Friendship Force Board Meeting
2022-10-12 15:00 - 16:30, 2022-11-09 15:00 - 16:30, 2023-10-12 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States

Dining on the 6th
2022-11-06 17:30 - 19:30 | Essen Haus, 514 East Wilson Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703
Our Dining on the 6th adventure for November will be at Madison’s authentic German restaurant, the Essen Haus. Friendship Force diners will gather for fellowship and dinner at 5:30 on Sunday afternoon. We will be able to place individual orders from the menu which includes both American and German cuisine.
The Signature Special for Sundays is tender, broasted half-chicken served with haus made dumplings and gravy and vegetables for $14. Also available are a great selection of starters, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Main entrees include pork tenderloin, chicken breast, combo platters, walleye, and bratwurst sausages. All are served with a wide choice of potato or spatzle noodles and choice of vegetable. Most entrees are between $17 and $21 to $26 for rouladen with choice prime rib or a 12-ounce bier ribeye. A bowl of soup or side salad is an additional $3.
Essen Haus features 16 rotating German tap bier selections. Their menu lists selections of Doppelbocks, Pilsners, Weissbiers, Lagers, Oktoberfests, Pale Ale, and many others. Biers are available in pints, half-liter steins (standard size), one liter boots & steins, 2 liter boots, and even in a 5 liter stein! Prosit!
For a fun evening out, register by Friday, November 4, with host Gail Holmes, phone 608 249-1846 or email glholmes@wisc.edu, so that our tables will be prepared. Please plan to wear your name tag.
Auf Wiedersehen!

Book Club - Paradise, by Abdulrazak Gurnah
2022-11-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Paradise, by Tanzanian-born writer Abdulrazak Gurnah – winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. Our library system owns 16 copies, six of which are available as of this writing.
The library summary reads, “The adventures of a 12-year-old African boy sold into slavery by his father to pay off a debt. The setting is East Africa, a place of trade caravans, tribal warfare and the beginnings of European colonization.”
The book appears on a list of recommendations from Friendship Force International.
Contact Marjie Marion for the Zoom link in advance.

Second Harvest Volunteering
2023-01-05 12:30 - 15:30 | Second Harvest Food Bank, 2802 Dairy Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53718
Just a reminder that the date for our monthly service project at Second Harvest at 2802 Dairy Dr, Madison is Thursday January 5th, 12:30 till 3:30.
This is a great opportunity to serve our community and it’s fun as well. Please let Lois Schulz know if you are planning to participate by January 3rd.. Lois’s Email address is loisschulz1942@gmail.com. Her phone number is (608)243-9761.

Book Club - The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
2023-01-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Note it’s the fourth Monday this month!
Contact Marjie Marion for the Zoom link in advance.

Second Harvest Volunteering
2023-01-26 12:30 - 15:30 | Second Harvest Food Bank, 2802 Dairy Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53718
The date for our monthly service project at Second Harvest at 2802 Dairy Dr, Madison is Thursday January 26th, 12:30 till 3:30.
This is a great opportunity to serve our community and it’s fun as well. Please let Lois Schulz know if you are planning to participate by January 24th. Lois’s Email address is loisschulz1942@gmail.com. Her phone number is (608)243-9761.

Book Club - Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
2023-02-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. It was the Twins’ debut season; the country had a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited often and took many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder. Frank was forced to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years. Forty years later, he tells the story of discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.
Contact Marjie Marion for the Zoom link in advance.

Magdi's "Wonderful Experience": an FF Global Journey into Amazonia
2023-03-15 16:00 - 18:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
In her zoom presentation, Magdi will focus on visual experiences: photos of Belém, Manaus, a boat tour of Rio Negro of Amazonia, and her wonderful time with FF members in Fortaleza and São Luis.
Stay tuned for details on how to join in.

Book Club - Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
2023-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away.
The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting.They weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.
Contact Marjie Marion for the Zoom link in advance.

Book Club - The Tortilla Curtain
2023-04-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle
The story of immigration conflict in California, told through the eyes of two very different couples, one well-off Anglos, the other undocumented Mexican immigrants living in a canyon. The novel chronicles their relationship against the background of growing hostility between immigrants and native Anglos.
Contact Marjie Marion for the Zoom link in advance.

Second Harvest Food Bank
2023-04-27 00:30 - 15:30, 2023-05-25 00:30 - 15:30 | Second Harvest Food Bank, 2802 Dairy Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53718
Our Madison club volunteers at the end of each month. We sort, package, and generally prepare bulk food into smaller proportions for distribution by the Foodbank.

