Toastmasters District 58

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Pathways Incentives

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Exciting 2019-20 Pathways incentives for you and your club!

Embracing Change – Committed to Pathways

First 3 Areas through May 1, 2020, who have 100% of members enrolled in Pathways and ALL have completed their Ice Breaker, get:

  • $25 District store gift certificate for each club
  • Event Balloon Pack for each club
  • Guest Information Card and badge pack for each club
  • Guest Book for each club
  • Promotional Welcome Ribbon Pack for each club
  • Area will be recognized at the District Spring 2020 Conference

To claim, Area Directors, should contact Trent Kenelly, PQD,  Email PQD with evidence.

 

First Division through May 1, 2020, who have 100% of members enrolled in Pathways and ALL have completed their Ice Breaker, get:

  • $250 Event Planning award
  • Division will be recognized at the District Spring 2020 Conference

To claim, Division Directors, should contact Trent Kenelly, PQD,  Email PQD  with evidence.

First Time Distinguished First with Pathways

The first 10 clubs that achieve Distinguished Club Status by May 1, 2020 and meet the following criteria will be recognized at the District Spring 2020 Conference, where they will receive:

  • $50 District store gift certificate
  • “One Team Award” certificate
  • Banner Stand

To qualify, clubs must have:

  • Never achieved Distinguished status in any prior year(s)
  • Have achieved at least four Pathways educational goals

 

Pathways Triple Crown

Members who submit three Pathways levels between September 1 and April 30, will be recognized at the District 58 Spring Conference, May 2020 where they will receive the coveted Toastmasters Triple Crown award.*

Legacy Triple Crown

Members who submit any 3 legacy education awards or a combination of 3 Legacy and Pathways education awards between July 1 and April 30, will be recognized at the District 58 Spring Conference and receive the coveted Toastmasters Triple Crown award.*

*Members can receive one of the two awards only

Table Topics Contests 2019 & D-58 at the OnePalmetto Scholarship and College Fair

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 Division C Table Topics Contestants

 

1st Place – Vassil Karamanov with D-58 Director Lisa Berry & Div C Director Martha Kirby

2nd Place Candace Thompson

 

3rd Place – Charles P. Austin Jr.

 

D-58 Area 42 Director Totlyn Oliver showcasing Toastmasters International in District 58 at the OnePalmetto Scholarship and College Fair in North Charleston, SC.
Totlyn Oliver, while on a getaway to Florida could not help but visit a nearby Western Area Toastmasters Club. She participated as a guest and won Best Evaluator Award.
                                              Way to go Totyln !

PDTA PowerPoint Presentations

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Please feel free to download or view PDTA 2019 PowerPoint presentations & PDF docs from the following link. Courtesy of Trent Kenelly, DTM Program Quality Director, District 58, Toastmasters International

 

  PDTA Presentations

 

The Biggest Lesson I Have Learned In Speaking

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THE BIGGEST LESSON I HAVE LEARNED IN SPEAKING

By Brian Woolf DTM, Advanced Communicators (#4472)

 

Introduction

I joined Toastmasters in New Zealand in 1966. Yet the biggest lesson I have learned occurred only recently, here in South Carolina, when writing my latest book, The Speaker’s Blueprint.

The lesson? The most important part of a speech is not what you say—it’s whether you are connecting. Expressed another way: If you don’t connect, you have no effect. When you don’t connect, your words lie cold and comatose because connection always precedes persuasion.

I wish I had known this—and how to correct it—decades ago. I would have been a much better speaker as my focus would have moved from perfecting words to perfecting connecting.

Connection occurs when you are engaging the minds of those in the audience. And the stronger the engagement, the deeper the connection, and the more they are absorbed in what you are saying.

 

How to Connect

Once you become aware of this reality you will start seeing, finding, and thinking about ways to become a better connector. (The issue is so important, a quarter of my 240-page book is devoted to it.)

Connection has a three-part foundation stone: Mind your U’s and Q’s—and P’s too.   Do this, and you are on your way. Translated, it means we should pepper our speeches with You’s and Questions, and sprinkle in some Participation invitations, too. Let’s discuss them in turn.

