20151231

News from Southeast Florida and The Bahamas

60th Anniversary

Quarterly Publication - Oct Nov Dec 2015

Happy Holidays District 47

Inside this Holiday Edition 2nd Quarter Welcome to Halftime, District 47! by: Jeanine Kinsey, DTM Program Quality Updates TLI & Contests by: Lynda Hammond, DTM Club Growth Highlights by: Chim Francisco, DTM Spread the Cheer‌ Toastmasters are Here! by: Demekas Dave Foster, DTM The Greater Fort Lauderdale Club celebrates 60 years! by: Kenny Davin A Legendary Toastmaster: Edward Carey, DTM by: Anthony Longley, DTM New Web Platform born in District 47 by: David F. Carr Spring Conference Registration opens!

Who are those people?

By: Michael Thorn, DTM Kristina Kihlberg Recognized as a Top Leader Internationally by: David F. Carr What is your legacy? by: Adriana Alcala Gold Coast Toastmasters Celebrates 55th Birthday by: Pradnya Vernekar Scientifically Speaking Toastmasters Club celebrated its 4-year anniversary 10 Good Reasons to Attend Club Officer Training by: Tl Sunshiner Team Demekas Dave Foster, PR Manager Sunshiner Editor Paul Finkelstein Layout Editor Graphic Designer David F. Carr Editor

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Welcome to Halftime, District 47!

By: Jeanine Kinsey, DTM District Director 2015-2016

Jim Barber gave the Keynote at the TU on December 12th and spoke about the making time to take stock of where you are and where you want to be. He compared it with halftime at a sporting event.

Jeanine and Grandson Michael

As we celebrate the end of another year in our lives, time with family and friends and the Holidays, we often find ourselves looking at what the last year has brought us, and start making plans for next year. As Toastmasters, I encourage you to think of this as halftime for us. The first half is over, and now we want to push on for the big win. In our case, that means meeting our personal goals, helping our clubs become Distinguished, and ultimately having a Distinguished District. Take time to look at what you have accomplished so far and the lessons you have learned. Where will you go from here? What new goals will you set, or what changes will you make to existing goals?

Enjoy your holidays, and let's take the field on January 1, 2016 ready to win the championship!

The District is doing very well thanks to all of your efforts. We have eight new clubs already this year, with about 200 new Toastmasters. We welcome these new clubs and members as well as many new members in other clubs all over Southeast Florida and the Bahamas.

We had a wonderful Fall Conference in the Bahamas with our International Director, Dennis Wooldridge, DTM and our guest speaker, Sheryl Roush, DTM, AS. At the conference, we recognized many of our team from last year for their hard work and enjoyed two wonderful contests as well. Planning is already underway for our Spring Conference in Ft. Lauderdale on April 15-17, and we hope you will join us.

We are also starting the process of selecting nominees for next year's leadership team. If you are interested in serving as Area Director, Division Director, Logistics Manager, Administration Manager, Finance Manager, Public Relations Manager, Club Growth Director, Program Quality Director or District Director, now is the time to put in your application. This year, all of these positions will be interviewed by the District Leadership Committee (formerly the Nominating Committee).

Division Directors and the Trio positions will be elected at the District Council Meeting on April 16th. The other positions will be appointed by the incoming District Director, with recommendations from the DLC. Distinguished Toastmaster Anthony Longley will be the chair of this committee and will be sending out emails regarding deadlines and procedures. Please be sure to share this information with anyone you know who is interested in serving, or that you think should consider serving, in one of these roles.

Have a very safe and happy holiday season and keep up the great work!

Jeanine Kinsey, DTM District Director 2015-2016 Michael and Santa

Program Quality Updates - TLI and Contests By: Lynda Hammond, DTM Program Quality Director 2015-2016 Toastmasters Leadership Institutes It is time for Toastmasters Leadership Institutes and Officer Training! If you did not attend training in December, you have several opportunities.

Toastmasters Leadership Institutes (TLIs) are for ALL Toastmasters who want the opportunity to grow as members. Officer Training is offered at each TLI and every club officer is required to attend training, even if they attended the summer trainings, or have held the position before. In order for your club to receive training credit for the Distinguished Club Program, you must have at least 4 officers trained during both the summer and winter training periods.

