Promoting global understanding across the barriers that separate people through Friendship Force International.
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Past Events

January 25, 2023 A Zoom presentation: 
Memories of Our Journey to FF Baku and FF Bursa

A group of 14 members of FFWM and Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association gathered at Walden Woods Clubhouse to watch this Zoom presentation. There were 36 watching as the ambassadors shared their favorite memories of our journey to Baku and Bursa.

January 12, 2023    9 members met for lunch at Roam by Sanchez in Grand Rapids. Many of our members are now in warmer climates!

December 2, 2022    24 members and 6 guests dined at Martell's in Kalamazoo in their private dining room for our annual membership meeting and holiday celebration. Jerry gave a year end review. Following a festive dinner we went to Miller Auditorium for a Christmas concert presented by the Kalamazoo Concert Band and the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus. It was a lovely evening!
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November 6, 2022    22 FFWM members dined at Comensoli's Italian Restaurant in Kalamazoo.
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September 15, 2022    36 FFWM members and 6 ambassadors from FF Lubeck, Germany attended a welcome lunch at Nancy Draayer's lake house. It was a beautiful afternoon!

September 6, Tuesday   18 members met at Bab el Salaam for  Middle Eastern food.
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August 23, Tuesday  17 members met at Oshtemo Township Park to eat and play disc golf. Those who didn't play hiked along for the walk.

August 6, Saturday  Let’s Eat Out was at Zooroona’s in Kalamazoo. Always nice to get together for a fantastic dinner and conversation.
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July 6, Wednesday 11 members met at Mithu Sri Lankan & Indian Cuisine, Grand Rapids for Sri Lanken dining.
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June 21, Sunday Over twenty of our club members gathered for a potluck and game day over the weekend at Walden Woods clubhouse. For the past couple years we’ve been playing games on Zoom, nice to be “live” for a change. ​

May 14, Saturday at   Tulip Time Festival in Holland. Members met at Deb Williamson's house for the parade.

May 6 Friday at 6pm.  11 members met at Bosna Express in Grand Rapids for Eastern European food.
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April 12,  Tuesday at noon.  Ol Asian Bistro, 68 W. 8th St., Holland
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February 12, Saturday    12 FFWM members met at Casa Real in Otsego for the February LEO. Great food! A lot of conversation about travels...mostly to warmer weather. 
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January 12, Wednesday at noon.  9 members met at Sheshco Mediterranean Grill in Grand Rapids

 December 6, 2021 at 6pm was our Christmas party at Martell's in Kalamazoo. We enjoyed excellent food and comradery in a beautiful setting.  Icy roads reduced our numbers to 29 members. Jerry reviewed the past year's activities and outlined what to look forward to in 2022. It was a lovely affair!



November 6, 2021 at 6pm
   Go Jo,  18 joined together at Go Jo's in Grand Rapids for a communal LEO!  Great fun!
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​October 6, 2021 Wednesday
LEO at Maui Poke in Kalamazoo. 26 FFWM members enjoyed food and friendship.

Friday, September 24, 2021  FFWM celebrated the 30th anniversary of our club.  Our program began with a congratulatory message (via Zoom) from Jeremi Snook, FFI president.  Jeanette Parkhurst, founding member of FFWM, told us about the origins of our club. We heard the story of a Syrian refugee family's journey from Homs to Kalamazoo and there were many questions for them to answer! Our FFWM choir sang "This Land Is Your Land" with lyrical adjustments made by Jerry & Louise Potratz! The food was prepared by our club members using the recipes of Marcia Ellis' mother. It was an evening of food and friendship!

Monday, August 30, 2021 On Monday morning at 7am 8 FFWM members participated in a Music Festival From Japan To The World. They sang "This Land Is My Land" written by Woodie Guthrie and adapted for our club by Jerry and Louise Potratz.
The music and art from Japan were inspiring. We saw some of our friends who visited us in 2019 and those that hosted us in 2017.


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Monday, August 30, 2021 Several FFWM members came together to make grape leaf rolls and baklava for our 30th anniversary celebration dinner in September. 

August 21, 2021 Saturday at 2:30 pm   A Lake Escape!  17 FFWM members spent the afternoon kayaking, riding the pontoon, swimming, playing yard games and relaxing at Marci & Roy's lake house after having lunch and a brew at Final Gravity in Decatur.  Dan Grinwis had the fastest wrist, Paul Franklin had the best water aim, and Peg Stanitzek shot the ball into the bucket!!! And we celebrated Lyn & Dave Hargreaves' 56th Anniversary!



