Club Celebrations 2023-2024

Club Celebrations

Open House Meetings
Charterversary Meetings
Golden Gavel Meetings
From Sunshine to Sunshine 2023-2024 Incentive

Club Celebrations

Open House Meetings
Charterversary Meetings
Golden Gavel Meetings
From Sunshine to Sunshine 2023-2024 Incentive

Club Celebrations by Year
2025-2026 (current year)
2024-2025
2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
2019-2020

Weatherford Club – #4963 – Open House and Golden Gavel

Exciting Hybrid meeting in the new Weatherford College – Workforce and Emerging Technologies location, a magnet location for college faculty, staff, and students and the wider Parker County community. We had 3 ‘new to Toastmasters’ guests and one joined that night!

We were supported by in-coming and out-going District Officers, Phylliss Christian-Daniels, Jenny Liddle, Tracy Speyer, Karen Shadden, and Jenall Gold. We were honored to have , DR. Alexander Ibe, MD, MS – Dean of Humanities & Sciences join us.

Event: 6/25/2024
Submitted by: Donna Young

ThumbsUp Toastmasters – #1415 – Open House

The club had an exciting meeting observing National Meal Prep Day inspired by a club members’ goals to redefine success beginning with ourselves. The word of the day was ‘Ingenious’ with multiple expressions and uses from all attendees! The highlight of the event were the esteemed guests!

The audience enjoyed a Pathways Speech plus a rousing TableTopics session followed by meeting evaluation including role reports, announcements, etc. Congratulations to the club for a team-led goal being realized!

All are welcome to join ThumbsUp Toastmasters which meets weekly online 3p-4p CT / 4p-5p ET / 1p-2p PT.

Event: 6/9/2024
Submitted by: Volanda Harris, Club President/VPE

Mr. Cooper Speaks – #3349691 – Opoen House, Golden Gavel

Our President, Erin Johnson, has retired. She and her husband begin a new journey and this meeting was all about her. The theme was “Here’s Looking at YOU, Kid! The word of the day WAS NOT GOODBYE. Virtual backgrounds were made to express farewell in other languages and are visible in our group picture. The highlight of our meeting and tribute, was a video of her 15 years at Mr. Cooper as a leader, her journey with Toastmasters, and concluded with scenes of their destination, Utah. We did NOT SAY GOODBYE but best wishes.

Event: 6/11/2024
Charter date: 8/9/13
Submitted by: Joyce Trimble, Club Treasurer

Longhorn Toastmasters Club – #3178 – Open House & Golden Gavel

Longhorn Toastmasters exemplifies all the quality standards that every toastmaster’s club strives for.

Today’s open house was no exception. This meeting met all the requirements of a golden gavel and more. The president and toastmaster of the day, David Fleming opened the meeting by greeting all guests and explaining all the elements of a meeting. A wonderful speech was provided by Shannon Luce. She spoke about how toastmasters can impact future generations. The table topics session by Dionne McKnight was lively and interesting. Two members and one guest spoke about how Toastmasters has made an impact on their lives. All of the helpers did a great job. The speech evaluation by Racaan Calton and the general evaluation by Jacob Garcia were both thoughtful and informative. I am honored and thrilled to submit this request for a Golden Gavel Award for Longhorn Toastmasters.

Event: 6/10/2024
Submitted by: Jenny Riddle, Area 11 Director

World Renowned Grand Prairie Toastmasters – #6332 – Open House & Golden Gavel & Charterversary

World Renowned Grand Prairie Toastmasters – Charterversary, Open House and Golden Gavel Celebration!

Thank you to everyone who joined us in-person and online on 4th June 2024, for our Charterversary, Open House, and Golden Gavel Celebration! Our themed meeting was “Pie Day” and was a resounding success, filled with excitement and Toastmasters spirit.

In honor of this special occasion, we embraced the theme “PIE” as an acronym for Prepared Speeches, Impromptu Speaking, and Evaluations. The event welcomed four visitors, of which two expressed their desire to join our club. Their participation added to the lively and engaging atmosphere.

The meeting featured all the essential elements of a fantastic Toastmasters meeting with attention to Golden Gavel requirements blended into the celebration of Open House and our Charter Anniversry for a delicious and “scrumptious” (Word-of-the-day) experience. We were engaged as one of our cherished members provided a speech on the origin of our club and how we earned the name, “World Renowned Toastmasters”.

We were thrilled to have guest Bria Nicolee win Best Table Topics, impressing everyone with her amazing answer. Visiting guest speaker Mark English captivated the audience with a speech entirely constructed with song lyrics and thus was awarded Best Speaker. Jay Sonderegger received the Best Evaluator award for his constructive and encouraging feedback to Mark English’s speech.

Adding to the excitement, we offered door prizes, including a gift card for a free pizza “P.I.E.” and two whole pies from a popular local restaurant, which were a huge hit among attendees.

World Renowned Grand Prairie Toastmasters continues to create memorable and enriching experiences for our members and guests. We invite everyone to join us, in person or online, on Tuesday nights at 7pm and be part of our journey of personal and professional growth.

For more information, please visit our website at WorldRenowned.ToastmastersClubs.org

Event: 6/4/2024
Submitted by: The Bold, The Proud, The World Renowned Officers of Club #6332

Grace Club – #1912 – Open House & Golden Gavel

Congratulations to Grace Club Toastmasters for an exciting and well-run meeting! The club has been sharing ideas to welcome new guests and members plus have been doing a great job in their efforts to consistently have guests. The members were excited to congratulate DTM Maria Smith for greatly representing the club in the previous Division B International Speech Contest, especially after having a fun Watch-Party to support!

Today’s meeting included all the elements to enhance any Toastmasters club meeting: speakers, an impromptu session (TableTopics), and evaluations. The audience experienced an Icebreaker speech, followed with an engaging Table Topics session, concluding with warm, keen evaluations. Guest feedback was positive and even prompted the club to evolve an idea to involve all of the other clubs in Area 21 to support encouragement by District 25 Director DTM Emily Murray’s message to ‘Share Your Sunshine’! Finally, club announcements were shared including to support the upcoming District Conference and the meeting ended on time as planned.

Grace Club Toastmasters is excited to welcome guests and members to visit and join club meetings which are hybrid on 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 6:45a-7:45a CT. Please connect with a Club Officer or visit club website for details at https://1912.toastmastersclubs.org .

Event: 5/2/2024
Submitted by: Area Director Volonda Harris

Professional Speakers Support Group Advanced – # 7974117 – Open House & Charterversary

Thank you D25 and Guests for supporting the Charterversary and Open House Month events with Professional Speakers Support Group Advanced Toastmasters Club! We applaud the club and members for growing into a 2nd year within Toastmasters International as a chartered club!

