful. What has made the difference compared to other less achieving clubs? To begin with, we would not settle for second best in any category. As far as we could control circumstances, things had to be perfect, e.g., leadership, devotion, dedication, fairness, integrity . . . and that has paid big dividends. Our promise to you is to continue with this same level of achievement. With the help of our great membership ,we will continue to be one of the best performing Friendship Force chap-ters worldwide.

So please come and share the tremendous camaraderie, friendship, compassion and concern that is so out-standing among our people. We'll be waiting to hear from you, hoping you can make it. "We'll keep the porch light burnin' fer ya!"

Jeanne Comer

NOTE: Karen Sensel has agreed to coordinate the reservations for the 30th celebration. The cost will be $25

per person. The deadline for reservations is Sept. 25. But don’t wait —DO IT NOW! Your reservations and a check should be sent to Karen Sensel, 5016 Marilake Circle, Kettering OH 45429.


GETTING TO KNOW

Victor and Louise Iseli

Victor Iseli was born in 1931 on the island of Sumatra in the former Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. He was child number 12 out of 16 children -- four girls and 12 boys! He had a happy childhood until the Japanese occupation during World War II. The schools were closed for 3 ½ years and life was very difficult. When he was a young man of 19 years old, he left his family and Indonesia and worked for the Dutch Government in New Guinea for five years. Victor left New Guinea in 1955 and moved to the Netherlands where he worked during the day and attended school at night, learning the tool and die trade.

Victor met Louise (van Ritbergen) in Amsterdam, and they fell in love. Victor and Louise were married on July 3, 1959, in Amsterdam. Due to the se-vere housing shortage in the Netherlands, they decided to immigrate to the USA to start a new life together. They arrived in New York City on September 17, 1959, and so started their life adventure in the United States of America.

Dayton, Ohio was then a big center for the tool and die industry, and that is where Victor found employment as a tool and die maker. After a diffi-cult start the Iseli’s started a family and raised three children, Madeline, Alice and Victor Jr., in Dayton, Ohio. Louise and Victor became American citizens and so became part of the great melting pot of the USA.

In 1980 the Iseli’s read in the Dayton Daily News about an organiza-tion that was promoting cultural understanding. It sounded exciting and they became members of the Friendship Force right away. Louise had been presi-dent of the AFS club (high school cultural exchange organization) at Colonel White High School and daughter Madeline was an exchange student for the year program to Thailand. They always felt that the opportunity to experience foreign cultures was a privilege, and now they had an opportunity to take part. In 1981 they applied to join a Friendship Force exchange of which the destination was not revealed until the trip was full; they went

with their family of three teenagers to South Korea. It was a wonderful experience and the beginning of many more hosting and ambassador op-portunities. The hosts in Korea were so gracious and gentle, and the coun-try so beautiful, it was like walking around in a National Geographic movie. Louise and Victor say the Friendship Force has enhanced and en-riched their lives. “To know so many people around the world has opened our eyes to the beauty of different cultures and how similar we all are. To know the Muslim family in Jordan and the Jewish family in Israel just reinforces our sameness. Why can't we all be friends? We hosted FF ambassadors many times, and that was enjoyable as well. We have loved our home stays in Korea, Japan, Brazil, Kenya, New Zealand, Germany, France, Peru, Costa Rica, Canada, Great Britain, Latvia and Russia among others. We also en-joyed the friendships at home as well as around the world.”

“To be part of Friendship Force really has changed how we see the world!”

Victor Jr, Alice, Louise and Madeline

with Host Family in Seoul, Korea, 1981.

Victor Sr and Louise Celebrating Their 50th Wedding Anniversary in Alaska, July 2009.

Iseli Family Featured in 1981 Korean Maga-

zine Article, Receiving Gifts from Host Family.

P.O. Box 291992

Dayton, Ohio 45429-1992

UPCOMING EVENTS - Mark your calendars

Sept 26 — Oct 2, 2009 Inbound-Solothurn, Switzerland

Inbound-Minneapolis/StPaul

October 4. 2009 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECTACULAR Chair, Jeanne Comer

December 13, 2009 Holiday Party

2010 Inbound—Indonesia E. D TBA

2010 Global Exchange to E.D. Gary Mitchner

Australia and New Zealand

FIRST CLASS

} E.D. Gary Mitchner

Documents

FRIENDSHIP FORCE OF DAYTON, OHIO … some persistent problems like Middle East strife and auto industry crises, the GOOD NEWS is the Friendship Force of Dayton is still ac-tively involved