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| Founder's Message  When Phyllis and I moved to the Tampa area, we immediately began our search for a Toastmasters home. We'd both been involved in the Toastmasters program in the Dayton, Ohio area. Our involvement led us to hold all of the offices at the club level, then Phyllis served as Area Governor and I went on to District Governor of District 40.
We visited several clubs in Tampa but none compared to our Dayton club. We were getting discouraged. Then, while attending the International convention in Atlanta, GA, I had a chat with a gentleman who proudly stated that he was 89 years young. I opined that he must have been a Toastmaster for many years; to my surprise, he said he had only been a member for two years. I asked him “Why would you join an organization whose mission is to train people to be better listeners, leaders and speakers at the age of 87?” His reply was profound… “I found that the older I got, the less people listened to me. Since I could do nothing about their listening, I had to become a better and more interesting speaker. People who had no interest in talking with me before, now engage me in conversation”. At that moment, an idea struck me and I shared it with Phyllis that evening. We live in a seniors community of over 11,000 residents 55 and over. How many, we wondered, felt the way this gentleman felt and how many would be touched by the benefits of a Toastmasters program? Phyllis was enthusiastic and together, we set a goal of establishing a strong and vibrant club using this pool of older members as the initial cadre, then expanding to stay-at-home moms or dads, entrepreneurs and others who could take time out of their day to hone or maintain their skills. I say "take time out of their day" because our meetings are the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 8:15 a.m. We follow the Toastmasters International program closely with a few exceptions that have been instituted due to specific club needs. In our first year, we achieved five of the markers that rank clubs in excellence and became a Distinguished Club. In our second year, we achieved the Presidents Distinguished Club status getting all 10 points - a feat that very few second-year clubs achieve. Those who know me, know that I'm an idea man, but they also know my true power lies in my wife, partner and team mate, Phyllis, who deserves much of the credit for the follow-up and steady hand that brought the club to life. We'd be remiss if we didn't thank our sponsors, Joan Noble, DTM and Tom Cummings, DTM - two people who worked diligently to make our club successful. Both gave their time and knowledge to make this dream a reality. We were truly blessed to have them as part of the initial team. Finally, no team is complete without the players and, in our case, the players are the charter members. Thanks to all. We aligned ourselves with some of the best people in the world - the members of the South Shore Toastmasters Club. Visit us one time and you'll see how it can change your life. | |
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