The excitement grew at Professional Speakers Support Group Advanced during this exciting Month-Long Open House event! This particular meeting welcomed 7 guests including a round-robin evaluation session then concluding in excellent feedback from all in attendance! Everyone is invited to visit Professional Speakers Support Group Advanced which meets online 1st and 3rd Saturdays 9:30a-10:30a CT / 10:30a-11:30a ET / 7:30a-8:30a PT. Please connect with a Club Officer or visit club website for details at https://pssg.toastmastersclubs.org .

Event: 5/4/2024
Submitted by: Area Director Volonda Harris

Professional Speakers Support Group Advanced – # 7974117 – Open House & Charterversary

Event: 5/4/2024
Submitted by: Area Director Volonda Harris

Electric Toasters – #2194281 – Open House & Golden Gavel

We held a Memorial Day-themed Corporate Open House where the Executive Sponsor of our Employee Resource Group gave a speech on the power of storytelling. Another Executive spoke on the benefit of Toastmasters and other developmental ERGs. We shared laughs, knowledge, and an impactful Table Topics Panel where the winner, John Aparicio, won the 2024 Table Topics Open House Winner Trophy.

We had 53 total attendees with 29 of them being guests!! What an amazing event, the Pokey-O’s Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches were a big hit!

The Electric Toasters of Vistra Corp are proud to be a part of the Highly Esteemed District 25 Family!

Event: 5/14/24
Submitted by: John Aparicio, Division Director & Club President, VP Public Relations

Golden Triangle Toastmasters Club – #5297 – Open House & Golden Gavel

Meeting started on time, ended on time, and had 6 guests in attendance (including our AD and DivD)

Event: 5/1/24

Savannah Smith, Club VP Membership

Golden Triangle Toastmasters Club – #5297 – Open House

Meeting started, ended on time, and we had 3 guests (including our AD & DivD).

Event: 10/18/23

Savannah Smith, Club VP Membership

Golden Triangle Toastmasters Club – #5297 – Open House, Charterversary

Meeting started, ended on time, and we had 11 guests (including our AD & DivD)

Event: 10/4/23

Savannah Smith, Club VP Membership

Once Upon a Time – #6103644 – Golden Gavel

Panel discussion with characters from the book the club was reading this month. A club member and a visiting Toastmaster played those characters and answered panel questions accordingly. A very fun and different approach to the meeting with lots of positive feedback from members and visitors alike!

Event: 5/19/24

Tasha White, Area 24 Director
Nicole Dogan, Area 23 Director

Burleson Toastmasters Club – #706449 – Open House

While we were so busy having fun that we didn’t take pictures, we had a fun filled 100 Years of Toastmasters themed meeting! We had quotes from Dr. Ralph Smedley sprinkled throughout along with notable Toastmasters mentioned. Guests were excited to know that they can be in good company like Tim Allen AND Leonard Nimoy. We had two fantastic speeches, great Toastmaster themed Table Topics and two excellent evaluations. Along with food and fun, two of our 9 guests joined at the meeting! Burleson Toastmasters is having fun, supporting each other and bringing the sunshine!!

Event: 5/20/24

Ninfa Flewitt, Club President

Panther City Toastmasters – #4716146 – Open House

Our Open House / Charterversary Celebration was a success with 4 guests. Everyone had a great time including our non-toastmaster guest.

Rose Timmons, Club VP Education

Event: 5/1/24

Progressive Leaders – #3467810 / WBC #22`9178 – Sunshie-to-Sunshine

Type Event:
A Panel Discussion about The Toastmaster Experience.

A fun evening and a very positively received panel! A mix of new and old members attended with 13 in attendance, including an online participant.

Nicole Dogan,
Club Secretary, Progressive Leaders

Event 3/25/24

BNSF Toastmasters Cllubs – #2975 – Charterversary

The 25th Charterversary celebration for BNSF Toastmasters Club #2975 was held on February 1, 2024 in a hybrid format. One attendee was online with the rest of the meeting attendees arriving in person. A Tex-Mex lunch, dessert, and drinks were served. Many previous members returned to the club to help celebrate, along with a few new faces. There were 10 guests. Here’s to 25 more!

Richard Hinckley, Area 53 Director

Event 2/1/2024

ThumbsUp Toastmasters – #1415- Open House & Golden Gavel

The club had an recognizing Earth Month with its meeting theme inspired by a club member aptly as “National Gardening Day”. The word of the day was ‘Geoponic’ and the club celebrated everyone speaking or using the word of the day! The event was well attended by both members and guests, with positive feedback from all attendees.

There were two speeches from two club officers plus a rousing TableTopics session. Finally, the club had a strong evaluation session led by another club officer and Area F61 Director Thomas ‘ Tuc’ Goodwin. All attendees were challenged to recall active listening by the Listener, a role filled by a new club member! The club would like to recognize Guest Timer, DTM Donna Young for her contributions and feedback in the meeting!

Everyone received announcements at the end of the meeting plus stayed for an engaging Q&A session for general discussions. The club especially congratulates club officer Ankur Bora for his representation and ‘ThumbsUp’ presence at the Division F Contest! All are welcome to join ThumbsUp Toastmasters which meets weekly online 3p-4p CT / 4p-5p ET / 1p-2p PT.

Volonda Harris, Club President/VP Public Relations

Event 4/14/24

FEAR-Less Toastmasters – #7594460 – Open House

Sunny vibes were in full swing at the Open House of Sunny Side of FEAR-less Toastmasters on April 27! Kicking off with our usual warm welcome, we asked everyone to share their favorite sunny day activities. From soaking up the sunshine outdoors to enjoying a lazy afternoon nap, the answers were as diverse as they were delightful.

Our FEAR-master, Kelly Pelkey, was at the helm, ensuring that speakers were warmly welcomed and properly introduced. With Kelly’s guidance, our table topics were fun, and our evaluators offered nothing but motivation and encouragement to our speakers.

First up to the podium was Barbara Catchpole, who took us on her remarkable journey to Toastmasters. It turns out, years ago, she had her doubts about Toastmasters, thinking it was something of a cult. However, driven by her desire for business advancement, she decided to give it a shot. Through “Find a Club,” she stumbled into Joyce Trimble’s Inbox and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, she’s not just a member of one club but two!

Following Barbara was Elly Malaxos, the Division B International Speech contestant, who offered us a glimpse into her captivating speech on Building Healthy Relationships.