 

Mind Your U’s (You’s)

In other words, Yousify your speech. Let each listener knows you are talking to him or her individually, and not to the audience as a group. When audience members feel you are talking to them individually they take more notice.

The following are examples of Yousification:

As you can see…

I don’t know what you learned growing up but I …

I sense you are extroverted but at times you find yourself quite shy.

You can imagine her response…

You already know this but …

 

Mind Your Q’s (Questions)

When you ask your audience questions, you are demanding more of their minds than when just making statements; you unobtrusively move them from a passive to an active state of involvement. You have them listening, processing, thinking.

Asking a question is a great way to open a speech, for it immediately grabs their attention and engage their minds. And using U’s and Q’s in the same sentence steps up your connection power as seen in Darren LaCroix’s opening of his winning WCPS: Can you remember a moment when a brilliant idea flashed into your head?

 

Questions can have a humorous twinge too, as demonstrated by Vikas Jhingran:

The year was 1989 —I was a teenager and my parents were desperate.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Speakers commonly use connecting one-liner Questions, such as:

But sometimes things don’t work out well, do they?

Have you ever noticed that…?

Don’t you hate it when…? (eg, your spouse is right and you are wrong)

May I ask you a very personal question?

What do you think happened next?

 

Mind Your P’s (Participation invitations)

Participation involves talking directly to your audience like U’s and Q’s but, in addition, invites them to participate. For example, by asking them to raise their hand; asking them to think about something; or shouting out an answer to a question; or inviting them to repeat a key phrase. You don’t just plant a seed; you invite the audience to help you plant it—and when they do there is a sense of co-creation and co-ownership creating a stronger connective thread between them and you. Participation takes audiences from passive listening to active involvement as they become more engaged.

Participation examples include:

  • Inviting the audience to repeat a phrase, eg,

Repeat after me—When in trouble, ask questions. (Michael Aun)

  • Inviting the audience to repeat a phrase, eg,

It’s my way or— [Wide, one-arm wipe inviting audience to complete] —the highway.

  • Invite the audience to do or say something, such as Zig Ziglar’s invitation to put their hands up (creating laughter)

Hands up those who have heard me before—or today are hearing me for the first time! 

Besides U’s, Q’s and P’s, other connecting techniques to consider include:

  • Being authentic and credible
  • Putting yourself on the same level (not above) as the audience
  • Talking about things you have in common with the audience (eg, family, growing up, school, first job)
  • Including humor

 

The Bottom Line

In speaking, to sell our ideas and message we must first connect because audiences must relate to us before they will buy from us. Therefore, when preparing a speech, ensure your connectors are in place. Remember, they are the most important part of your speech for …

If you don’t connect, you have no effect

 

 

 

Region 7 Advisor, Charles Gates, has a message for YOU

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We’re geared up for the Professional Development Training and Awards (PDTA) Event this weekend and so is our special guest and keynote speaker: Charles Gates, DTM, Regional 7 Advisor.  Are YOU Ready?  This special video message gives insight into what you will experience at this event. Ticket sales end on Thursday, October 17, 5:00 PM. Don’t miss this opportunity. BUY TICKETS

Professional Development Training and Awards Event (PDTA)

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Are you ready to invest in your personal and professional development?

Join us at the Professional Development & Training Event in Columbia on October 19th!

Purchase Your Tickets Here >> PDTA Tickets   

Charles S. Gates, DTM
Keynote Speaker
Our keynote speaker is New Jersey native, Charles S. Gates. Charles is an entrepreneur, coach, trainer, emcee and transformational speaker who takes his audience and clients from mundane to magnificent, using his TOP HAT leadership philosophy.
 
Charles has been featured in the New Journal and Guide, Virginia’s oldest African American owned newspaper, The Suffolk News Herald, WAVY News 10 (Norfolk), WODU’s Let’s Face it Radio Show with Wil Strayhorn and WNSB’s Nonprofit Exchange Radio Show with C. Richard Gillcrese. He has also appeared on The Common Show with Juanita, WHRO’s Another View and the now defunct Cheryl Wilkerson Presents television shows.
 
