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In This Issue:

Teri McGregor, District Director Teri McGregor – District Director

District Director Welcome

Happy New Year! Summer in Toastmasters is a busy time. The hustle and bustle of June & July is comparable to the craziness of the holiday season in November & December. We are busy wrapping up the work of the year. It’s also a time to reflect the last year and begin setting goals for what we want to accomplish in the 2021-2022 program year.

As I look back on the last year, I think of all the change that we went through together. The change from meeting in person to meeting virtually was sudden and impacted each and every one of the clubs in District 35. In March of 2020, most of us were not using an on-line meeting platform regularly and now look at us – we are experts! We didn’t know how to conduct speech contests on-line and now we have experience. We had never hosted large on-line events attracting guests from around the world and together, we made that happen.

If you think last year brought a lot of change, just hold onto your hats! I believe this year will bring more. It’s an exciting time to be a Toastmaster because we are at a turning point, and you get to be a part of it! Think about it. Last year, we all did things the same – virtually. As we look ahead and what we want to be, we have to decide if we continue to meet virtually, meet in person or do some sort of combination of each. Which choice is right for you, right for your club? It will look different for everyone, but you’re here on the ground floor and able to have a voice in what the future will look like. I guarantee, it won’t look the same as it did in 2019.  You get to be a part of what the future of your club, our district and our organization will look like at the end of this pandemic. And while it may look different for each of us, we are going to figure it out together.

The excitement of creating our future together is what I want each of you to feel. My goal for District 35 this year is to lay the foundation for sustainable growth for years to come. I will be working on developing a strategic plan, something that can be used to guide future teams towards long-term goals. The Trio team believes that by helping clubs understand how to execute on excellence and capitalizing on the enthusiasm that comes with all the possibilities of the changes ahead, that we will see success.

My eyes are wide with the thought of what lies ahead and our potential to achieve Distinguished status. I look forward to working together on the journey!

Announcing District Director Office Hours

I want to hear form you! I will be holding office hours every month to make it easy to connect with me. If you have a question, comment or concern about what is happening in our district, I encourage you to stop by to chat. My office hours will be from 7pm-8pm on the dates listed below. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Visit the District Calendar for a link to register.

  • August 9
  • August 31
  • September 13
  • September 29
  • October 11
  • October 27
  • November 8
  • December 15

Congratulations Presidential Citation Honorees

Each year at the Toastmasters International Convention, the International President announces recipients for a Presidential Citation. This citation is presented to members who have shown continual support and dedication to the organization. Recipients of this citation are selected at the sole discretion of the International President.  We are proud to announce that 2 members of District 35 have been selected to receive this prestigious honor. Please congratulate Cindy Laatsch, DTM, and Keith Hardy, DTM (honored by District 6), on this recognition for all they have contributed to the organization!!

                 

Jennifer Kibicho Jennifer Kibicho, DTM – Program Quality Director

2020-21 Club Growth Director (CGD) Final Report

We are excited to report that we completed the 2020-2021 Toastmasters year with 93 clubs in Good Standing in our District: 91 existing clubs and 2 newly chartered clubs!

Welcome Kerry Tastemasters and The Hitchhikers Toastmasters

Please join me in welcoming two newly chartered corporate clubs to our District 35 Toastmasters family. Kerry Tastemasters is a closed corporate club under the auspices of Kerry Corporation. The Hitchhikers Toastmasters Club is our first chartered online club that is based in California under the auspices of Palo Alto Networks Corporation.

Thank You to an Amazing CGD Team

Please join me in thanking the following Toastmasters for serving on the CGD Team this year:

  • Judy Bauer, DTM, District 35 Director 2001-2001– Club Extension Chair
  • Jean Rossett, MS4—Corporate Clubs Chair
  • Keith Cumiskey, DTM—Club Coach Chair
  • Dick Hawley, DTM—Speech Craft Liaison
  • Division & Area Directors
  • Trio—Kris Pool, DTM & Teri McGregor, VC5

It takes a village to get the work done. Thank you very much for your commitment, service and leadership to our District.

Program Quality Director Report

I am beyond excited to be your Program Quality Director for the 2021-2022 Toastmasters year! We are already a month into the new year, and a lot has happened.

Club Officer Training – Summer Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI)

This year we continued the tradition envisioned by Immediate Past District 35 Director Kris Pool, DTM and current District Director, Teri McGregor, VC5, of holding district-wide summer TLI events. We have completed 3 Summer TLIs and have 56% of our clubs with 4 or more club officers trained. In the virtual TLI events, we heard amazing keynote speeches:

  • June 19, 2021: Learning and Leading Along the Way, Pauline Shirley, DTM, Toastmasters International President 1994-1995
  • June 19, 2021: Club Success Plan, Teri McGregor, VC5, District 35 Director 2021-2022
  • June 30, 2021: Diversity, Communication & Leadership, Vice Chancellor Emeritus for Diversity and Inclusion at UWM, Professor Joan Prince
  • June 30, 2021: Speak-Up, Step-Up and Move Up, Paul Hunt, DTM, Distinguished District 35 Governor 2006-2007
  • July 24, 2021: Leaders, Take that First Step, Mark Skipper, founder Speak Better Than Your CEO
  • July 24, 2021: Pathways – Project Planning to DTM, Kris Pool, DTM, District 35 Director 2020-2021

Please email me at kibichodtm@gmail.com if you would like access to the recording of any of the amazing speeches.

Attention Club Officers: please check your club’s dashboard to ensure that club officer training information is correct.  If you find that the number of officers trained in your club is inaccurate, reach out to me @ kibichodtm@gmail.com right away to have that corrected.

Congratulations to the following 7 clubs that had all 7 club officers trained!