Though our invitations didn’t draw the guests as we had hoped, the meeting was filled with laughter and a sense of camaraderie, as always. At Sunny Side of FEAR-less Toastmasters, every meeting feels like a sunny day among family.

Joyce Trimble, VP Public Relations

Event 4/27/24

Professional Speakers Support Group Advanced – #7974117 – Open House

The club had a great turnout through presence and participation by both members and esteemed guests! The success of their event was that it welcomed the opportunity to stretch through practicing learning through experiences as members of Toastmasters International. The club is commended for reigniting their fires while acting on the encouragement of District 25 Director Emily Murray, DTM to “Share Your Sunshine!” Each person present contributed personally and with public-speaking activities – heightened with this club being an advanced club! Everyone is welcome to visit Professional Speakers Support Group Advanced Toastmasters Club, which meets online 9:30a-10:30a CT the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month.

Volonda Harris, Area 21 Director

Event 4/6/24

Grace Club – #1912 – Open House/Golden Gavel

Grace Club Toastmasters had a wonderful April Open House event and also achieved recognition for Golden Gavel! The club was well-attended and started promptly on time with all attendees being shared the club meeting’s Agenda. The meeting’s theme was ‘What to Do on a Rainy Day’ as guests and members discussed fun thoughts to make the most of such a time. All roles were already filled, which showed great preparation and teamwork as a club. Additionally, the guest was invited to participate in TableTopics and shared wonderful feedback at the end of the meeting. The club heard a great speech and speech evaluation from two DTMs plus received a special invitation to a Division Watch Party to support club representation at the Division B Speech Contest. Finally, the club shared announcements and a short business meeting to help alignment of club and member goals as everyone works towards successfully completing this 2023-2024 Toastmasters year. A special thank you to the leadership provided by Grace Club Toastmasters Club Officers for their leadership in preparation for this meeting. Congratulations Grace Club Toastmasters on a successful event! Everyone is invited to visit Grace Club Toastmasters which meets online via Zoom each 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 6:45a-7:45a CT.

Volonda Harris, Area 21 Director

Event 4/18/24

Something to Talk About – #5518497 and ACH Renaissance #3214758 – From Sunshine-to-Sunshine

Type Event:
The clubs met virtually and held a speech and evaluation challenge. It was a great team building where the clubs competed in each category and had a winner from each club.

It was also a great learning event as an evaluator from the opposite club evaluated each speaker. The winners were awarded certificates. We had five inspirational and humorous speeches followed by five informative evaluations. It was a great evening of fellowship and learning about our fellow Toastmasters.

Karen Shadden, Something to Talk About

Very enjoyable working with others to see how they conduct their meetings

Greg Pick, ACH Renaissance

Event 4/30/24

Centex Clearly Speaking Toastmasters – #638381 – Open House/Golden Gavel

Congratulations to Centex Clearly Speaking Toastmasters Club.
What a wonderful uplifting open house Centex Clearly Speaking organized on April 30th.
The theme of “Big Welcome” held true. Not only did all nine members attend for 100% attendance. All members filled a role or gave a speech. There were four guests including two non-toastmaster guests and two toastmaster guests. New member Lu Anne Alo-Broughton gave a humorous and inspiring ice breaker. Long-time member, Christine Ontiveros talked about motivating others and the guest speaker and Area A Division Director Denise McConnell gave an uplifting speech about her toastmaster journey. We had a rousing session of Table Topics with questions about the benefits of joining toastmasters. Both guests participated in the impromptu speaking session and indicated their enjoyment of the meeting, the warmth of the members and their plans to keep attending.

Jenny Riddle, Club Coach
Event: 4/30/24

Tarrant County Toastmasters – #1826942 – Open House

Two phenomenal Guest Speakers from the Tarrant County Government Leadership team: Mary Louise Nicolson, County Clerk speaking on “Leadership, Public Service, and Paying it Forward.” and Andre V. Mendes, CIO, Tarrant County speaking on “Innovation at the speed of life”. Inspiring words delivered by experts in their field of both Visionary Leadership and Operational Excellence. The Tarrant County Toastmasters mingled with guests ensuring that no one went away hungry. There were a few reunions with old friends and promises to visit the club.

And EVERY CLUB MEMBER was either ON THE AGENDA, ATTENDING IN PERSON or VIRTUALLY, or was a SUBCOMMITTEE LEAD for this truly inspirational event.

Donna Young, Club Coach
Event: 4/29/24

Off the Cuff – #4354 – Open House

We had a very successful open house. We had 7 guests plus 4 significant others. The food was great – thanks to Diana and members that brought items. We had nice meal and fellowship with meeting beginning promptly at 7PM. Our theme was “Open Mic Night”. It was fun to have all of our guests either speak ‘off the cuff‘ or be an evaluator. The speeches were inspiring and entertaining. We make a significant reach out to past guests, clubs that our members have dual membership as well as District leadership.

Another outstanding meeting by Off the Cuff.

Diana Patton, Club VP Membership
Event: 4/27/24

Once Upon a Time – #6103644 – Open House/Charterversary

Once Upon a Time had a great Charterversary celebrating our 7th anniversary with an open house and featuring guest author Kim Story Haagen. Members and guests shared their own life challenges, how they overcame them, and the value of Toastmasters in providing a supportive and positive environment for us to learn and grow.

Sandy Swan, Club VP Education
Charter Date: 3/10/17 Event: 4/21/24

Highway to Excellence – #3332446 – Open House

We had 6 guests add to our high toastmaster energy tonight with 2 wonderful speeches and 5 table topics related to each individuals high energy and how it can benefit Toastmasters as well as how HTE can benefit the member.

Jill Morrison, Club VP Public Relations
Event 4/18/24

Texas Talkers – #1082726 – Open House

Our club came together as a team in planning our open house. Our VPPR created nice graphic using Canva and posting on club FB and on D25 group FB. We reached out to past members, guests, interested persons. A few of members on our MeetUp planned on attending. The food was very tasty. Our banner was on display to welcome our guests. We had five guests. The meeting ran smoothly with two outstanding speeches and appropriate table topic questions. We always have a great meeting but this was was outstanding. Great job by all!

Diana Patton, Club Secretary
Event 4/21/24

Something to Talk About – #5518497 – Open House, Golden Gavel

A wonderful gathering of members and guests both online and in person. The theme for the evening was April Showers Bring May Flowers. One of our newest members brought a fun speech on why we say um. Our Tabletopic Master had us choose an object out of a basket. We went around and took turns telling a story about Spring with the object we had chosen. We had a contest to see who could bring the most guests. We then announced the winners and presented gifts. Food and fellowship was had in the beginning and after the meeting.