January 9, 2016 - Boca Raton (Hosted by C) Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) January 23, 2016 - Freeport, Bahamas (Hosted by F) Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) January 23, 2016 – Miami (Hosted by E) Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) January 30, 2016 – Stuart (Hosted by D) Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) January 30, 2016 - Nassau, Bahamas (Hosted by F & I) Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) February 6,2016 - Broward (Hosted by A) Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) Full details and registration for the January 9th TLI are available at http://events.toastmastersd47.org.

Online registration for other dates will go live in the next couple of weeks.

Club Contests It is time to prepare for the Spring Contest Season! On April 15th and 16th, we will hold the District Table Topics and International Speech Contests. Every club should be planning their club level contests to occur between January 1st and February 12th, prior to your Area Contest.

Your Area Director will be contacting you with the date of your Area Contest which will occur between February 6th and March 12th, prior to your Division Contest.

Division Contest dates are as follows: March 5, 2016 - Division C Contest March 12, 2016 - Division B Contest March 15, 2016 - Divisions F Contests (6:30 -9:00 PM) March 16, 2016 - Divisions I Contests (6:30 - 9:00 PM) March 19,2016 - Division A Contest March 19, 2016 - Division D Contest April 2, 2016 – Division E Contest If you need help with your Contests, George Strasdas is our District Contest Manager and can provide answers to your questions. You can email him at gstrasdas@toastmastersd47.org.

Spring Conference SPRING CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITIES OPEN TO ALL! We are seeking VOLUNTEERS to join the Spring Conference Team to create the event of the year! Speakers! Facilitators! Registration and more! Contact Conference Team Leader Lydia Harris, DTM for details! lharris@toastmastersd47.org. We want YOU!

Club Growth Highlights By: Chim Francisco, DTM Club Growth Director 2015-2016

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

We have lots of reasons to celebrate in District 47!

Let's review our Benchmark Moments in the last five months!

Mid-Year Highlights:

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Club Growth

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As of July 1st, District 47 has a Club Base of 151 Clubs.

As of October 31st, we have 6 New Clubs: •

GSK Advisors inDivision A

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Club Cousteau in Division F

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The Landing in Division E

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Mid-Day Talkers in Division E

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ToastMasterCard Miami in Division E

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The REAL Toastmasters Club in Division D

As of October 1oth, 146 Clubs (of 151 Club Base + 3 New Clubs) have 8 PAID Members.

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In comparison, the average for the last three Fiscal Years is 85.60°/o.

Membership Payments o o

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94.81°/o (146/154) of our Clubs have 8 PAID Members or more this Fiscal Year.

As of July 1st, District 47 has a Membership Payments Base of 7,852.

As of October 31st, we have 3,619 Membership Payments.

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That translates to 46.09°/o (3,619/7,852) this Fiscal Year.

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In comparison, the average for the last three Fiscal Years is 41.22°/o.

Charter Members

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As of October 31s1, we have 148 Charter Members.

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Incomparison, the average for the last three Fiscal Years is 66 Charter Members.

Area Director Club Visit- Online Reports o

As of December 1si, District 47 has submitted 156 of 157 AD Club Visit - Online Reports!

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That translates into a very impressive record of 99.36% for the 1st Round of Club V i s i t s !

Thank You to our Members, Club Officers & District Leaders for your contributions!

Our shared successes in District 47 are a reality because of YOU! Cheers, my fellow Toastmasters!

Wishing you and your family the very best this Holiday Season!!!

Spread the Cheer...Toastmasters are here!

By: Demekas Dave Foster, DTM Public Relations Manager 2015-2016

Happy Holidays District 47 Family, The beauty of this season and program is that Toastmasters brings together individuals from all walks of life who have embarked on a quest to become better communicators and leaders. Just look around you!

I encourage all of you to share the wonders of our great program with others.

Increasing membership Make the commitment to invite at least one guest to your next Toastmaster's club meeting. Share with your guests the wonderful benefits of our program. Celebrate milestones achieved by your fellow Toastmasters. This creates a wonderful supportive, inclusive atmosphere that individuals can look forward to being a part of and it facilitates an exciting place of growth! Share with us any leads you may have for organizations that may want their very own Toastmasters Club.

Public Relations can help you grow!

My PR team and I are here to support you! Send me your club flyers and notify us of special meetings, events or initiatives to help you promote and support your club growth! Send us photographs, articles and any special highlights of your members that you would like to see featured on our Facebook pages or within the pages of the Sunshiner. My email address is dfoster@toastmastersd47.org. I look forward to hearing from you!

Tl-Branding - How to use the logos, images and templates resources The following link (https://www.toastmasters.org/LeadershipCentral/Logos-lmages-and-Templates) provides you with latest information on Tl-Branding and how it works! Use this link as a guide for utilizing our logo and much more!

