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Official Club Name: The Friendship Force of Northern Illinois
Closest major airports: O'Hare International, Chicago; Mitchell
International, Milwaukee.
Chicago
Midway
Airport
is also acceptable, but not as
convenient.
Transportation
between the airport and our host cities is provided by private
car: no
charge.
The maximum number of Ambassadors our club can host: 20
About the club: The Friendship force of Northern Illinois was chartered in 1984 and our
members live in many of Chicago's northern and western suburbs within a 30 mile radius
of Libertyville. We have approximately 64 members including couples, families and single
people. Many of our members are active retirees. We like to welcome two incoming and
two outgoing exchanges each year. Please visit our website at
http://www.ffnothernillinois.org.
About the region:
Northern Illinois is a made up of many quiet and
tranquil towns just
outside of the bustling city of Chicago.
Many of these towns are situated directly on
Lake
Michigan and boast lovely beaches as well as art and music festivals and
farmer's
markets during the summer months.
Most are easily reached from the city by commuter
r
ail and at one time
were the summer residences of some of the wealthy Chicago families.
Lake
Michigan, the second largest of the Great Lakes, is a vast body of water some
315
miles in length and 118 miles wide.
The
climate in our area is influenced by the lake and
varies with the seasons from
very cold (15 F or -10 C) in the winter months (Dec- Feb)
to
a pleasant (80-90 F
or 27-32 C) in June and July with August being the warmest. June
through
October is generally the best time of the year to visit
Northern
Illinois
. Oak Park,
one of the first Chicago suburbs and the home
of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is a
marvelous place to learn about prairie
style architecture and its influence on the
community.
Going North along the shoreline is the beautiful campus of the prestigious
Northwestern University, home of the Medill School of Journalism. Nearby is the world
renowned and architecturally spectacular Baha'i Temple- one of only 7 Baha'i temples in
the world.
The Chicago Botanic Garden is just to the west and comprises 385 acres of beautiful
s
pecimens including native prairie plants, ponds, "green" buildings, and horticultural areas.
In addition, we have inland parks and nature centers for hiking, biking, bird watching, and
boating.
We are particularly proud of our many museums. Chicago is home to some of the
foremost art and scenic museums in the US. We also boast of a wonderful Lakeside
Museum district, which includes a natural history museum, a planetarium, and an
aquarium. Millennium Park, located in a 139 acre park in the heart of the city on the
shores of Lake Michigan, is the world;s largest rooftop garden. It comprises 16 acres of
giant sculptures, perennial gardens, water fountains, and a 4,00 seat band shell designed
by Frank Gehry.
About the exchange: Our exchanges incorporate many of the above tours and activities
plus boat and walking tours that showcase the spectacular contemporary architecture of
Chicago. FFNI believes that the primary goal of each exchange is to promote friendships
while learning and sharing our cultural differences. Our exchange committee seeks out the
particular interests of the ambassadors and designs each exchange accordingly. There are
usually two free days for the hosts and ambassadors to visit with family and friends and
explore their special interests. The host fees are $175 per ambassador.
Edited 9/4/2012
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