Karen Shadden, Club Secretary
Event 4/16/24

Mindful Masters – #7663722 – Open House, Golden Gavel

The officers of Mindful Masters planned for this Open House for 6 weeks! Their planning paid off. While the Mindful Masters Toastmasters Club meets virtually, this Open House was hybrid. The hybrid meeting was a success with 9 guests joining online (AD, Volanda Harris, was one of the guests) and 5 guests in person (two fellow TMs, Deb Sanford and Emily Baillie). There was excitement and joy in the room as many in-person attendees met face-to-face for the first. The membership of the club represented over 75% of attendance. Two MM members were recognized for their achievement levels. Our 2 speakers gave Pathway speeches, 3 members and 1 guest gave a Table Topic, and there were two uplifting evaluations. The meeting concluded with a celebration of gifts and acknowledgments for those going the extra mile to implement this Open House. We believe this meeting will result in new members for the Mindful Masters Club!

Tammy Kasterke, Club Coach

This wonderful hybrid event occured due to the preparation by the club’s leadership and members, with the Agenda being shared prior to the meeting and during the meeting. Additionally, the meeting was well-attended both in-person and online by members and guests.

All meeting roles were filled prior to the meeting, which featured the theme “New YOU!” Guests were welcomed by club members as everyone reflected on the club’s mission to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.

There were two speeches shared along with a fun TableTopics session, plus the general evaluation portion. Finally, the meeting concluded with additional accolades with the benefit of in-person attendees taking group photos and enjoying snacks!

Volonda Harris, Area 24 Director

Event 4/6/24

First Command Club – #8474 – Open House, Golden Gavel

Awsome meeting that was very well organized with sign in sheet for guests, printed agendas, voting, inspiring speech, and table topics that flowed with the theme of the day. Lunch was provided as well as sweet treats. The meeting started and ended on time. Toastmaster allowed time to hear from the guests.

Karen Shadden, Area Director
Event 3/27/24

ThumbsUp Toastmasters – #1415 – Open House, Golden Gavel, Charterversary

Guests and members joined online for acquaintance prior to meeting starting.
Club opened with an exciting theme, “Celebrating 37 Years – ThumbsUp Toastmasters!”.
Celebrations were throughout the meeting, beginning with thanking club members and welcoming club guests. Our guests were welcomed very warmly to the club.
Our informed guests were excited to opt-in for participation in the meeting as role holders for Listener and Timer, delighting everyone as they began their new journeys!

The meeting had 2 excellent speeches by our Club VPPR/SAA and Club VPM on the topics of “The Circle of Life” and “How Money Works”. Both shared great topics for further considerations worthy of celebration!
The meeting proceeded with an engaging TableTopics session by Past Immediate Club President, further engaging all attendees!
The last meeting session was Evaluations, led by our Club Treasurer with effective feedback on ideas to improve celebrations, with excellent recognition to guests and total audience participation. All functionary roles shared reports within time, worthy of additional celebrations!
Finally, the meeting concluded with warm regards from guests along with Club/District announcements.

Thank you ThumbsUp Toastmasters and guests for celebrating 37 Years being a chartered active club in Toastmasters International! We are excited leaders! Let’s continue to share our sunshine as Toastmasters, which our District Director Emily Murray, DTM encourages!

Volonda Harris, President/VP Education
Event 3/31/24
Charter Date 3/1/1987

Afterburners Club – #6191 – Open House, Charterversary

Afterburners Club 38th Charterversary and Open House meeting with fellowship and food. A special night for some members as we celebrated their achievements and contributions to the club. There were 3 guests in attendance

Rose Timmons, VP Public Relations
Event 3/1/24

Out On The Town #897575 – Open House/Golden Gavel

At our monthly meeting of Out on the Town we had an outstanding open house meeting. We have 8 guests along with a line up of 15 of our members filling roles.

Our theme “Be Out Guest!” was perfect for the ‘hospitality’ (WOD) shown to everyone.

We had three outstanding speakers and evaluator – from Ice Breaker, contest winning speech and another inspiring speaker that joined us on-line.

The mood was upbeat at always with lots of fellowship before and after the very productive meeting.

Diana Patton, Club VP Education
Event 3/9/24

Keller Communicators Club #621025 & Colleyville Toastmasters #1582921 – Open House/Golden Gavel/Charterversaary

Keller Communicators always does something fun if there is a 5th Thursday in a month. In February, this also happened to be Leap Day. We invited Colleyville Toastmasters to our meeting which included a potluck dinner. The agenda was filled with members from both clubs. Everyone had a great time.

Liz Brenner,
Keller Club President
Event 2/29/24

Great meeting, with speakers from both clubs and great food with our internationally diverse memberships! One person practiced their contest speech and got great feedback from both clubs. Several people commented that they knew people from the other club by reputation but had never met in person!

[Keller has a quarterly special meeting when there are 5 Thursdays in the month — this one happened to be on Leap Day, thus the special theme of “Take a LEAP of Faith on LEAP DAY!”

Jim Jameson
Colleyville Club President
Event 2/29/24

Blue Castle Collaborators Club #7975857 – Open House/Golden Gavel/Charterversaary

What a wonderful two year Charterversary Blue Castle Collaborators held. There were 13 members in attendance and 11 guests. Two amazing speeches were provided along with a fun session of Table Topics. Division Director, Denise McConnell won for best Table Topics with her humorous impromptu speech on how to end a relationship with love on Valentines day. Area Director Jenny Riddle was also in attendance. Refreshments were served and several guests committed to joining the club.

Jenny Riddle
Area 11 Director

Event 2/21/24

IT Egos – Club #1483991 – Open House

IT EGOS is WILD about their Open House! 7 guests and one returning former member! Guests jumping in to grab Table Topics questions and THAT’s the way we like it!

Donna Young

Event 2/20/24

San Angelo Toastmasters – Club #4486922 & HELP University Toastmasters – Club #599567 (District 51, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) – From Sunshine to Sunshine

This collaboration was fantastic and garnered much enjoyment from both sides! However, this cultural exchange was not possible without all who attended from San Angelo Toastmasters and D25! Thank you to Emily Murray, Phylliss Christian-Daniels, Kym Schubert, Alex Conrad, Larry Prince, Hilda Guffey, Jenny Riddle, Pam Davis, Sallie Jett, and Jason Jett!

Special thanks to our HUTMC members who weren’t able to attend, but who helped plan this meeting and organize the agenda: Crystal (PR TEAM), Lydia (PR TEAM), and Fatima (VPE).

We also wish to thank our HUTMC members and friends of HUTMC who attended: Khor Jun Siang, Nelson John, Koay Zhi Jie, Jason Chan (Bayan Baru TMC), Sanjay Sivan (TARC TMC), and Hong Wei Kang (TMIKL TMC).