Enjoy this wonderful season and remember to spread the cheer!

Toasting you.

Demekas Dave Foster, DTM Public Relations Manager D47 2015-2016 Sunshiner Editor D47 2015-2016

Dennis Wooldridge, DTM and Demekas Dave Foster, DTM

60 Years of The Great Fort Lauderdale Toastmasters Club Contributors to the Article: Kenny Davin, Miles Bank, Jason Bank, David Esposito, Andres Gunther and Tasha Ceres.

The Great Fort Lauderdale Toastmasters Club (Club #2004) is proud to be celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2016. We are the oldest Toastmasters club in Broward County! Our club banner proudly reflects a vast array of ribbons that tell a great story about our prestigious 60-year journey. As we approach this great milestone, some will reflect on the memories and others will learn about the history of the club. Below are some fun facts about the Great Fort Lauderdale Club, chartered January 30, 1956.

Our club boasts about having a diverse group of members from a vast variety of professions including a United States Attorney, a public defender, a State attorney, a Sheriff deputy, a Mayor, several Business owners, financial planners, financial analysts, realtors, students, insurance agents and way too many attorneys!! Among the many members, our longest standing members are Miles Bank, DTM a member for 44 years, David Esposito, DTM 39 Years, and Paul Finizo, 39 years!

In the Finizio Family, Rick Finizo, a longtime member felt so strongly about Toastmasters training, that he made it mandatory that all of his 4 children join Toastmasters. That tradition has extended throughout their family to include future generations.

Jamie Finizio Bascombe and Jason Bank both started attending meetings at eight years old. Although they could not be members (or drive legally), they still participated in club meetings.

Miles and Jason Bank may be the only Father and Son DTM combo in Toastmasters International!

Originally, our VPE and his committee prepared agendas 3 weeks i n advance and mailed them out to members due to the fact that there were no computers around in the 70's.

DTM David Esposito was the first president when women were finally allowed into this club. It was voted on many times until the motion finally passed during his Presidency.

Kathy Curley, later to become Kathy Finzio, wife of longtime member Rick Finizio was first female member inducted to the club.

The Great Fort Lauderdale Toastmasters Club met at 24 different locations during its existence. The club met at Red Coach Grill, Ocean Manor Hotel, Peter Pan Diner, and Shoney's Golden Spike restaurant to name a few.

Throughout its time, each of the restaurants listed above had a fire (Literally).

Distinguished Toastmaster David Esposito swears that he had nothing to do with any of those fires in spite of the fact that he has been a fire restoration contractor for the past 39 years. The jury is still out on that one.

Club 2004 always met at restaurants because the majority of the members came directly from work and had dinner during the meetings. The members enjoyed the opportunity to practice ignoring the outside distractions while presenting speeches.

Two of our members, Mike Shane and Kristina Kihlberg went on to be District Governors. One member, Kristina Kihlberg, went on to be an International Director. We have also had several outstanding Area Governors and Division Governors who are currently still members: Jason Bank, Miles Bank, David Esposito, David Jess, Jairo Aragon.

We have produced many distinguished Toastmasters, and many are still active members in the club who still attend meetings regularly.

We want you to help us celebrate our 60th anniversary on Friday, February 5, 2016 at the Tennis Club of Fort Lauderdale. Join us for an evening of food, entertainment and camaraderie. If it's not fun, it's not Toastmasters! For more information, please visit www.toastmasterscJ ub2004.eventbrite.com

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A Legendary Toastmaster By: Anthony Longley, DTM Immediate Past District Governor

LEGENDARY Edward Carey, DTM In 1968, Edward Carey heard about Toastmasters from friend and co-worker Earnest T. Strachan. At the time, they were both employees of The Bahamas Government. The information was presented to Strachan by Peter Drudge, another fellow public service employee who had recently returned from a work assignment in Canada where he was in Toastmasters.

Carey and Strachan began promoting the idea and on December 5th 1968, the first Toastmasters meeting was held on the stage of St. Benedict's Hall, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on West Hill St. in Nassau. There were 15 men in attendance representing a cross section of the community. The Club was given the name First Bahamas Branch. The charter number assigned to the Club in January 1969 was "1600". The official charter of the Club was formally presented at an installation banquet on March 8, 1969. The late Sir Lynden 0. Pindling, the then Premier of The Bahamas was the keynote speaker and was also made an honorary Toastmaster on that evening. The charter President was the late Ernest T. Strachan and Edward Carey was Club Secretary.

