District 58 News
Toastmasters International Night in Charlotte
Toastmasters International clubs are invited to attend a Toastmasters International Night at the Bobcats. The night will start off with a Table Topics event right on the Bobcats court from 3:30-4:30 PM!
Following court time, the entire group is invited up to the Flight Deck on the 200-level for a Networking event with fellow members from 5-6pm. There will be a cash bar available, along with concession stands opening at 5:30 pm. Come meet and mingle with other clubs to share best practices and contact information!
At 6pm, members can start to move to their seats. Select members will take part in an on-court recognition of Toastmasters International before the game begins. We will also have a concourse table set up to share information about Toastmasters with the thousands of fans in attendance that night. Please see Bryan Walsh if you would be interested in helping to draw interest to Toastmasters.
To purchase tickets, just click on the picture above. We are offering tickets discounted $5-20 off regular prices throughout the arena. Make sure to click on the game that is Monday, March 1st against the Dallas Mavericks, and enter special offer code BOBCATS. Friends and family are more than welcome to use the discounts as well, although the pre-game events will be geared toward Toastmasters members only.
Please contact Bryan Walsh with Toastmasters District 37 if you have any questions.
Ken Anderson
It is with deep sadness that we share the loss of long-time Toastmaster Ken Anderson, husband of Past District Governor Geneva Anderson.
Cards may be sent to: 4307 Edwards Road. Apt 24 B, Taylors, SC 29687.
Memorial donations may be made to Heritage Bible Church - Building Fund, Heritage Bible Church, 2005 Old Spartanburg Rd, Greer, SC 29650-2762.
Fall Contest Winners
The District 58 Fall Conference was an extraordinary event from start to end. Having Toastmasters International Gary Schmidt at the Conference was a great honor. Friday evening's events were kicked off by Clone Troopers and a Star Wars themed celebration. And when it was time for evaluating, the show was spectacular. The target speaker was Phil Woody who delivered a masterful speech entitled "Color Blind." He captivated and moved everyone in the audience. And then it was time to evaluate — and what a tough task that was! In the end, Douglas Wilson, DTM, earned the title of "Best Evaluator" for the contest.
Saturday was filled with great educational sessions and much camaraderie. After dinner, we were all ready for the main event: the Humorous Speech Contest. And we were not disappointed. We were entertained by five great speakers who tickled the audience's funny bone. After careful deliberation, the judges awarded Rick Kirkland the title of "Best Humorous Speaker" for his "It's a Colorful World" speech.
Congratulations to all contestants for their great work, and to Douglas and Rick for earning a "Best of Contest" recognition!
Florence Toastmasters in the News
The Florence Toastmasters Club (Club 1916) will celebrate its 53rd anniversary during its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Florence-Darlington Technical College Health Sciences Campus at 320 W. Cheves St., Florence. The club was highlighted in the Pee Dee section of scnow.com.
Chakisse Newton's Interview with The State Newspaper
Chakisse Newton was interviewed by The State newspaper after her latest competition in the International Speech Contest.
Columbia Voice Heard Around the World
LEXINGTON, SC - The 78th annual World Championship of Public Speaking will have a southern accent as Lexington's own Chakisse Newton represents the South Eastern United States this week in Mashantucket, Conn.
Each year more than 10,000 speakers enter the Toastmasters International speech competition. The contest begins at the club level with winners advancing to area and regional contests. 10 regional finalists then compete each August during the International Convention.
Chakisse Newton, a local member of Toastmasters International, won July's regional contest with a speech entitled Butterfly Moments. Chakisse based the speech on the butterfly effect, "if a butterfly flutters in Africa in the Spring, will it create a hurricane in South Carolina come Fall?"
This will be the fourth time in the past five years that South Carolina has sent speakers to the Toastmasters International speech competition.
Through its worldwide network of clubs, Toastmasters International has helped more than 4 million people in 106 countries give speeches and presentations with poise and confidence. South Carolina has over 120 Toastmasters clubs.
And the Winner is . . .
The Region 8 International Speech Contest was held at the Conference in Greensboro from 5 PM to 6:45 PM on Saturday afternoon.
The Results . . .
3rd Place Winner - Barry Ross Rinehart - District 47 - "Fight or Flight"2nd Place Winner - Everage Thomas III - District 77 - "Greatness is Already in Your Hands"
And the Winner is . . .
Drum Roll Please . . .
Winner - Chakisse Newton - District 58 - Division B - Area 21 - Club 7735 - Saturday AM Toastmasters "Butterfly Moments"
This is the 4th time in 5 years that a District 58 Toastmaster has won the Region 8 International Speech Contest! Chakisse will now move on to represent District 58 and Region VIII in the World Championship of Public Speaking at The 2009 International Convention, August 12-15, 2009. The 78th Annual International Convention will be held at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut. For more information, visit the Toastmasters International Convention website.
Congratulations to all the winners and especially Chakisse for the dedication and hours of practice.