Congratulations to Larry Prince and to Lydia Yue for winning Best Table Topics!

Jun Siang, President, HELP University Toastmasters Club (HUTMC)

When we experience a different culture through educational and cultural exchange we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and of those around us, deepening our knowledge of foreign cultures and strengthening international relationships.

That is indeed what happened during our “Cultural Exchange” meeting! We had a wonderful meet-n-greet time prior to the meeting where many of our SATM club members (as well as dignitaries and friends from D25) had informal conversations with HUTMC members about topics such as our Toastmasters journey, college life in Kuala Lumpur, the art of networking, ideas on club growth, and so much more!

Once the meeting began, we had roles filled from both clubs. SATM President Larry Prince and HUTMC President Jun Siang each gave an “introductory address,” and then the Toastmaster was introduced.

Jason Jett was the Grammarian and gave us the very-appropriate Word of the Day: “fusion.”

We had a wonderful speech from SATM member Jenny Riddle, “Texas, Our Texas” where she showcased her move to Texas when she was a little girl. Her power point presentation highlighted many well-known Texas landmarks. She presented this speech with pride for our great state and helped those of us who live here to remember why we love Texas!

The second speaker was Koay Zhi Jie, who talked about his Malaysian upbringing and his relationship with his Dad. He talked about how the lessons they both learned while they were “both” growing up helped to shape who he is today. He gave a lovely tribute to his Dad and we learned so much about Malaysian traditions.

Sallie Jett (SATM) and Jun Siang (HUTMC) both led the extended Table Topics portion of the meeting. Everyone had the opportunity to practice their impromptu speaking skills while answering questions such as “What is your favorite landmark where you live, what is your favorite traditional food, and what is your event or holiday celebration you attend where you live?” We learned about a traditional Malaysian dish called Nasi Lemuk which includes white rice cooked in coconut milk. During Table Topics, Alex Conrad (Guest Toastmaster/D25 Alignment Chair) told us his favorite Texas dish was chili and summarized our ongoing debate (whether chili should or shouldn’t be called chili if it has beans) and even had time to talk about his dislike for cocnut and anchovies. Emily Murray (Guest Toastmaster/District 25 Director) talked about wanting to visit South Padre Island. Jason Jett (SATM member/D25 Chief Judge) talked about his favorite Texas flower, the bluebonnet.

Hilda Guffey (SATM) evaluated Jenny Riddle’s speech and she gave us a wonderful twist using the acronym T.E.X.A.S. (T = Technical skills, E = Exemplary examples of storytelling skills and in telling how “big” Texas was, X = eXtreme skills in humor, A = Amazing facts and content, and S = Share this speech again, please!)

Pam Davis filled the role of General Evaluator, called for reports, and then gave an extended evaluation of our very special meeting.

We had many opportunities to laugh together with our new friends during this meeting! Words we used to describe our languages and slang mashups included “Manglish” (a mix between the Malaysian language and English that the HUTMC club members use among themselves), and “Texan” (a mix between English and… well… the words we say as Texans such as “y’all”). We had a chance to laugh at ourselves as we compared notes. We realized that humor spreads across cultural divides more than anything else!

The consensus from everyone who attended this meeting was that we walked away having learned more about a culture that was different from our own, and having met new friends along the way. Does Toastmasters bring people together? Absolutely. And it’s up to us to continue our quest to learn from one another every chance we get.

Our SATM members encourage our fellow Toastmasters in District 25 to reach out to a club from another country and plan a joint meeting! We’re more than happy to talk to your club officers and club members who might want to know where to begin in setting up a cultural exchange meeting!

Because of our experience, we plan to do more of these meetings in the future! We hope you can join us!

Sallie Jett, VP Public Relations, San Angelo Toastmasters

Event 2/2/24

ThumbsUp Toastmasters – Club #1415- Open House

ThumbsUp Toastmasters had an exciting January Open House club meeting, with the theme of International BrainTeaser Month. Our virtual meeting attendance hosted 67% of club members plus 9 Guests, including two D25 Area Directors: Jenny Riddle (A11) and Tuc Goodwin (F61)! The club agenda was shared in chat for everyone to follow along the speeches and discussions centered around the importance of exercising the brain and keeping it sharp.

The Word of the Day was “incentive,” which was used throughout the meeting by speakers and evaluators alike. The speeches were varied, with topics as diverse as the benefits of creativity, the importance of goal-setting, and the art of public speaking. The evaluations were insightful and constructive, with the speakers receiving valuable feedback to improve their future performances.

Overall the meeting was a great success, with everyone leaving with new insights and ideas to continue their personal and professional development. ThumbsUp Toastmasters looks forward to our next meeting as we continue to provide a supportive and engaging environment for all members and guests. We meet virtually each Sunday from 3p-4p CST / 4p-5p EST / 2p-3p MST / 1p-2p PST. We hope to see you at any of our upcoming weekly club meetings! Thank you!

Volonda Harris, VP Public Relations
Event 1/28/24

MidCities Achievers – Club #7694- Open House

Wonderful meeting – 14 guests!!

Open House for MidCities Achievers Toastmasters on January 22nd @ 630pm – 7:30pm CST @ Texas Health HEB Hospital Conference Center, 1612 Hospital Parkway, Conference Rooms D&E, Bedford, TX 76022. Our club website: https://7694.toastmastersclubs.org. Our social: IG: @midcities_achievers FB:Midcities Achievers

Isleen Rodriguez, Club Member
Event 1/22/24

Electric Toasters – Club #2194281 – Open House & Golden Gavel

This was a Corporate Open House where 4 executives participated in a Table Topics Battle. This Open House netted 6 new members. We had food, a swag bag, a raffle, and just an overall fun time!!!!!

John Aparicio, Club President & VP Public Relations, Division D Director
Event 12/12/23 (submitted 1/20/24)

NST Toastmastters Club – Club #7744858 – Open House

This open house was well attended. I estimate that there were more than 40 attendees including at least 15 guests.. There were two speakers/evaluators, three table topic participants (including Emily Murray), and there was active involvement of a few participants from the Youth Leadership Program. In my capacity as Area Director I made a pitch to the gathering for attending TLI. I observed that there were 3-4 new applications collected before the meeting was adjourned. It was a high energy, positive meeting.

Thomas Goodwin, Area 61 Director
Event 12/31/23

Abilene Toastmasters Club 1071-#1071 – Open House & Golden Gavel

A great open house all around that had a welcoming environment. Everyone participated happily. We had 7 guests!