Edward's passion for Toastmasters inspired him to continue working with other dedicated members to expand the network of clubs in The Bahamas. By 1973, there were sufficient clubs to have The Bahamas classified as an Area. In 1976 Edward served as President of First Bahamas Branch of Toastmasters Club 1600. By 1981, The Bahamas had developed to such an extent that it was able to acquire Division status at the May District Conference in Florida. At that time, there were only four Divisions in District 47 that was comprised only of Florida Clubs. The Bahamas became the fifth Division and was originally named "Bahamas Division". With the growth of the District, the Divisions were given alphabet names. The Bahamas became Division G and Edward Carey, DTM was its first Division Governor.

Distinguished Toastmaster Edward Carey, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on January 14, is currently the oldest active member of Toastmasters in The Bahamas and rarely misses a weekly club meeting.

New Web Platform Born in District 47 By: David F. Carr

The first impression many potential members will get of your club is what they see on your website. Is it as important as the impression they get when they come to a first meeting? No. But it may determine whether you ever get them in the door.

That is the thinking behind the WordPress for Toastmasters project, which you can learn more about at wp4toastmasters. com. Like any tool, this software only as good as what you do with it, but you can use it to drive up your search engine ranking and provide more opportunities for social media connections. A club website based on the WordPress blogging and website management software makes it easier to update your site frequently and include rich content such as video.

For more than 3 years, my home club, Club Awesome, in Coral Springs has been using this system for www.clubawesome.org. As a VP of Education and later President, I was convinced my club would benefit from going beyond the limitations of the typical Toastmasters club website. As a technology journalist and web consultant who has written extensively about social media and collaboration technologies, I had previously created a WordPress plugin for event scheduling called RSVPMaker that I thought could be adapted for Toastmasters purposes. One of the virtues of WordPress is it can be extended with custom software, including plugins for functionality and themes for site design.

Large professional websites, like those of The New Yorker or The Atlantic Magazine, as well as millions of smaller blogs and marketing websites run on customized versions of WordPress. My own customizations added Toastmasters branding and club-specific features like the ability to manage agendas and invite members to sign up for meeting roles online.

Originally a one-off hack for Club Awesome, this software is now available to any club that would like to use it.

Clubs can sign up for free ad-supported sites (with addresses in the format myclub.toastmost.org). The software is also freely available for you to install on an independent WordPress website.

To find out more, write to me at dcarr@toastmastersd47.org or attend the webinar scheduled for January 5 at 7 pm.

Signup here: http://wp4toastmasters.com/webinar/

conference@toastmastersd47.org

Who Are Those People?

By: Michael E. Thorn, DTM There are sections in the old, but classic, movie, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," that repeatedly use the line "Who are those guys???" In the movie, it refers to the police forces relentlessly pursuing the 'heroes' of the movie. But, it could just as well be applied to the diverse people in our communities that we call Toastmasters.

Toastmasters ... who are 'those people' who regularly meet openly on a weekly basis throughout District 47? Who are 'those people' who willingly give at least an hour or more of their time each week to seek and achieve personal development and growth while confronting the most common of fears speaking in public? And, do we know any of them on a personal basis?

Well, actually, the answers to those questions are simple and straightforward. We are talking about ordinary people in our work places, communities, and families that belong to one or more Toastmasters Clubs throughout South Florida and the Bahamas. There are over 3500 of 'those guys,' distributed among 160 Toastmaster Clubs in District 47. To use another line from another movie about zombies, "They walk among us." However, unlike zombies, those people are proud of their accomplishments and actively seek others to join them. (Hmm, well, maybe, they are a little bit like zombies in that regard.) This leads to another feature of these people should be noted they may be ordinary people, but they rise to extraordinary levels of accomplishment in terms of communication and leadership. 'Those people' are you ... and every Toastmaster you know.

However, it is really insufficient to excel in the relative privacy of your club. The Toastmasters ' journey is not meant to be kept a secret, but shared with others. Take every opportunity to demonstrate your skills and accomplishments. Enter speech contests, become engaged in community activities, speak before other groups. Demonstrate to others your progress and capabilities ... and what they can achieve as well.

The fundamental basis of the Toastmasters experience is to share and grow through an extension of your natural competencies. By stepping outside the confines of your club, you will be expanding your boundaries, meeting new people, and finding that you actually enjoy demonstrating your selfconfidence and capabilities. Do not let these opportunities pass you by, this time or the next. Taking advantage of opportunities is not a gamble, but a certain path toward even further personal growth.

