2024 FF Xalapa, Mexico
|
June 19-26
Six members of FF Xalapa, Mexico visited us along with 2 members from FF Bursa, Turkye club. Our welcome brunch was at Cathy Dopp's co-op home. Places visited included Meijer Gardens, the Saugatuck Dune Ride, the Friends Good Will tall ship and the Gilmore Car museum. We danced in our seats at Beautiful: the Carol King Musical! We spent a day in Holland including dinner hosting there. While at Meijer Gardens our group experienced a tornado warning! We had a wonderful farewll party at Teresa and Dave Barnes' home. Journey Coordinators: Marcia Ellis & Loie Dye-Gustafson |
2023 FF Greater Orlando
|
July 23-30
We welcomed 14 guests from Orlando with a welcome brunch at Sackett's home. The week included visits to the Gilmore Car Museum, the Ladie's Library, Bell's Brewery, the Ford Presidential Museum, Meyer May House, Meijer Gardens, the Saugatuck Dune Ride and many more places! Some climbed Mt. Baldy and swam in Lake Michigan! Some went on the Good Will Tall Ship. It was a great journey and new friends were made! Journey Coordinators: Mary Giddings & Pam Sackett |
2022 FF Lubeck, Germany
|
September 14-21
This was the first international journey since the Covid pandemic began 2 years ago! We welcomed 6 guests from FF Lubeck, Germany. The weather could not have been more ideal! We spent time in Grand Rapids, the lakeshore area, and Kalamazoo. We toured Wenke's Greenhouses, Bells's Brewery, Gilmore Car Museum, Meijer Gardens, Meyer May house and Fenn Valley Vinyards. We sailed on the Friends Good Will. It was wonderful to share our corner of the world once again! Journey Coordinator: Jerry Potratz |
2021 Art & Friendship
|
September 21-25
Our journey started with the arrival of 8 guests (5 from FF Lansing, 1 from FF Chicago, 2 from FF NE Ohio). We spent an entire day in Grand Rapids at Meijer Gardens and Art Prize. Our Kalamazoo day started with a walking tour of downtown Kalamazoo. Many lunched at Bell's Brewery, followed by a tour of Kalamazoo Institute of Art. The farewell dinner was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of FFWM! Journey Coordinator: Jerry Potratz |
2019 FF of Southwest Florida |
October 1-8, 2019: We renewed friendships with Friendship Force of Southwest Florida, who we visited in 2018. One of our guests was honored at the Air Zoo for his contribution which was very special indeed! From hiking and riding in the sand dunes to lunching in an Amish home, a good time was had by all.
Four FFSWFL members went to northern Michigan before the journey began. Journey Coordinators: Marcia Ellis |
2019 FF of Tokyo
|
August 13-19, 2019: This journey focused on English language practice. Classes were followed by afternoon activities designed for vocabulary practice. Some activities included volunteering at Loaves and Fishes, picking blueberries, a tall ship sail, visiting St. Julian winery, and a dune buggy ride. We were treated to a tea ceremony by our new friends at the farewell party.
Journey Coordinator: Fred Giddings |
2019 FF of Hiroshima
|
June 23-29, 2019: First nice week of spring . . . FF of Hiroshima brought us wonderful weather! We visited the Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, KalSEC (spice and herb flavor extracts), and the Ford Museum,. We had a wonderful sail on the Friends Goodwill tall ship and an exciting dune buggy ride!
Journey Coordinator: Lyn Hargreave |
2018 FF of Greater Omaha
|
September 2018 Greater Omaha: We had near perfect weather for a beautiful week! Our guests and our members toured the KVCC culinary school's new facility and learned how restaurants can be "sustainable". We spent a long day at Art Prize 10 and Meijer Gardens. Our lake day included the Saugatuck Dune Ride and lunch on the Star of Saugatuck paddle wheel boat. We went to the planetarium and learned about sturgeons in Lake Michigan. We visited a local coffee roasting company. Amish day included lunch at Martha's and a quilt tour. Journey Coordinators: Shirley Wiersma & Fred Giddings |
2018 FF of Baton Rouge
|
June 2018 Baton Rouge: Our welcome pizza party featured beer from Bell's Brewery of Kalamazoo! We visited the Meijer Garden & Sculpture Park, Ford Museum, the Meyer May House by Frank Lloyd Wright, Oasis of Hope Clinic for Uninsured, the Mitten Brewery and the Long Road Distillery. We had a picnic on Lake Michigan and an exciting dune buggy ride. We had lunch in an Amish home. Our farewell party was at the Kellogg Manor!