Charles serves on the boards of a handful of community based non-profits and is the current Region 7 Advisor for Toastmasters International.
         Totlyn Oliver, ACB ACL EC1
      Presenting “Stand on Your Speaking Block: Forget Your Anxieties”
 
Totlyn is a communications professional with over 20 years experience in broadcast media, sales, and education. With an Master of Education in Lifelong Learning (Adult Education), Totlyn always seeks to share insights on becoming a more effective speaker in talks, seminars, and coaching sessions through her company Goldspeak LLC.
 
As a member of Toastmasters, Totlyn is the current president of Saturday AM Toastmasters as well as Area 42 Director on the District 58 Executive Council. In addition to winning several Toastmasters District competitions within the past two years, Totlyn has also received awards for Advanced Communicator Bronze, Advanced Leader Bronze, and most recently, Effective Coaching Level 1.
 
Totlyn’s presentation will explain how investing time in certain proven activities can help anyone overcome public speaking anxieties. The right activities can effectively combat lifelong fears, worries, and anxieties that have become speaking blocks. In her interactive workshop session, Totlyn will help attendees transform their individual speaking blocks into a firm foundation for delivering winning speech presentations.
                Martha Kirby, ACS, ALB
             Presenting “Developing A Productive Meeting Using FreeToastHost”
Martha has been a Toastmaster since 2009, belonging to three clubs in that area. She is also a member of the District Leadership Committee as Division C Director. 
Martha’s workshop will describe how meetings are a vital communication tool for producing understanding, eliminating confusion, clarifying goals and objectives, defining roles and responsibilities, solving problems, and disseminating information.
Attendees will learn what a productive club meeting looks like and how FreeToastHost can simplify the process while keeping current members informed and interested.
                                                                                                   Vassil Karamanov, CC
   Presenting “Find Clarity & Empower Yourself: A Look into Neuro Linguistic Programing & Flow State”

Vassil is an experienced business owner who has been running Maverick PT LLC in Columbia, SC for 7 years. He is triple certified as a Transformation Life Coach, Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher, and Neuro Linguistic Programming Coach. This year, Vassil reached the District 58 Finals for the Public Speaking Championship of the World. He is an enthusiastic member of three Toastmasters clubs including Saturday AM, Richland 2500, and The Lowcountry Toastmasters. He best describes himself as a conscious empath and loves traveling to new places with 13 countries currently under his belt. 

 

Vassil’s workshop will uncover powerful NLP techniques that will bring clarity to reaching personal goals faster. Additionally, attendees will discover the importance of combating stress and avoiding “cloudy brain” by tapping into Flow State. After all, life isn’t just about surviving; it’s about thriving!

Alison Boyce, DTM, PCG

Presenting “Plot Your Path: A Map to DTM”

Since Alison Boyce joined Toastmasters over 25 years ago, she has seen the Toastmaster education program change three times–each time learning to adapt amidst ensuing confusion. Perhaps that’s why Alison’s Toastmaster passion is helping members achieve success in the program. While Alison has at some point during her Toastmasters career served at every leadership level, from club to Council, she is currently Area Director of two areas, and she was the District 58 Toastmaster of the Year for 2018-2019.

Alison’s upcoming presentation, “Plot Your Path: A Map to DTM” will be an interactive session designed to help Toastmasters navigate their journey to Distinguished Toastmaster. Whether, you are a new Toastmaster or a leader in your club, you’ll leave this 50-minute presentation with plenty of valuable and applicable information.

             Heather Collins

      Presenting “Successful Thinking: It’s a Know-Brainer”

Dr. Heather Collins is a Cognitive Neuroscientist with expertise in how the brain learns, remembers, and thinks about information. She empowers business professionals through brain science by creating power thinkers and catapulting confidence. She has been an enthusiastic member of the MUSC Toastmasters Club since 2011.

In Heather’s 50-minute presentation, “Successful Thinking: It’s a Know-Brainer,” she will address questions like: Are you a successful thinker? Are you an expert learner? What could you accomplish if you knew how to quickly assess a situation, take in information, and act on that information in a meaningful way? Join Heather as she digs into the science of expert learning and successful thinking and reveals simple ways of applying these skills to your professional life.

