by Emily Murray DTM District Director
Helloooooo Sunshines!
It often seems to me that life is just one challenge after another. I’m sure there are times when you feel the same. You have probably developed many ways of coping with setbacks. For me, I quilt, I take walks, I read a good book, or go out to eat somewhere, I snuggle with one of my cats. But also, for me, Toastmasters is one of my best places for that needed psychological boost.
It’s rare, but even I sometimes arrive at a meeting cranky, and I just want to go home and go to bed. Have you ever felt that way? I would bet money the answer is yes. When that does happen though, I know that at my meetings, my members and friends are there to support me, to pick me up, to motivate me, to push me, and to not let me be too hard on myself. I hope you find that same sense of encouragement and care at your meetings.
I put on a smile, and I go to that meeting anyway – I don’t let the occasional crankiness stop me! I celebrate the Icebreakers, the creative Table Topics, and the achievements of my friends. I appreciate the positive support from the evaluators. I’m jealous of the grammarian – a role I STILL struggle to do well. I enjoy the banter and the camaraderie. By the end of the meeting, I’m happy, laughing and enjoying the time with my friends and Toastmasters family. I always, always am glad I stayed the course and went to the meeting.
Toastmasters reinvigorates me. I hope that you also find a similar sense of belonging and place, a connection, that joie de vivre when you participate in Toastmasters, whether it’s a club meeting, a training session, a workshop, a contest, or a big event like the Summit or Conference. Wherever you are, I hope that you find Toastmasters to be welcoming, refreshing, and engaging. I hope it makes you want to be the best you can be and help others to be their best.
By Sharing Our Sunshine with each other, we can do just that: develop new potentials, reach higher goals, and become so much more to ourselves and to each other than we ever thought we could. You make me want to be a better me for you. I hope I can continue to do that for a long time to come.
How have YOU, my D25 family, been Sharing Your Sunshine lately? SO MANY WAYS! Here are a few we can celebrate. There are plenty of ways to get involved and foster your personal growth and development.
Wichita Falls Club emceed at the Hotter’n Hell Hundred Bike Ride on August 26 and Richard Brown (a member for 51+ years!) invited me to help too. I can attest, it was hot! But SO MUCH FUN!
Our 2022-23 Year End Celebration was PHENOMENAL! It’s so special and so fun to celebrate the accomplishments of our members and clubs over the year, as well as the impact and legacy of the 2022-23 District Director Marcheta Gardner.
Irving Toastmasters had two honors happen back-to-back:
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- The local CBS news team attended their meeting and did a segment about the club itself and Toastmasters on channel 11; and
- Tahseen Mohammed and Ed Beekman received a Mayoral Proclamation for their work, which recognized August 31st, 2023, as Irving Future Stars Youth Club Day, in honor of training over 200 youths through the Irving Future Stars Youth Gavel Club.
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Shuhdi Hashim and Omar Qazi from Smiling Stars worked with the Bridgeport Correctional Center in Bridgeport, TX to relaunch the Gavel Club, Khaki Communicators, with their first meeting since COVID on September 3, 2023!
Members and clubs are already achieving incentives this year too! Open Houses and Golden Gavel meetings are already popping up all over the district, and we have our first Nemileta 9 submission, Jenny Riddle out there making connections and helping across the district! Our inaugural 5-for-5 is also in – congrats to Check Mencke! We have amazing incentives for both clubs and members. Make sure you are taking full advantage of them as they are designed to help you grow even more!
Our first Club Success Workshop, appropriately titled “How to Build a Successful Club” is in the books and full of actionable information. The recording is on our D25 YouTube page; you can find the towards the bottom of www.d25toastmasters.org. Please watch the D25 calendar and check with your Area Directors for other upcoming workshops that will benefit your club and your members.
The Strategic Planning Committee Town Hall was well attended and bore many fruitful ideas through awesome conversations. This is particularly exciting as these town halls and ideas help shape and guide the future of our district.
Speaker’s Bureau’s first Saturday School for the year will be held on September 23rd. If you want to develop as a professional speaker you won’t want to miss that. Topics include “Accomplish your Goals with 3 C’s” and “Freedom from Time Management.” You can still attend; just email speakersbureau@d25toastmasters.org for the Zoom link.
And before you know it, the SUMMIT will be here! This is a wonderful event that gets better every year – and it showcases our D25 members. All keynotes and workshops are led by D25 members (it’s our BY D25 FOR D25 Event of the Year!), we have the famous DTM ceremony and much more. Mark your calendar for November 11th. The area council meeting will also be held on the morning of the Summit.
And last, but absolutely not least, dues are due by September 30. I encourage you to continue to invest in your growth and potential by renewing. Most clubs have self-pay activated, or you can always reach out to your Treasurer, VPM, or other officers to help.
Have a Sunny Day my lovelies!! Share Your Sunshine wherever you can!