Journey Coordinator: Marcia Ellis & Fred Giddings |
2017 FF of Hamburg
|
September 2017 Germany: While the weather was unseasonably hot, a good time was had by all. We spent a day at Art Prize. We visited Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery, Saugatuck Dune Ride, the Native American Exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright's Meyer May House, and Meijer Gardens. We took a vinyard tour and had lunch at Fenn Valley Vineyard.
Journey Coordinator: Lyn Hargreave |
2017 FF of Greater Denver
|
May 2017 Colorado: We hosted 11 ambassadors from Denver for five days. Some new adventures for us were the Holland Tulip Festival, a lunch and history tour at the Ladies Library, a downtown Kalamazoo history tour with a surprise visit from Mayor Hopewell, a Civic Theater tour, and tasting and lunch at Fenn Valley Winery. On their way to their next journey in Dayton we went to an Amish lunch at Martha's house in Centerville, MI and experienced a wonderful home-cooked meal while learning about the Amish culture.
Journey Coordinator: Marcia Ellis |
2016 FF of Northern Illinois
|
August 2016 Illinois: Ten ambassadors from "the other side of the lake" came to Western Michigan to share friendship and to see what living among the dunes is like. They drove from the Chicago area and we met them in Topeka, IN at an Amish farm where they met Seth and Elaine who toured them around the barn and horses and their home. There were visits to the lake shore, the Ford Presidential Museum, the Meyer May House and Meijer Gardens and we participated in a dune ride and a tall ship sail. We had dinners, and picnics and enjoyed making new friends.
Journey Coordinator: Marcia Ellis |
2016 FF of Aichi
|
June 2016 Japan: Sixteen ambassadors visited Michigan from Aichi, Japan. After a week in Detroit they traveled to Western Michigan. During the week with us (without rain) we enjoyed the Meyer May House, Meijer Gardens and the newly remodeled Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids. We visited an automated dairy farm, and had an elegant lunch and tour at the Kellogg Manor House, followed by an African adventure at the Binder Park Zoo near Battle Creek. Some of our guests prepared dim sum and sushi for their hosts. Active ambassadors enjoyed either kayaking or a sail on the tall ship Friends Goodwill. We had a fine Amish lunch at Martha's farm with buggy/wagon rides followed by a visit to Yoder's market and a covered bridge.
Journey Coordinator: Lyn Hargreave |
2015 FF of Braunschweig and Peine
|
September 2015 Germany: The late fall weather treated us to a spectacular week with our German guests. Beginning with a warm welcome, we took a trip to explore the Amish culture in Northern Indiana. We experienced a sailing adventure on an 1812 sloop, and we enjoyed a day visiting Art Prize Seven. We took a dune buggy ride over the dunes of Lake Michigan before being welcomed to Holland and a sunset beach picnic where the sun and clouds continued to cooperate. By evening time for our farewell dinner the chill was in the air, so we deleted the campfire and had our sing-a-long inside. We passed along a Boomerang and enjoyed the 25th Anniversary of the chartering of our club with our new friends.
Journey Coordinator: Lyn Hargreave |
2015 FF of Louisville
|
July 2015 Kentucky: We had 12 ambassadors visit us from Louisville, Kentucky. During their stay we met them for an Amish lunch followed by a home and barn tour in Topeka, Indiana. They visited the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, an Underground Railroad House in Schoolcraft, Meijer Gardens, Ford Presidential Museum and a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in Grand Rapids. Our guests took a dune buggy ride and had a village tour in Saugatuck--not to mention welcome and farewell parties at private homes.