Seize the opportunity to not only venture forth, but also gain from the chance to be involved in new and exciting environments.

Accept the challenge and be one of 'those people' ... take the time to use your skills to 'walk among us'. As the ad slogan states - "Just Do It." You are a Toastmaster ... you have skills ... show the world what you have learned ... display your talents ... be proud of your achievements ... and set the standard of excellence for others to follow!

Kristina Kihlberg Kristina Kihlberg Recognized As a Top Leader Internationally By: David F. Carr District 47's Kristina Kihlberg was recognized this year with the Presidential Citation Award for outstanding service to the organization at every level. She received the award onstage at the Toastmasters International Convention in Las Vegas from Mohammed Murad, the outgoing International President.

Kihlberg served as District Governor in 2009-2010, the year District 47 was ranked #2 in the world under the distinguished districts recognition program. She later served two years on the Toastmasters International Board of Directors as the representative of Region 8, Southeast U.S. and the Caribbean.

She learned about the citation at the end of June, just a couple of months before the convention. "The first thing I did after I got the letter was write to Mohammed and say, 'How did this happen?'" He simply told her it was "well deserved,"

she said.

The letter simply states: "This award recognizes your outstanding achievements in representing the goals and ideals of Toastmasters International and is one of Toastmasters' highest honors."

The last District 47 leader to receive a Presidential Citation was Mark Majcher in 2002. The choice of this year's winners was at the sole discretion of Murad, who can give it to a maximum of two leaders per region. Kihlberg knows him well enough that she asked to greet him with a hug, rather than a handshake, when they met onstage.

Kihlberg credits her success in Toastmasters leadership partly to business experience in roles where she had to "make her numbers." At the time she served as District Governor, one of the standard goals for districts was to achieve at least 100 advanced awards. She never even mentioned that benchmark, instead telling her team to shoot for 300 and they actually achieved 316. "I never gave them what they were supposed to accomplish, gave them what I wanted them to accomplish - and they exceeded all of those goals."

That year, the district was also one of only four worldwide to achieve President's Distinguished status for more than 75% of its clubs. That only counted for 10 points toward the 144 the district earned that year, although since then the formula has changed. "I'm pleased that a much bigger part of the district success program now is that the clubs also need to be distinguished," Kihlberg said.

During her time as an International Director, Kihlberg helped refine the Toastmasters statement of values which boils down to four words she believes every Toastmasters leader should take very seriously: "Integrity. Respect. Service.

Excellence."

Asked which role she enjoyed the most, she reaches back farther. "One of my favorite jobs was being an Area Governor. Of course, I was crazy back then, too, so I was leading two areas at the same time, a total of 10 clubs.

Years afterwards and still today, I have great relationships some of those clubs."

Not being in leadership also has its advantages For the first time since her service as Area Governor, she was able to compete in speaking contests - making it to the District level in the evaluation contest and to the division level in humorous speaking. Clearly, KK, as she is known to friends, remains a force to be reckoned with in whatever she undertakes.

What is your legacy?

By: Adriana Alcala I joined Toastmasters in February 2013 for the same reason most people do, to improve my communication and presentation skills. While my mom assured me she spoke to me about Toastmasters back in Mexico, the first time I remember learning about it, was when I had a performance review with my boss. He suggested I try Toastmasters to improve my speaking skills.

Fast forward three years, and today I am serving as the president of two Toastmasters clubs: my home club Hollywood Toastmasters in Hollywood, FL and PwC Digital Toastmasters in Hallandale Beach, FL which just reached its first anniversary.

Figure 1PwC Digital TM - 1st year anniversary celebration

While I am continuing working on my communication skills, it is with a different perspective and goals. Leading two clubs is a lot more challenging and rewarding than giving a speech, because it is not only about the message I want to give, it is about having a conversation and understanding on what the members and the clubs need. I realized my experience is a lot more rewarding, because, I along the club officers, we get to build something that is bigger than ourselves and that it will last longer.

This is called legacy.

HTM Hollywood Toastmasters Officers

The legacy we are building in both clubs is to empower our members to excel and become the better version of themselves, not only as speakers but also as leaders. For example, meet our fellow Toastmaster Ashwiny Ananthaswamy from PwC Digital Toastmasters; she joined about 8 months ago after she started working at our company. While she considers herself “inherently shy and an introvert” she knew needed to do something since she was constantly doing client presentations.