​August 6, 2021
   
LEO at Stanz Cafe 
17 FFWM members and 3 guests got together in Grand Haven for a lively good time! Some of us went early to attend the activities at the Coast Guard Festival. It was a beautiful day for walking!



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July 6, 2021 at 6pm   LEOs are back!!!
19 FFWM members and a guest met at Salvino's Italian Restaurant in Plainwell to mix and mingle and catch up! Everyone was very happy to be meeting in person!
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 June 9, 2021 7pm   Game Night 
18 FFWM members and 7 FFSWFL members played a very tough game of trial pursuit. There was a tie for the winning spot! Our game nights are getting more boisterous!!


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May 24, 2021 2pm    23 members had a picnic at Johnson Park in GR! We played games and socialized in person! Some of us took a short hike. The weather was perfect!
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April 27, 2021   Michigan Trivia   15 FFWM members showed off how much they knew about Michigan. 
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March 24, 2021 7pm Where in the world? 
Twenty five FFWM members (5 teams) participated in this game. The photos used were submitted by club members. Our groups had to identify the picture and figure out where in the world it was taken!  A good time was had by all!

March 10th, 2021 7pm    23 members of FFWM held a discussion on North Korea. The non-fiction books suggested for reading were:
  • Escape From Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West, by Blaine Harden
  • The Girl With Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Lee Hyeoseo
  • A River of Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa, Risa Kobayashi
Jerry Potratz reviewed his notes from the World Affairs Council discussion he attended.  And we watched a TED talk related to this topic.
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February 24, 2021 7pm  Pan & Stan's African Adventure part 1.  30 members and 11 guests (FF SW FL) were in attendance via Zoom to hear about Pam & Stan's journey, part 1. We went from a homestay in Nairobi, Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda,  Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti in a big bus! More adventure is coming soon!   

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February 3,2021  Q&A with Lyn Hargreave about FFI's changes and new initiatives.  7pm on Wednesday February 3. Look for Lyn's invitation in your email.  ​

January 27, 2021 Game Night Trivia!  7pm on Wednesday, January 27th. 24 members of our club and 9 of our friends from FFSWFL had a good time trying to answer trivia questions. . . again!
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December 21, 2020 Monday at 7pm  37 members of FFWM celebrated at our Virtual Holiday Party with cookies and hot cocoa. Lisa Fisher introduced us to Christmas in the Netherlands. Waltraut Knoll discussed Christmas in Austria. And Billl Hoover talked about Christmas celebrations in Japan. We played a game guessing the Christmas carol from emojis! We also enjoyed some poetry and Christmas music. It was a fabulous Zoom Christmas party!

Novermber 11, 2020 Wednesday at 7pm  FFWM Virtual Scavenger Hunt.  And the winner is Marcia Ellis!
November 6, 2020 Friday at 7pm our third Trivia Night with friends from FF SWFL club. 27 participants and 2 grandchildren! The Flamingos won first place. There was a tie for second place between the Wise Guys and the West Michiganders who also tied with the tie-breaker question! It was an exciting game!
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October 14, 2020 Wednesday at 7pm,  our second International Trivia Night with our friends from FF SW FL club. 27 participants. The Amigos was the winning team!
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September 30, 2020  Wednesday at 7pm via Zoom. 18 FFWM members and 7 FFSWFL members participated as Lisa Fisher, Nancy Draayer, and Marcia Ellis presented a travelogue on their April 2019 journey to Singapore and Indonesia with two Friendship Force clubs, Southwest Florida and Sarasota.

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September 29, 2020  Tuesday at 2pm.  22 members met at the shelter at Roosevelt Beach at Gun Lake/Yankee Springs recreation area. We played games & socialized, and brought our own food for lunch. About 4pm we took a nice hike!
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September 10, 2020 FFWM connected with friends from FF Hiroshima club.

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​August 26, 2020  FFWM met with several of our FF SWFL friends played trivia . Congratulations to GTG, the winning team!!!
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July 23, 2020  FFWM members met with the FF Southwest Florida club for a zoom chat. The conversation was led by Floridians Sue and Rob Linehan.  It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends!  It was especially great to see Jane Curtin, FFWM member living in New York state, zooming in!  ​See an article from Jane below.  