Journey Coordinator: Marcia Ellis |
2014 4th Coast Adventure
|
September 2014 Global: We had a full complement of 16 ambassadors join us for this years global/themed exchange, appealing to active folks who wanted to explore Western Michigan's natural areas and the many craft breweries the area is famous for. We had four ambassadors from Canada, one from Germany and the other 11 from around the USA. Activities were similar to those done in 2013, but were expanded and our dune walk was with a naturalist. The beautiful fall weather was perfect for every activity including a sail on the tall ship, the Friends Goodwill. We explored some different breweries (and more of them), and biked different trails in different communities. Art Prize had different and exciting entries. We ended with a pizza party and line dancing in the Michigan countryside.
Journey Coordinators: Lyn & Dave Hargreave |
2013 4th Coast Adventure
|
September 2013 Global: Six friends (from Orlando and Bloomington, IN) came along to evaluate our idea for an active exchange. One of the pictures shows them getting ready to bike 17 miles on the Kal-Haven trail. On another day they explored Warren Woods and did a dune walk at Warren Dunes. They also had an opportunity to kayak on the Grand River. We combined the activity with brewery tours of Bell"s and New Holland breweries, took in Art Prize in Grand Rapids, and paddle-boat and dune-buggy rides in Saugatuck. A bit of tweaking and we hope we can pull this off with a full exchange in 2014.
Journey Coordinators: Lyn & Dave Hargreave |
2012 FF of Salvador, Brazil
|
June 2012 Brazil: Eight ambassadors from Salvador, Brazil came to visit us. During their time here they enjoyed a day in Northern Indiana for lunch at an Amish Farm where they were able to tour the inside of an Amish home. They spent another day in Grand Rapids visiting the Ford Presidential Museum and Meijer Gardens. There was a day spent along the lakeshore where they were treated to Dutch dancing on Windmill Island in Holland and they enjoyed a hot-dog roast on Lake Michigan.
Journey Coordinator: Lyn Hargreave |
2011 FF of Tuxtla Gutierrez , Mexico
|
June 2011 Chiapas, Mexico: A group of ambassadors from Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas Mexico joined us for a week. They met with one of our West Michigan state representatives at the Ford Presidential Museum. We showed them many of our local highlights, including rides in the antique car of one of our members, along with a Dune buggy ride at Saugatuck. A visit to the Meyer May house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was enjoyed.
Journey Coordinator: Peg Stanitzek |
2009 FF of Edmonton
|
October 2009 Alberta, Canada: In the fall, Michigan's apple orchards provide a unique experience. We had great fun picking apples and then stopping at Crane's Orchard for a piece of apple pie. The weather was a bit brisk, but they enjoyed seeing the waves on Lake Michigan, the miniature trains which fill the basement of a member, and an Amish lunch, along with visits to Meijer Gardens and the Ford Presidential Museum.
Journey Coordinator: Lyn Hargreave |
2008 FF of Whangarei, New Zealand
|
June 2008 New Zealand: Our friends in Whangarei came to get away from their winter weather. While here, a group of the guys enjoyed a back-room tour at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo where old planes were being restored. One of their ambassadors trained bullocks for field work and wanted to visit Tiller's International in Kalamazoo. Tillers was holding a class on how to make yokes for the oxen and we arranged for this gentleman to attend. We try our best to find the passions of the individuals and show them that special something that excites them.
Journey Coordinator: Lyn Hargreave |
Others who have visited FF of Western Michigan
AUSTRALIA (Gold Coast, Newcastle)
ENGLAND (Devon)
GERMANY (Gelsenkirchen, Kiel)
MEXICO (Xalapa, Veracruz)
NEW ZEALAND (Wanganui)
RUSSIA (St. Petersburg)
USA (Ames, IA; Colorado Springs, CO; Dayton, OH; Dubuque, IA; Houston, TX; Sacramento, CA)
ENGLAND (Devon)
GERMANY (Gelsenkirchen, Kiel)
MEXICO (Xalapa, Veracruz)
NEW ZEALAND (Wanganui)
RUSSIA (St. Petersburg)
USA (Ames, IA; Colorado Springs, CO; Dayton, OH; Dubuque, IA; Houston, TX; Sacramento, CA)