Tiffany Morales, Area Director
Event 12/11/23

Keller Communicators Club-#621025 & Highway to Excellence-#3332446 – From Sunshine to Sunshine

Joint meeting with potluck and innovative evaluation session.

A great time was had by all!

Liz Brenner, President, Keller Communicators Club
Event: November 30, 2023

Joint special theme meeting with speakers / evaluators from both clubs where the evaluators also had a special designation of being one of the hear no evil, speak no evil, say no evil monkeys

We had a lovely time with Keller where we shared in food, fellowship, and fun the way only Toastmasters can. All of the members of HTE that made it out participated either as a speaker, evaluator, or table topics participant / leader. Additionally, we have two members who are dual members and they served as TM and GE.

Michelle Bayes, President, Highway to Excellence
Event 11/30/23

Off the Cuff-#4354 & Out on the Town-#897575 – From Sunshine to Sunshine

Plans for the November joint meeting began at the beginning of this Toastmaster year. It was an extra bonus that we could submit this form for the Sunshine to Sunshine incentive.

Off the Cuff and Out on the Town clubs had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration and meeting. Chuck used his new toy to smoke two turkeys and a ham – YUM. We pitched in to cover costs of venue and meats. Everyone brought food to round out an amazing meal. Donna was able to secure her community room to allow for a festive environment. Everyone started gathering at 5:30 PM – setting up drinks, desserts, sides, main dishes. We started meal promptly at 6PM and meeting at 7PM.

Terry was our Toastmaster; Chuck our General Evaluator; Diana, Kimberly and Bobby our Speakers. Bill was even able to join us virtually to make the meeting even more special. Both presidents (Bobby and David) closed meeting.

Even though meeting was great the best part was visiting with members of both clubs. A wonderful time was had by all!! Happy Thanksgiving! (our theme)

Diana Patton, Off the Cuff – VPM & Out on the Town VPE
Event: November 18, 2023

Power Communicators Toastmasters Club – Club #4538 – Open House

This meeting was the Fall installment of our Club’s Open House event. Our theme from this meeting was “Fall In Love With Toastmasters”. We served light refreshments, and had a period of food and fellowship prior to the commencement of the meeting. We were also graced with our Distinguished Guest in Emily Murray, DTM whom we are immensely grateful to have as our own District 25 Director!

Vernon Wright, VPPR
Event: October 23, 2023

Tarrant County Toastmasters – Club #1826942 – Open House & Golden Gavel

Tarrant County Toastmasters hosted a hybrid open house with the theme of “Harvesting Success with Toastmasters.” This was such a fun and well organized meeting. Donna Young, opened with inspiring words to greet the members and visiting guests. Bill Erwin was the toastmaster of the day. He guided guests and members with additional inspiration and education on the components of a toastmasters meetings. There were two inspiring speakers, Chuck Mencke and Andrea Payne. Table Topics held by D.J. Reed were creative and fun. Informative evaluations were provided by the club president Phylliss Christian Daniels and area director Jenny Riddle. An array of scrumptious food was provided. There was so much positive feedback from guests and members alike. Phylliss Christian-Daniels closed the session with words of encouragement and additional thoughts to inspire visitors and guests alike.

Jenny Riddle, Area 11 Director
Event: October 17, 2023

Off the Cuff – Club #4354 – Open House

We had a fabulous open house with many members and many guests and tons of laughs! We had 10 guests! We had our annual Halloween/Backwards meeting. Theme: Beginning at the end. Reggie as our posture monitor set the tone for the meeting but giving his report at the actual beginning of the meeting (normally done at the end). Everyone stepped up to the plate and followed Reggie’s report – hopping like a frog, leading a band, screaming during speech and even got Celeste to do a little dance. Who could forget Kimberly moving her hat around during her evaluation. Greg as our Toastmaster did an amazing job handling transitions.

A fun time was had by all – great food and fellowship!

Kimberly Martin, VPPR
Event: October 28, 2023

Fear-Less Toastmasters – Club #7594460 – Open House & Charterversary

We combined our annual spook-a-thon, an open house, and charterversary into one frightening event dubbed Spook-A-Openversary. The meeting was a Blind Eye Seance. Blind Eye was inspired by the book about Dr. Michael Swango who continued practicing medicine as peers turned a blind eye to questionable deaths all involving this one doctor. The speakers, I mean Patients, appeared during the seance and told the story of their horrid demise. Two patients were seekers of the Nemileta incentive and our 3rd guest was a returning member. Joyce Trimble was the Seance Medium and Joson Bothun was the Seance conductor or “someone giving us a signal”. Something to think about at your next Zoom meeting!

Zoom meetings are basically seances with the living…Brian, are you there? Make a sound if you can hear us. Is anyone with you? Can you hear us?

Joyce Trimble, VPE/VPPR
Charter date: 10/1/2019
Event: October 28, 2023

San Angelo Toastmasters – Club #4486922 – Open House & Golden Gavel

San Angelo Toastmasters held their annual Halloween Open House event on Thursday, October 26th with five guests attending!

Toastmaster Of The Day Jenny Riddle guided us through the “haunted” meeting with her expertise!

Our guest speaker Aundrea Payne gave a speech that included a wonderful inspirational message: “The magic lies within YOU!” Special thanks to Aundrea for being our guest speaker and for also filling in to assist with AD duties during our meeting!

Our second speaker of the evening was Charter Member Pam Davis, who shared the story of “The Cremation Of Sam McGhee.”

Our Club President Larry Prince was our General Evaluator for the evening and “spooked” us all while leading the way in a round robin evaluation for Aundrea, “casting a spell” on our guest speech evaluator Savannah Smith, “howling” for reports, and providing us with his evaluation of our meeting.

Our VPE Hilda Guffey was our Grammarian for the evening, providing us with the themed word of the day “eerie.”

Our D25 Program Quality Director and San Angelo club member Jesse Ford filled the Timer role and was a true “rock star” in carrying out his duties!

D25’s Outreach Chair and San Angelo club member Jai Erwin was our “alien” Table Topics Master and led the invasion of mysterious table topics questions!

Guest Savannah Smith provided her speech evaluation of Pam’s project and it wasn’t too “scary” for us (and hopefully not for her either). Special thanks to Savannah for being our guest speech evaluator as she completes the requirements for the D25 “5-for-5” incentive.

Additional thanks to guests Phylliss Christian-Daniels (D25 CGD), Kym Schubert (AD14), and Samantha Watt (D25 Speech Contest Coordinator) for consistently cheering on our club with their guest appearances!

All in all, we had an “eerie” good time!