Chakisse Newton
Presenting “How to Build a Personal Brand That Opens Doors”
What could you achieve if you had a compelling personal brand? Great business brands inspire trust, attract both people and revenue, and shorten the path to success. Your brand can do the same for you both personally and professionally. Learn the keys to building a personal brand that opens doors to opportunity and helps you get noticed, get respect, and get ahead.
 
Chakisse Newton is an award-winning speaker, strategist and consultant, and president of Cardinal Consulting. Since 2006 she has specialized in helping organizations build relationships, brands, and business. She is a dynamic and engaging presenter, known for her communication and influencing skills as well as her ability to teach practical techniques to improve both business and personal performance. She is also a public servant and was elected to Richland County Council in November 2018.
 
Chakisse has experience both in the executive office and in the field. For more than 20 years, Chakisse led a variety of local, national, and global sales and marketing efforts. Her industry experience includes small business management, healthcare, high-technology and software, nonprofits, higher education, franchising, accounting and law. She has seen firsthand how world-class organizations grow, innovate, and interact with clients. Her experience in both sales and marketing allows her to quickly identify problems, tweak strategies, and improve execution to achieve desired business outcomes.

 

Alan Mitchell

Presenting “Sponsor, Mentor, or Coach; Targeting New or Existing Clubs”

Alan’s session will highlight the new roles of the Club Sponsor or Mentor and the existing Club Coach. Not designed to be an in-depth training, Alan’s presentation will provide an overview of these roles in order to help attendees discover which role or roles they would be best suited for you as a new or advanced Toastmaster.

Alan is a seasoned professional in the fields of Architecture, Construction, and Facilities Management. He is currently the owner of Mitchell Construction Systems where he is a management consultant.

As an active member of two Toastmaster clubs, Alan has served in nearly every officer position.

Previously, Alan has worked with District 58 Leaders to produce successful TLI’s, Speech Contests, and other professional development events. He has also served as a successful Club Coach, Area Director, Division Director, and is currently serving as District 58 Club Growth Director.

Robert Luhn
Presenting “Because Order Matters”
Robert’s interactive session will explore the qualities that make up a high-caliber, productive meeting. Learn how to address conflicting interests that can develop during meetings to ensure decisions are made fairly and in an orderly manner.
Robert Luhn, Jr., (ACS, ALB) is a Constable for Charleston County and a multifaceted expert holding several degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Technology Management. His breadth of leadership experience in Toastmasters International includes his present role as the District 58 Parliamentarian and previous roles as Division B Director and Area 22 Director. Robert enjoys challenging himself and continuously looks for ways to learn and grow so that he can help others do the same. 

International Speech Contest Results – 2019 Annual Spring Conference

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1st Place – Marlo Hogue

D-58 International Speech Contest 1st place winner: Marlo Hogue
(from the Upstate)

Congratulations to District 58, International Speech Contest, 1st place winner, Marlo Hogue. Marlo moves on to the International Speech Contest, Region Quarterfinals. Those winners, move on to the semi-finals held at the Toastmasters International Convention in August. 

2nd Place – Lefford Fate

D-58 International Speech Contest 2nd place winner:
Lefford Fate (from the Midlands)

3rd Place Phillip Woody

D-58 International Speech Contest 3rd place winner:
 Phillip Woody (from the Lowcountry)

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District 58 Elections Results

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District 58 is pleased to announce the results of the District 58 Elections held at the annual business meeting on Saturday, May 18. For the 2019-20 Toastmasters year, elected were:

District DirectorLisa Berry
Program Quality DirectorTrent Kenelly
Club Growth DirectorAlan Mitchell
Division A DirectorLee Nettles
Division B DirectorHarry Nettles
Division C DirectorMartha Kirby
Division D DirectorWardah Ameen
Division E DirectorJim Hatchell
Division F DirectorLori Pruett
Division G DirectorLinda Huckaby

Spring 2019 Prison TM Newsletter

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Prison Clubs District 58 Toastmasters May 17, 2019

TODAY’S NEWS

D-58 Toastmasters, Do you want to make a difference ?