Today she has completed 3 speeches, done all roles in our meetings and now is serving as our VP of Public Relations.

Also meet our fellow Toastmaster William Smith; he joined Hollywood Toastmasters in March 2015 to increase his public speaking to boost his career. He currently serves as the VP of Membership and had decided to serve for 6 more months since this provides him an awesome ability for networking and to polish his leadership skills.

Fellow Toastmasters, what is the legacy you are building at your club? Next time you have the opportunity to lead during a meeting or as an officer, take it, you will find this experience challenging however very rewarding. Ultimately, what doesn’t challenge you will not make you stronger – and will not make you to the best version of yourself.

I (Adriana Alcala) giving a ribbon to Aswhini Ananthaswamy, she is our VP of PR at PwC Digital TM

William Smith, our HTM VP of Membership (noted in article)

HTM Hollywood Toastmasters Members

Gold Coast Toastmasters Celebrates 55th Birthday By: Pradnya Vernekar

Gold Coast Toastmasters celebrated their 55th birthday in September 2015 with rock and roll from the 1960's and, of course, the vibrant energies of its eminent members! It was a memorable evening spent with friends, good food and a lot of fun.

The birthday celebrations were specially marked with the 1960's theme with many of the members flaunting their 1960's outfits: hippie hairstyles, bright t-shirts, blonde wigs, extremely wild jewelry, hip bags and colorful bandanas. It was really difficult to recognize some of the members in their 1960 avatars!

The meeting included some heartwarming speeches based on the different stories of 1960's and some intellectually stimulating evaluations. We also had one of our members share his story about how our Club was 35 years ago and what has changed. Table Topics saw one of the members in hippie costume asking questions which revolved around being there during the 1960's, how life was so unconventional in that era, and the roles of Martin Luther King, The Beatles and let us not forget Elvis Presley.

The fun did not end there, but continued with a great potluck with food from all parts of the globe right from meat spaghetti, salads, cookies, gajar ka halwa, chips and a variety of dips. The endless conversations that lingered over food were more nourishing than the food itself. All the members and guests did not miss the opportunity on establishing bonds with the fellow Toastmasters laughing heartily and munching on their food as well as good thoughts.

If you thought we just had fun on our special day, you would be wrong. Our President, Barbara Strasdas, DTM, presented a check of $300 to Richard Otten, DTM, to cover his expenses for his work at the Gavel Toastmaster Clubs. Gavel Clubs are for those unfortunate strata of the society who are in the prisons and serving their sentences. This small gesture gladdened the hearts of many who were present at the meeting and all of us were proud to be associated with such a noble club. We felt a surge of camaraderie within us, we felt humble that we could do our bit for the betterment of the society.

It was an evening of fun, learning and giving back to the society. Gold Coast Toastmasters' 55th birthday celebrations were beyond just party and dance, it was a platform for all the members to come together and revere at the progress the club has achieved in these past 55 years! Cheers to us and all other Toasties for our constant pursuit for excellence!

Scientifically Speaking Toastmasters Club celebrated its 4-year anniversary on September 29, 2015. The celebrations included great speeches/evaluations and table topics, a pot-luck lunch and a large birthday cake.

FEATURED ARTICLE 10 Good Reasons to Attend Club Officer Training New and experienced club officers alike are encouraged to attend the next district-sponsored training, to be held in December, January or February. Training can benefit you in

several ways:

1. You will strengthen the quality of your club and the member experience. Your club will earn credit for Goal 9 in the Distinguished Club Program when at least four of its officers attend training each period.

2. Connect with your district leaders for important information they may share at training. It's a good time to bring a list of questions.

3. Share your ideas, experiences and the wisdom you have acquired, and learn from what other officers have to offer.

4. Network: Exchange business cards. Share your personal and career goals-you never know what connections you might make.

5.

Bring your mentee as a guest and introduce him or her to leadership opportunities.

6. Explore leadership roles you are considering for next year. Whether you make inquiries at your training table or during social time, this is a great way to learn about the duties, challenges and benefits of other positions.

If you attended the first training (held this past June, July or August), you'll benefit by attending the second round in the following ways: 7.

Discuss any club problems you may h a v e .

8.

Build on personal relationships you formed at the last training.

9. Revisit goals you set in July, and determine the best use of your time and energy for the second half of your term.

10. Even if you've filled the same officer position in the past, you'll learn about any guidelines that may have changed.

Posted by: Toastmasters International