Sallie Jett, VPPR, District 25 Public Relations Manager
Event: October 26, 2023

Tip Top Toastmasters – Club #9595 – Open House & Golden Gavel

Tip Top Toastmaster had a wonderful open house. There was multiple guess in attendance included two additional Area Directors. The energy was lively throughout the meeting from both members and guest alike. With great speeches and thoughtful table topics responses; everyone had a good time at this open house!

Tiffany Morales, Area 12 Director
Event: October 22, 2023

Keller Communicators – Club #621025 – Golden Gavel

The highlights of the meeting were 2 excellent speakers, DTM both. Jill Morrison introduced her story of Blythe and her feline friend Clover. I can’t wait to hear all of the adventures she is scribing for her granddaughter. David Watkins’ presentation of A Historical Perspective of Global Warming caused quite a stir. General Evaluator apologized for the rowdy audience. Of course that was David’s objective., Managing a Difficult Audience!! Lots of laughter and I felt the energy even though I wasn’t in the room.

Joyce Trimble, Area 34 Director
Quran Anderson, Area 64 Director

Event: October 26, 2023

Strategic Comunicators – Club #621025 – Golden Gavel & Open House

Highlights:

Seeing Renika give her first ice-breaker on being a fast-speaking “cajun” teacher and watching the club rally behind her!

Watching Phyliss win the Table Topics as a guest!

Aundrea Payne, Club VPPR Area 43 Director

Event: October 25, 2023

Golden Triangle Toastmasters Club – Club #5297 – Charterversary & Golden Gavel

For our 40th Charterversary the club officers spent months planning. We made custom backgrounds, invited the entire district via social media, we had two members of the trio come and Emily gave a pre-recorded presentation due to scheduling conflict. We reflected on the 40th years through table topics, and an honored past member gave a speech about what Golden Triangle meant to him. It was fantastic!

Samantha Watt, VP PR

Charter Date: October 1, 1983
Event: October 4, 2023

FEAR Less Toastmasters – Club #7594460 & Once Upon A Time – Club #6103644 – From Sunshine to Sunshine

Type Event: Saturday at the movie Social!

Once Upon a Time recently read Killer of the Flower Mound. We learned it was made into a movie that we must attend. And to make it better, we invited FEAR-less members to join us. Afterward, we had our picture taken by guest Carol Milton and then compared the book to the movie!

Once Upon a Time recently read Killer of the Flower Moon. When they learned it was made into a movie they knew they were going and invited us to join them . Afterward, we had our picture taken by guest Carol Milton and they shared comparisons of the book to the movie! In addition to the differences, we learned the history of Osage Indians and the beginning of the FBI. Thanks OUaT for the invite!

Joyce Trimble
Once Upon a Time, Club Treasurer
FEAR Less, VPE, VPPR

Event: October 21, 2023

Airport Toastmasters – Club #5537 & San Angelo Toastmasters – Club #4486922 – From Sunshine to Sunshine

Type Event: Team Building

First we started with introductions.1. Introductions: (Jim calls on people to introduce themselves, going around the room.)NameHow long we’ve been in Toastmasters?What is the biggest benefit you’ve received in Toastmasters so far

2. Table Topics Storytelling Challenge

Jim Chappell, Airport Toastmasters, President, VPPR

We had a wonderful time with the members of Airport Toastmasters! We had a total of 13 in attendance (7 representing San Angelo Toastmasters, 1 our Area Director Kym Schubert, and 5 representing Airport Toastmasters).

Everyone attending agreed that this was a great incentive and we did indeed “make our circle bigger” by meeting a few Toastmasters we didn’t know! This incentive was a success for both clubs!

Sallie Jett, San Angelo Toastmasters, VPPR

Event: September 14, 2023

Nissan Toastmasters Club – Club #5922 & Golden Triangle Toastmasters Club – Club #5297 – From Sunshine to Sunshine

Type Event: Social

Golden Triangle Toastmasters meets bi-weekly on Wednesday from 11:30a-12:30p. Nissan Toastmasters meets weekly on Wednesday from 12p-1p. We took this opportunity to combine the meeting, schedule it from 11:30a-1p, and incorporate aspects of the D25 incentive 5×5 Evaluations. The Nissan TM speaker was evaluated by a member of Golden Triangle Toastmasters and vice versa. Members of both clubs participated in Table Topics and we had a guest (not a member of either club) who attended as well.

Brandi Wesley, Nissan, Club President

Event: August 2, 2023

Roanoke Texas Toastmasters – Club #4236 – Open House, Golden Gavel

A beautifully successful Open House! A perfect way to showcase Roanoke Texas Toastmasters Club and Toastmasters in general! Two great speeches, and a rousing round of Table Topics that got everyone involved. Evaluations that provided valuable feedback. Everything was right on time, right on schedule – leaving plenty of time to speak with our guests one on one about the benefits of Toastmasters. Thanks to everyone who made this possible!

Great open house! Nineteen members attended, with six visitors! Great agenda with a variety of speakers, from newer members to those with years of experience. Great evaluations. Plenty of conversation before and after. Many potential new members!

David Winkowski, Club Secretary & Division E Director
Meeting: October 16, 2023

AAFCU Flying Toasters Club – Club #643446 – Open House, Golden Gavel (need to verify)

We had a great meeting. All members where at the meeting except for 2 members. We had 4 guests, one of the guests was our Area Director. We had one Speaker and did some Table Topics and an Evaluator for our speaker. We had Jimmy Johns sandwiches with chips and drinks. One of our guests will be signing up for our club.

Celeste Castro, VP Education
Meeting: October 11, 2023

Alliance Networks – Club #5718 – Charterversary

We had a lovely meeting on October 17, 2023. Rebecca (our VPM) was giving a social speak to honor our club with a special ‘toast’. It was a perfect time for a Charterversary meeting. Our charter date is 9/1/1997 – 23 years. We had a great attendance – 14 members and 1 guest. We all raised our glass to toast this one amazing club and to receive (Rebecca’s) award – “Best Toastmaster Club In Texas”.

We had another outstanding speech by Wayne (funny dog stories), great Table Topics questions by Brian. Great job by our Toastmaster (Antonio – first timer), General Evaluator by Traci.

Lisa was first time evaluator and made us realize we needed to add more words to our vocabulary to use when evaluation – nice job! Tiffany did another great evaluation job too.

It was an all around great meeting and celebration.

Diana Patton, VP Education
Meeting: October 17, 2023
Charter date: September 1, 1997

Alliance Networks – Club #5718 – Charterversary

We had another outstanding speech by Wayne (funny dog stories), great Table Topics questions by Brian. Great job by our Toastmaster (Antonio – first timer), General Evaluator by Traci.