Violence is a treatable disease

What we know is that violence is a disease and we can reduce the spread of violence using the same strategies that epidemiologists use to treat other infectious diseases. It’s a simple model: interrupt the spread of violence, treat those at high risk of becoming infected, and change unhealthy community norms.

 

Inside a Prison Club

By Jodie Randisi, Treasurer, Ridgeland Toastmasters

Prison volunteers have firsthand experience and insight that others don’t have regarding the lives of prisoners, how they’ve gotten to where they are, and how they cope with and accept their crimes. It is easy for to assume these men are evil. What isn’t easy is choosing to remember that there have been circumstances (often unimaginable to us in our secure lives) that have landed these men in prison. For the most part, these men are entirely conscious and aware of their wrongdoing. They are very interested in learning how to turn their mess into a message. With their release in mind, prison club Toastmasters are working to reestablish themselves in their communities and especially within their families.

How does Toastmasters help prisoners?

Until people recognize, embrace, and heal those wounded parts of themselves, they cannot be whole; they cannot heal. However, healing is wired into our DNA. We were born with
everything we need to live and thrive. Willingness to face and embrace pain enables us to grow, evolve, and to become our best selves. Being able to share thoughts, ideas and stories has changed the mindset of prison club members.

Clyde Smith, Connie Buehner, Diana Hardy, and others District 58 Toastmasters have seen inmates go from being unable to express themselves with clarity to being confident speakers, which has helped them relationally as well. That’s why I believe prisons are a great place to cultivate people potential and Toastmasters is ideal soil to grow a crop of better men.

Prison Clubs, Why?

Toastmasters gave me the confidence I need to pursue a business career. I now have hope and courage. I am a positive vocal leader, preparing to be a motivational speaker. I have so much inside of me. I was too shy to let it out. I’m ready to speak to the youth about making good choices before they reach this level.

 

Meetings are an Oasis of Encouragement

Despite confinement, we meet weekly to share ideas, learn about each other, and regain humanity. Attendance in a prison is subject to many variables not encountered in
the outside world: lockdowns due to stabbings, medical appointments, parole hearings, work assignments, and family visits, all of which occasionally get in the way.

Our meetings are an oasis of encouragement for a brighter future as well as a respite from an otherwise often hostile environment. Meetings become a springboard for frank conversations about faith, fortitude, friendship as well as loss, anger, loneliness and redemption. For men of low to average education, I’m impressed by their deep insights and observations. I wonder whether they have always been so perceptive, or did these insights comes after incarceration.

If you’d like to get involved, contact:  jodie.randisi@gmail.com.

D-58 Candidates for 2019-2020 Toastmasters year

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The District 58 Leadership Committee (DLC) is pleased to announce the following candidates are approved for the elections for the 2019-2020 Toastmasters year:

 

  • District Director: Lisa Berry, DTM
  • Program Quality Director: Lynn Ragland, DTM
  • Club Growth Director: Trent Kenelly, DTM
  • Division A: Lee Nettles, ACS, ALB
  • Division B: Harry Nettles, ACS, ALB
  • Division C: Martha Kirby, ACB, CL
  • Division D: Eve Kayte-Taylor, CC, ALB
  • Division E: Jim Hatchell, ACB, CL
  • Division F: Lori Pruett, ACB, ALB
  • Division G: Linda Huckaby, ACS, ALS

 

The elections will be held during the District 58 business meeting on May 18th, 2019.  This will be during the Spring Conference at the Embassy Suites Greystone in Columbia, SC.

 

Additional candidates may still run from the floor.  Any floor candidate must submit the proper paperwork to the DLC Chair prior to the business meeting.  No paperwork will be accepted during the business meeting.

 

The DLC members are:

  • Dana Swarner (chair), DTM IPDD
  • Sharon Durgin, DTM PDD
  • Kim Love, DTM PDD
  • David Premo, DTM

 

DEC meetings and Host divisions

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D-58 is planning to implement Division Hosts for each DEC meeting.

