What We Do Besides Traveling
Friendship Force is a social group, so an easy approach to the question is that we socialize. We have parties and most of the time we bring something to share to eat. We have two incoming journeys during the year with a welcome party and a farewell party for the ambassadors (that is what we call our visitors). Everyone gets a chance to meet our ambassadors, even though you may not host during an journey. It is exciting to meet and get to know someone whether from another country such as Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, France, or Russia or from other states such as Washington, Oklahoma, New York, Kentucky, or Nevada. Click here for a list of all of our past journeys both incoming and outgoing and both international and domestic since our club began in 1984. If you would like to see narratives and photos of some of our journeys, click here and then select which year and journey from the submenu on the left.
Sometimes ambassadors or our members celebrate a wedding anniversary or a birthday with the entire club. Two hours of eating, meeting people you didn't know, and talking makes for a very enjoyable time. We have four general meetings throughout the year when business is quickly conducted and then we eat and talk again. Once a month we have a Meet and Greet lunch at a local restaurant. These are Dutch treat and are currently held on third Thursdays. We also take occasional day trips such as touring "Mr. Charlie," the world's first transportable submersible oil drilling platform or the renovated Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans.
But we do more than just socialize. We enjoy learning. When we travel internationally we read about our destination and learn about the culture of the people and the geography of the country we will visit. We also learn about local quirks, culture, and points of interest when visiting other U.S. states. When hosting incoming journeys, we often explore local or nearby museums, parks, plantations, towns, or other points of interest that some of our members have not previously visited. This may be called a stay-cation because you stay at home but feel as if you are on a vacation. Everyone in our club has their own favorite area of Louisiana they like to show.
Our club gives back to the community. Most of our members are very civic minded and contribute to their church and other community-oriented organizations. As a club we volunteer as a group to such events and agencies such as manning ticket booths at the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival, sorting items at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, taking phone pledges at Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), and stuffing envelopes for Cancer Services. For several years we had a major service project called "Christmas in July" at the War Veterans Home in Jackson, LA. We provide a snacks and entertainment including Cajun dancing and Christmas carols for the the residents. Each resident receives a bag of "goodies" that they take back to their room. We also have representatives on the Inter-Civic Council of Greater Baton Rouge and Mayor Broome's International Relations Committee. Our president plans to have "Christmas in July" at the Salvation Army Bed and Bread Center. We have participated in Women's Week which is part of the Women's Council in Baton Rouge. This is an outreach program for our club where we showcase what Friendship Force is about and how women might benefit from their participation in the club.
Like most folks in Louisiana, we are interested in sports. Baton Rouge has two universities, Louisiana State University and Southern University, with active sports programs. The New Orleans Saints are located only 90 miles to the southeast. In 2019, we had a pep rally for the LSU Tigers the night before the National Football Championship Game. Our tailgate celebration included good food and cheers. The party got everyone fired up for the big game -- which of course, LSU won!
One of the real benefits of Friendship Force Baton Rouge is that our club has so many interesting members. No one is idle and opportunities for learning new and different things is ongoing. If you get a chance email one of our Board members and pay us a visit.
Sometimes ambassadors or our members celebrate a wedding anniversary or a birthday with the entire club. Two hours of eating, meeting people you didn't know, and talking makes for a very enjoyable time. We have four general meetings throughout the year when business is quickly conducted and then we eat and talk again. Once a month we have a Meet and Greet lunch at a local restaurant. These are Dutch treat and are currently held on third Thursdays. We also take occasional day trips such as touring "Mr. Charlie," the world's first transportable submersible oil drilling platform or the renovated Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans.
But we do more than just socialize. We enjoy learning. When we travel internationally we read about our destination and learn about the culture of the people and the geography of the country we will visit. We also learn about local quirks, culture, and points of interest when visiting other U.S. states. When hosting incoming journeys, we often explore local or nearby museums, parks, plantations, towns, or other points of interest that some of our members have not previously visited. This may be called a stay-cation because you stay at home but feel as if you are on a vacation. Everyone in our club has their own favorite area of Louisiana they like to show.
Our club gives back to the community. Most of our members are very civic minded and contribute to their church and other community-oriented organizations. As a club we volunteer as a group to such events and agencies such as manning ticket booths at the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival, sorting items at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, taking phone pledges at Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), and stuffing envelopes for Cancer Services. For several years we had a major service project called "Christmas in July" at the War Veterans Home in Jackson, LA. We provide a snacks and entertainment including Cajun dancing and Christmas carols for the the residents. Each resident receives a bag of "goodies" that they take back to their room. We also have representatives on the Inter-Civic Council of Greater Baton Rouge and Mayor Broome's International Relations Committee. Our president plans to have "Christmas in July" at the Salvation Army Bed and Bread Center. We have participated in Women's Week which is part of the Women's Council in Baton Rouge. This is an outreach program for our club where we showcase what Friendship Force is about and how women might benefit from their participation in the club.
Like most folks in Louisiana, we are interested in sports. Baton Rouge has two universities, Louisiana State University and Southern University, with active sports programs. The New Orleans Saints are located only 90 miles to the southeast. In 2019, we had a pep rally for the LSU Tigers the night before the National Football Championship Game. Our tailgate celebration included good food and cheers. The party got everyone fired up for the big game -- which of course, LSU won!
One of the real benefits of Friendship Force Baton Rouge is that our club has so many interesting members. No one is idle and opportunities for learning new and different things is ongoing. If you get a chance email one of our Board members and pay us a visit.