May 26, 2020   On May 26 seven FFWM would-be ambassadors had a zoom party with 12 members of the Bursa club (Turkey). It was a great introduction for both clubs! Since the Covid-19 virus prevented us from making our journey to Turkey, we decided to prepare for the future time when we can complete this journey.
Thank you from FFI for contribution to the fund raiser due to disruption of all activity from covid-19 virus
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March 6, 2020  Friday at 12 noon, 23 members attended lunch at The Curragh (Irish Pub), 73 E 8th St, Holland

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February 6, 2020 Thursday, at 12 noon   Chau Haus (German/Polish), Kalamazoo
The Chinese Association of Greater Kalamazoo (CAGK) and the Confucious Institute are Proud to Announce the 2020 Chinese New Year Gala!

Saturday, January 25th 2020
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm · Chenery Auditorium · Kalamazoo, Michigan
January 6, 2020   Monday, at 12 noon   21 members met at San Chez (Spanish tapas), 38 Fulton St. West, Grand Rapids
December 5, 2019 Christmas Party,  Thursday, at 6pm   4 Roses Cafe, 663 N 10th St., Plainwell, MI
November 6, 2019  Wednesday, at 6pm at Shwarma King (Middle Eastern). We ordered take out and ate at Lynn & Dave Hargreave's, 215 Sabin, Kalamazoo
November 3, 2019  Sunday, at 3pm at the Dalton Center, WMU  The University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra.
October 16, 2019  FFWM hosted  A Taste of Friendship Force.  Walden Woods clubhouse.  6 to 8 pm. 46 guests attended!
October 6, 2019    ​Sunday, 6pm at Wally's Bar and Grill, 128 Hoffman St., Saugatuck
​With our guests from FF Soutwest Florida club.
August 6, 2019  Tuesday, at 6pm at Blue Dolphin (Greek), 502 S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo   23 people in attendance
July 6, 2019  Saturday, at 6pm 18 people attended this LEO at Shiraz Grill (Persian), 2939 Breton Rd SE, Grand Rapids
 June 6, 2019  Thursday, at 6pm 21 people (8 were guests) attended at Chau Haus (German), 611 W XY Ave, Schoolcraft
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LEO
​May 6, 2019
 
 Monday, at 6pm ​11 members attended at Three Happiness, 3330 Alpine Ave, Grand Rapids

LEO
​April 12, 2019  Friday, at 12 noon 11 members met at 40 Acres, 1059 Wealthy St. in Grand Rapids
LEO
March 12, 2019  Tuesday, at 12 noon at Saffron (Indian), 1710 W. Main (Tiffany Plaza), Kalamazoo
LEO
​February 12, 2019
 
 Tuesday, at 12 noon at 40 Acres (American Soul), 1059 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids   CANCELLED DUE TO UNSAFE ROADS.
LEO
​January 12, 2019  Saturday, at Zooroonas Mediterranean Grill, Kalamazoo
16 members attended. 
Article in Spark News  January 2019
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Christmas Party

December 6, 2018   Thursday   It's the Christmas party and annual membership meeting!!!  Four Roses Cafe in Plainwell
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LEO
November 6, 2018  Tuesday   Chez Olga  (Caribbean)
​ 1441 Wealthy St. SE  Grand Rapids
20 members and guests attended.
​November 4, 2018  Sunday   
A CELEBRATION OF RUSSIAN CULTURE
4-7pm at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art
Authentic Russian food and music provided!
​9 members attended
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LEO

October 6, 2018  Saturday  KYOTO Japanese Steak House,  Kalamazoo
​14 members attended

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LEO
26 members attended on September 6, 2018  Thursday  Everest Restaurant (Napali), Grand Rapids
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LEO
28 members attended on August 6, 2018   Monday  Mangia Mangia    (Italian), Kalamazoo
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May 8, 2018  Taste of the World by Colleagues International

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April 15, 2018  Dinner at Comensoli's after going to see Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods Isle at the Parish/Civic Theatre

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December 2017 Party Pics

March 29, 2017 FFI 40th Anniversary Celebration

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July 2017 Southern Exposure Herb Farm

Pics from other events

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  • Welcome
    • What we do as a "club?"
    • Why visit Western Michigan?
  • Journeys
    • Upcoming Journeys
    • Past Inbound Journeys
    • Past Outbound Journeys
  • Events and News
    • Upcoming Events
    • Newsletters
    • Past Events
    • FFWM Photo Cluster
  • Contact Us
    • Board Members
    • New Member Application
    • Annual Dues
  • Member Resources
    • FF of Western Michigan Shirts
    • Membership List
    • Meeting Minutes
    • New Member Orientation Manual
    • Policy & Procedures, Bylaws
    • Resources