The host Divisions will work together to help plan and provide the refreshments for the meeting.  The district will reimburse up to $50 for food and supplies (which are not available from the store room).

Also, the hosts can choose one or more members to provide an education session during the meeting.

Here are the list of meetings and host Divisions:

  • 11/10/18 – Host: Divisions A & D

  • 1/19/19 (full day)  – Host: Divisions B & C

  • 3/16/19 – Host: Divisions E & F

  • 4/13/19 (new) – Host: Division G & Top 7

If you have an education session for your “host date,” reach out to PQD, Lisa Berry to coordinate.

Thanks,

Bob Swarner, DTM

District Director

Toastmasters District 58.

Banners !

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Lowcountry Toastmasters raids Daybreak Toastmasters and captures their Banner! Let the fun begin!

Greenwave Gabbers Toastmasters raid Trolley Talkers Toastmasters.
Pirates!

Fall 2018 Speech Competitions

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Based on the August 2016 decision of the Toastmasters International Boards of Directors (p.35) the discontinuation of the Fall Conference goes in effect this year; Fall 2018. This means there will no longer be a Fall District Speech Contest; however, in District 58, we will have Fall speech competitions at the club, area and division levels only. 
  • Fall 2018 competitions are Table Topics and Tall Tales (Spring contests – Evaluation  and International Speech)
    • Tall Tales –  Contestants present a speech on a topic that is highly-exaggerated and improbable in theme or plot.
    • Table Topics –  An impromptu speech, all contestants are assigned the same topic, told to them when they are introduced by the contest chair.
  • Speech Contest Rulebook  2018-19
  • AREAS with 4 or fewer clubs – can send 2 contestants from each club to each competition.
  • DIVISIONS with 4 or fewer Areas can send 2 winners who placed, to each of the Division contests.  (Divisions B and D can send only 1)
  • Eligibility – Page 6-7 (very important to review)
  • Speech contest tutorials  and Speech contest information review and get familiar
  • Tall Tales contest materials – download zip file 
  • Table Topics contest materials – download zip file
  • Area Contest results are due to me by October 22nd.

Latest Updates

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  1. Club Dues Renewal Status can be be found here.
  2. Speech competitions will be held this fall for Table Topics and Tall Tales contests.  It has been a long time since we had a Tall Tales contest in our district, so this should be a fun learning experience for everyone.  Contact your Area Director for information about your Area contest. Division level contests are targeting November 3rd. There will NOT be any District level competitions for these.

[Read more…]

Four special days

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Each year, Americans can enjoy four special days set aside specifically to honor our veterans and comrades in arms. Sadly, too many of us often overlook these opportunities to pay our respect and recognize the sacrifice and service of these individuals. These four days are intended to, in some small way, express the sentiments of a grateful nation. So what does it say of us when we forget, overlook, or simply brush aside the opportunity to honor the best among us?
I understand that today our lives are more complicated and busier than ever. We have so much going on in our lives these days; school getting out, visiting relatives, graduations, and any number of other competing priorities. I hope each of us were able to honor all our heroes last November on Veteran’s Day. But what about the other days?
It’s perhaps easy to seek and find forgiveness for not making it out to a veteran’s cemetery last Memorial Day Monday. After all, who of us is not grateful for a day off or for a chance to sleep in, fire up the grill, catch a new summer blockbuster, and recharge our batteries?
Beginning during the Civil War, and originally called Decoration Day, this special day, now called Memorial Day, was set aside to recognize the nation’s war dead by decorating their graves. In nearly every community in America you can find, in small and large cemeteries, the final resting place of our veterans. Additionally there are over 120 national cemeteries as well as at least 80 state and territorial veteran’s cemeteries. Somewhere near each of us rests a veteran hero who answered the call and paid the ultimate price. So, I ask you, how difficult is it really to pack up the kids and drive out to the local cemetery and pay our respect? Perhaps you did just that last Monday, and if you did I thank you. If not, do so soon. Our fallen brethren won’t mind a bit if you visit their marker any day of the year.
And what about Armed Forces Day? Who even knows what that is all about anyway? In 1950, President Harry S. Truman spearheaded efforts to set aside a single holiday when Americans could gather and collectively thank our military personnel for their service to the nation. Okay. I’ll grant that there is a generous outpouring of support and gratitude from most Americans that range from hanging yellow ribbons to bumper stickers and welcome home parades for returning troops. I understand.
Then there is that fourth special day, June 14th, set aside to honor another veteran – a faithful comrade who has accompanied each of us – every service member before us, to battlefields and stations in virtually every corner of the globe. For more than two centuries this veteran has always been there with us – always faithful and this vet is always ready for a parade. Our friend was there out at the cemetery last Monday when we were too busy. Not to fret, he was present and accounted for standing tall on Armed Forces Day as well. In fact our friend is always there, and in fact, often overlooked and taken for granted.
Of course I am speaking of Old Glory, our flag. Always faithful and decked out in full glorious parade dress uniform! Our friend has guided and comforted countless numbers of our comrades in arms through the best and the worst of times. No doubt each of us can recall an example of our friend being present which might evoke strong emotions in each of us – perhaps in a parade, at a funeral for a loved one, on the battlefield, on the tail of a plane, or over an embassy in a foreign land. Our friend is always there and loves to be on parade! So, I ask you, on June 14, on Flag Day, hoist Old Glory up, salute, and give our good friend the respect and recognition he deserves.

ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIX

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What does the year 1946 and District 58 have in common?

  • In 1946 the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund was established.
  • The British Broadcasting Television Service starting broadcasting again after recovering from WWII.
  • AT&T announced the first car phone.
  • Bikinis go on sale in Paris.
  • BB King’s musical career starts.

Why is the ancient history of any concern to the members of District 58? Because 1946 is how many paid members we currently have in District 58.

We still have two more clubs that will charter this year (making it a total of ten new clubs this year) and a couple of clubs trying to get the very last April dues payments in the system. We are really trying to reach 2500 members in the District by 30 June 2013. It is a huge order, but if every member invites someone to a meeting, based on our experience, ½ of those invited will join the club.

We have 19 Clubs which have five or more Distinguished Club Goals completed, but they need the paid membership applications submitted to World Headquarters to become distinguished.

Please step out smartly as we continue to excel with the remainder of the Toastmasters Year.

Respectfully,

Phil

In Memory of Helen Blanchard, Toastmasters International President, 1985–1986

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In Memory of Helen Blanchard, Toastmasters International President, 1985–1986

Helen Blanchard, a trailblazing Toastmaster who rose through the ranks of the organization to become Toastmasters International’s first female president, passed away on Saturday, May 11, at the age of 86.

Helen began attending club meetings in 1970—a time when Toastmasters was still an all-male organization. That didn’t deter her, or the club she chose: Naval R&D Toastmasters in San Diego. (At the time, Blanchard was working at what was then called the U.S. Navy Research and Development Center in San Diego.) When a club leader submitted her membership application, they slyly disguised her gender, turning in the paperwork under the name “H. Blanchard.”

“World Headquarters then requested my first name, and the club president asked me what kind of male name I’d like to use,” Blanchard recalled in a 2008 Toastmaster magazine article. “I told him I’d never thought about it. So the members decided to name me during Table Topics, and they came up with ‘Homer.’”

By 1973, women were allowed to join Toastmasters, and “Homer” could go back to being Helen. Blanchard took on one leadership position after another in the organization, and in 1985 she was elected International President.

Along with the Naval R&D club, she eventually joined two other San Diego clubs: Undersea Toastmasters and Excelsior Toastmasters, a club she started in the late ‘70s.

Blanchard also achieved distinction in her professional career. She worked in a department of the Navy that tested sonar systems to identify if new torpedoes were hitting their targets, and she eventually oversaw 130 U.S. government employees responsible for providing support to Navy scientists and engineers.

In 2008, Blanchard wrote her autobiography, Breaking the Ice. Whether thriving in the workplace or leading fellow Toastmasters, she says she lived by the motto “Commit to excellence.”