Lisa was first time evaluator and made us realize we needed to add more words to our vocabulary to use when evaluation – nice job! Tiffany did another great evaluation job too.

It was an all around great meeting and celebration.

Diana Patton, VP Education
Meeting: October 17, 2023
Charter date: September 1, 1997

Progressive Leaders – Club #346810 – Open House, Golden Gavel, Charterversary

Highlights of our meeting:

10 year Charterversary and open house. Panel discussion featuring our founding sponsor Bob Marion, DTM joining us online from Oklahoma, charter member Sally Ortega Putney, and our Vice President of Public Relations Sudhir Joshi with Immediate Past President Sem Habtemariam moderating.

Sandy Swan, VP Education
Meeting: September 25, 2023

Note from Area Director Nicole Dogan:

As this is a political club, the evening consisted of a panel discussion by 3 former/current members who have previously run for political office. Each panel member answered with a 2-3 minute response to prepared questions. At the end of the meeting the questions were opened up to the entire audience. A fun time was had by all. It was great to see current and former members, as well as visitor, including some charter members. The hybrid format allowed local participation, as well as several interstate members/visitors.

Afterburners Club – Club #6191– Open House

Our 2023 Fall Open House was a great success with Fellowship, Fun and Food. Our Area Director Jenny Riddle was one of our four Honored Guests.

Rose Timmons, VP Public relations
Meeting: September 19, 2023

Southlake Club – Club #4987– Open House/Golden Gavel/Charterversary

The Southlake club hosted an open house to commemorate the 27th Charterversary of the club with the theme of “Celebration”. The club welcomed a total of 10 guests with coffee, a light breakfast, and a lively, engaging meeting.

To kick off the meeting Diana Patton, a long-standing member, recapped her history with the club followed by three speeches on topics including gaining trust and earning credibility, self-made billionaires and the importance of mentors delivered by Basem Haddad, Swaran Singh, and Karen Phelps. The impromptu portion of the meeting was equally fun with topics such as “Why you shouldn’t join Toastmasters”, “Why fast food is good for you” and “Why you shouldn’t go to college”. Thanks to all who participated and look forward to future events!

https://4987.toastmastersclubs.org/

Taylor Hanken, President
Meeting: September 18, 2023
Charter Date: 8/1/1996

Out on the Town – Club #897575– Open House/Golden Gavel (?)

What an amazing meeting and open house last night. If I’m counting correctly, we had nine guests (including significant others) which included the Trio (Emily, Jesse, Phylliss) and our Area Director (Jeff). In addition to guests, we had 15 members present.

We honored Deb Peterson who we will definitely miss. Check the D25 home page with details of the service which will be Friday, September 15.

Diana was Toastmaster with theme “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round”. Three amazing speeches: Darlene, Terry and Kerstin. The evaluations were top notch by: Warren, David Martin and Ankur.

We look forward to future open houses our VP Membership Maribeth has scheduled. Come visit!

https://897575.toastmastersclubs.org/

Diana Patton, VP Education
Meeting: September 9, 2023

Blue Castle Collaborators – Club # 7975857 – Open House/Golden Gavel

Blue Castle Collaborators is a warm, friendly and supportive community club. Based out of Cook Childrens Health care system, this club meets virtually the first and third Tuesdays of each month. This was their 2nd hybrid open house. Seventeen of the 24 members attended as well as 17 guests, 16 non-toastmasters and the distinguished division director, Denise McConnell. The meeting was advertised. Food was provided, all attendees wore name badges and were provided with name cards. Two amazing pathway speeches were given including one ice breaker. Table topics were creative and fun. The meeting started and ended on time. It was a great success with several guests stating they want to join. Best Table Topics was awarded to a non-toastmaster guest. Recognition was provided for members recently achieving pathway levels. As well as recognition to the previous President. The Area Director, Jenny Riddle awarded a sunshine medallion to the new club president, Erica Espinosa.

Jenny Riddle, Area 11 Director
Meeting: August 15, 2023

Something to Talk About – Club # 55518497 – Golden Gavel

Great comradery, everyone participated and it was a fun meeting.

Kym Schubert, Area 14 Director
Meeting: August 8, 2023

Afterburners Club – Club # 6191 – Golden Gavel

Afterburners is a warm and inviting club. They had a spectacular upbeat meeting tonight with 3 amazing speakers. There table topics were extremely fun and interactive. This is a hybrid club. They made sure they included those that were online. They had printed agendas and well prepared role takers. They started and ended on time and even had one guest join during the meeting.

Jenny Riddle, Area 11 Director
Meeting: July 25, 2023

Longhorn Toastmasters – Club # 3178 – Open House

We hosted an Open House and offered sandwiches, snacks and cookies! Two new members joined after the event.

Shannon Luce, BP Public Relations
Meeting: July 17, 2023

AAFCU Flying Toasters– Club # 643446 – Golden Gavel, Charterversary

AAFCU Flying Toasters had a wonderful Charterversary meeting on July 19, 2023. Four guests joined the celebration. The meeting theme was “19 Years Club Celebration”.

Celeste Castro was the Meeting Toastmaster who set the festive tone and made every guest feel welcome. Scott Payne gave a keynote-length speech about “Life” as part of his EH Level 5 elective. He told us “he won’t tell jokes” yet he managed to have everyone laughing outloud with his “funny stories” and wanting more.

Miguel Franceschi was our Table Topic Master who gave us some great questions towards our theme celebration.

Jin Lim gave a wonderful feedback to Scott’s speech. Rehan Hafeez was our timer and Joshua Bauer was our Ah-counter/Grammarian. Our guest Gary was our photographer.

We finished a few minutes earlier to enjoy a cake.

Jin Lim, Area 62 Director
Meeting: July 19, 2023
Charter date: July 15, 2004

Mindful Masters– Club # 7663722– Golden Gavel

The highlight of this meeting is that it was a meeting – a productive, effective, and efficient meeting to start the 2023-2024 Toastmasters year off for the club. I was invited to the club by a surprise/unplanned encounter with a club officer at a club officer training.

The overall flow, energy, and evolution of the meeting within planned time constraints plus the recommendation from Debra S. DTM (club coach 2), this meeting met, fulfilled, and/or exceeded needs for a Gavel Club meeting – thanks Debra for sharing your sunshine on this for the club to receive proper recognition!

I’d like to thank the club and its leadership team for the efforts thus far to sustain the club through maintaining the Toastmaster Promise, and especially so early on – at the start of the 2023-2024 Toastmasters year!

Volonda Harris, Area 21 Director
Meeting: July 8, 2023