Annual Meeting of Friendship Force Wisconsin-Madison
2023-04-30 14:00 - 16:00 | Fitchburg Public Library, 5530 Lacy Road, Fitchburg, Wisconsin, 53711
The Board of FF Wisconsin-Madison invites all members to attend the 2023 Annual Meeting on April 30 from 2-4pm at the Fitchburg Library. In addition to the business meeting, there will be a social activity, a silent auction, information about upcoming journeys, and recognition of members who have been a part of the club for twenty or more years.
This year we are celebrating the FF theme, “A World of Friends is a World of Peace,” with international desserts. Please bring your favorite international dessert to share with members. Coffee, tea, and water will be provided by the club.
Please email your RSVP to Diane Mertens by April 23. Include “FF RSVP” in the email subject line. Diane’s email address is: mertensdk27@gmail.com.
For members who are unable to attend in person, a Zoom link will be provided in advance of the meeting. Please let Diane know if you will be attending via Zoom.
The FF bylaws require a quorum of 25% of the membership in attendance to hold the business meeting. We hope to see you all on April 30!

Dining on the 6th - North and South Seafood and Smokehouse
2023-05-06 17:30 - 19:30 | North and South Seafood and Smokehouse, 958 Liberty Drive, Verona, Wisconsin
We’re planning for a warm sunny day to dine outdoors on the patio at the North and South Seafood and Smokehouse Restaurant.
We’ll enjoy selections from their menu of appetizers, soups and salads, tacos and sandwiches ($11.50 – $14.50). The Smokehouse offers ribs, Texas brisket, Memphis pulled pork, Carolina chicken breast, burnt ends, nine combos; and all entrees include two sides. Fish entrees are haddock, cod, perch, catfish, salmon, and whitefish with crab stuffing. There are five styles of shrimp and you can choose one or two styles — hand battered, scampi, firecracker, grilled, or coconut — for $16. New Orleans jambalaya is $18, and the Smokin’ Saturday special is smoked prime rib for $25/ $31/ $45 plus an old fashioned drink. There is a full bar for beverage choices.
Please register by Thursday, May 4, with host Gail Holmes, phone (608) 249-1846 or email glholmes@wisc.edu, so that a table space will be prepared for you. As always, please plan to wear your name tag.

Book Club - The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
2023-05-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Eight-year-old Kahu, a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny. This coming of age story weaves plenty of Maori culture into the mix.
Contact Marjie for the Zoom information.

Outbound Journey
2023-05-31 - 2023-06-06 | Toronto, Canada
Outbound Journey to Toronto – Ambassadors have been selected and travel/journey plans are being made

Friendship Force Board Meeting
2023-06-15 16:00 - 18:00, 2023-08-10 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-09-14 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-11-09 15:00 - 17:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Steering the Organization.

Book Club - 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
2023-06-19 19:00 - 21:00
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.
Gathering in person. Contact Gail Holmes at glholmes@wisc.edu for the location.

Volunteer: Second Harvest Food Bank
2023-06-29 12:30 - 15:30 | Second Harvest Food Bank, 2802 Dairy Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53718
Thursday June 29th from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm is our Club’s June volunteer day with Second Harvest Food Bank, 2802 Dairy Drive in Madison. This is a safe working environment with precautions in place.
Volunteers should wear shirts with sleeves, closed-toed shoes and remove all jewelry.
Please consider giving three hours of your time this month to help others. Let Lois Schulz know if you want to participate. loisschulz1942@gmail.com / 608-243-9761

Dining on the 6th
2023-07-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Liberty Station, 2161 Rimrock Rd, Madison, Wisconsin, 53713
Dining on the 6 for July will be at Liberty Station American Tavern and Smokehouse on Rimrock Road at noon.

Friendship Force Board Meeting
2023-07-13 15:00 - 17:00 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Steering the organization to success.

Book Club - The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
2023-07-17 19:00 - 21:00 | TBD
The Sentence: A Novel by Louise Erdrich tells a funny ghost story, a tale of passion, a complex marriage, and a woman’s relentless errors.
Set in a Minneapolis bookstore from All Souls’ Day for a one year period.

Inbound visit from Oita Japan
2023-08-23 - 2023-08-30 | City of Madison, United States
We will host ambassadors from Oita Japan. Co-coordinators Kathy Speck and Magdi Sebestyn

Dining on the 5th
2023-10-16 12:00 - 2023-11-05 13:30 | Maple Bluff Country Club, 500 Kensington Dr., Maple Bluff, WI, United States
Actually it is moved to the 5thSunday November 5, 2023 at 12:00 NoonMaple Bluff Country Club500 Kensington Drive
Our November gathering will actually be on Sunday, November 5, for a lunch at noon. The reason is so that we can dine for their brunch/lunch which is served only on Sundays at the Maple Bluff Country Club. We will be seated in the Fairway Dining Room, can order from their regular menu, and pay individually. Register with Gail Holmes 608 249-1846 or email glholmes@wisc.edu.

Book Club
2023-10-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom – within your own home!, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Join us for a discussion of Turn Right at Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams.

In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and located the lost city of Machu Picchu. A hundred years later, Mark Adams set out to retrace the explorer’s perilous path, even though he’d written about adventure far more than he’d actually lived it.