Time and again, Blanchard wrote in Breaking the Ice, “I accepted challenges that made me reach far beyond my comfort zone.” Helen has been a mentor to hundreds of Toastmasters during the past 40 years, and an inspiration to thousands of men and women through her courage, her tenacity and her positivity. She will be greatly missed.

Alyda Miller, DTM

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District 58 mourns the loss of Alyda Miller, DTM. She was a longtime Toastmaster and widow of Carl Miller, DTM;  Alyda passed away May 9 at 5:00 PM after a brief illness. She was living in Chicago. Our thoughts go out to her family and friends.

Your 2013-2014 District Officers

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During the Spring Conference, District 58 elected our District Leaders for 2013-14. Heartiest Congratulations to:

District Trio

  • District Governor: David Fillion, DTM; Sunrise Club; Club # 2124
  • Lt Governor Education and Training: Angela Geiger, DTM; Millennium Toastmasters; Club #2964
  • Lt Governor Marketing: Sharon Durgin Reshni, DTM; Past Select Distinguished LGM; Talk of the Town Toastmasters; Club # 2555

Division Governors

  • Division A Governor: Lisa Berry, ACG, ALB; The Low Country Officers Club; Club #8292
  • Division B Governor: John Kauth, ACB, CL; TRC Toastmasters; Club No. 888485
  • Division C Governor: Diana Berry, CC, ALB; Aiken Toastmasters; Club No. 1355
  • Division D Governor: Kimberly Love, ACS, CL; Millennium Toastmasters; Club #2964
  • Division E Governor: Gokul Kalur, ACB, ALS; Magmasters, Club # 1400864
  • Division F Governor: Steven Marquis, ACG, ALB; Bi-Lo Shelf Talkers; Club #826312
  • Division G Governor: John Rodgers, ACS; ScanSource Club; Club #5885

We wish all of them great success in their efforts to lead our District during the new year, and we offer our support to them as we continue to grow and offer the advantages of the Toastmasters program to the great state of South Carolina.

Congratulations Contest Winners!

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Congratulations to all those that participated at the Spring Conference during the speech contests. Here are the results of these events:

The Table Topics Winners:

  • 1st Place – Heather Collins
  • 2nd Place – Geneva Anderson, DTM
  • 3rd Place – LaVerne Shuler

The International Speech Contest Winners:

  • 1st Place – Ray Schnell representing 1043578 Hartsville Toastmasters – going to the International Convention
  • 2nd Place – Marcus Benjamin representing 885186 Fort Mill Toastmasters Club
  • 3rd Place – John Fallon representing 7276 Power’Ful Toastmasters

Well done everyone! District 58 is proud of you!

Welcome Toastmasters Bilingue to District 58

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Please welcome our latest member to the District 58 family: Toastmasters Bilingue, with an effective charter date of 10 April 2013. Toastmasters Bilingue is our very first “English as a Second Language Club” and we are proud to have them as part of District 58. Thank you to Nicholas Graham, Jody Usher, Dennis Johnson, Kamran Popkin and Jeffery Alfonso for a job well done!

Démosle la bienvenida al miembro más reciente de la familia del Distrito 58: Toastmasters Bilingüe, con un empiezo oficial del 10 de abril de 2013. Toastmasters Bilingüe es nuestro primer club de “Inglés como segundo idioma” y estamos orgullosos de tenerlos como parte del Distrito 58. Gracias a Nicholas Graham, Jody Usher, Dennis Johnson, Kamran Popkin y Jeffery Alfonso por sus esfuerzos!

Welcome Richland Library Toastmasters!

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District 58 Toastmasters, please join me in welcoming the latest addition to the District 58 family, Richland Library Toastmasters, with an effective charter date of 5 April 2013. Congratulations to our Lt. Governor Marketing, Angela L. Geiger, DTM, and team on a job well done!

Welcome Golden Toastmasters!

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Heartiest congratulations to Flora Ratliff, Paul Crowley and the team for a job well done in chartering the newest club to the District 58 family: Golden Toastmasters at the Point, with an effective chartering date 3 April 2013.  It was a long and arduous process, but we are very proud of Flora, Paul and the team for continuing to press forward and making this a reality!