  • Area   Club Name
  •   B2      Landmark Toastmasters Club
  •   B2      Generally Speaking Toastmasters
  •   C2      Eastside Madison Toastmasters Club
  •   C3      Capital City Club
  •   C4      Reedsburg Area Club
  •   F2      CNH Industrial Toast Team
  •   D1      Cream City Communicators

Opportunities to complete Club Officer Training

Good news! It’s not too late to be trained if you missed out on our District’s Summer TLI training. Here is a list of other Districts that are still conducting Summer TLI:

To get Club Officer Training Credit, club officers will need to have the Program Quality Director (PQD) (or Division Director) in charge of the training send an email to kibichodtm@gmail.com to confirm TLI attendance before August 31.

PQD Committees

I am very honored to introduce 4 Committee Chairs in our PQD Team:

  • Club Quality Chair, Keith Hardy, DTM and 2021 Toastmasters Presidential Citation Award Recipient.
  • Pathways Chair, Jesse Franklin, DTM. Many of you have already started interacting with Jesse in his regular Zoom Pathways trainings. Please see Jesse’s article in this Newsletter. Also check out the District 35 calendar for information on the upcoming Pathways orientation for new members and Base Camp training for members and club officers, respectively
  • Rhonda Williams, DTM Spring 2022 Conference Chair and District 35 Director 2015-2016
  • Dianne Young, DTM Winter TLI Chair and District 35 Governor 2012-2013

Consider volunteering to serve on a PQD Committee if you need to complete a High Performance Leadership (HPL) / Pathways Level 3/4/5 Project or Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) project.

Volunteer today – contact me at kibichodtm@gmail.com

 2021-2022 Speech Contests

The 2021-2022 speech contest season will begin on December 1 and will end with the District-level speech contests at the Spring 2022 Conference on May 13 & 14, 2022.

Toastmasters International has given each District the option to hold either in-person or virtual contests. Our District voted that all Area, Division and District Contests will be held in-person. However, club contests can be held in-person or virtually. Please note that we might need to move speech contests online if the Covid-19 pandemic persists and restrictions are re-imposed.

Our District is sponsoring two contests:

  • Table Topics Contest—final contest will be at the District Level
  • International Speech Contest—winner will advance to the Region Quarterfinal Speech Contest

Here is the link to the 2021-2022 Speech Contest Rule Book

Mark Your Calendar For Important Dates

Speech Contest Deadlines:

    • October 9, 2021: DEC members training on how to conduct speech contests
    • December 1, 2021 – January 31, 2022: Club-level Table Topics and International Speech Contests (clubs have the option to conduct their contests in person or on-line)
    • February 1, 2022 – March 26, 2022: Area-level Table Topics and International Speech Contests (in-person contest)
    • March 31, 2022 – May 1, 2022: Division-level Table Topics and International Speech Contests (in-person contest)
    • May 13, 2022 – May 14, 2022: District-level Table Topics and International Speech Contest (in-person contest)

Please visit the District Calendar on District35.org for details on the training. More information will be provided in the October 2021 Newsletter.

Education Sessions:

Presentation:

Title: Creating a Targeted Message to Attract Potential Members”

Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2021 @6-7 P.M. CST.

Presenter: Rhonda Williams DTM, District 35 Director 2015-2016

Workshop:

Title: C.R.A.Y.O.N. Secrets to the #1 Element of You as an Emotional Intelligent Leader

Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2021 @6-7 P.M. CST.

Presenter: Joe Dutkiewicz DTM, Distinguished District 35 Governor 2010-2011 and founder of Crayon Leadership

Description: Much has been written about emotional intelligence in the last 20 years. However, little has led to seeing it consistently achieved by people each and every day. Only the elite have cracked the secrets. Are you ready to stand above the crowd to understand this #1 element and get the C.R.A.Y.O.N. Secrets on how to win it every day? Join Joe Dutkiewicz, founder of Crayon Leadership and the 2010-2011 Distinguished District 35 Governor and start living differently by winning this #1 Element more often with these C.R.A.Y.O.N. secrets!

Joe will be sharing a few tools and videos beginning August 4th at https://d35.flourishsecrets.com  to get you prepared for the workshop.

For Your Consideration

Get value for your $0.25/day investment in Toastmasters by setting a goal to complete one Pathway Education Level each year! Schedule to give a Pathways speech every three months with your Vice President of Education (VPE), with the goal of completing at least one Level a year!

Jason Feucht, DTM – Club Growth Director

Help Grow District 35

Greetings District 35 Toastmasters,

It’s hard to believe we are already in our second month of the 2021-22 Toastmasters year and I’m in my second month already as your Club Growth Director. This first month has already flown by.

To get off the ground we’ve been focused on building out a team to help grow and strengthen our clubs and club membership within the District.

Our Club Extension Chair is Kris Pool, PDD, DTM. Part of her responsibilities include working and following up on leads for new clubs, supervising the demo meeting program, providing guidance to the club sponsor and mentor program, and ensuring that prospective clubs are chartered successfully.

Our Club Retention Chair is Keith Cumiskey, PDD, DTM. Part of his responsibilities include focusing on member building strategies, member building programs, club best practices, the Club Coach Program, and the Corporate Clubs Committee. An important member of the club retention team is Speechcraft Chair Dick Hawley, DTM. Dick is the District’s expert and primary advocate for the Speechcraft program. Reach out to Dick to see how Speechcraft could be a tool to help your club build membership.

We have filled a role that has not been previously filled on the club growth team in the past. That role is Club New Source Research Chair. Taking on that role is Theresa Flynn, DTM. The New Source Research chair helps work on the District’s marketing plan, helps find new marketing opportunities for the District and clubs, manages the primary District Meetup account, as well as researches and generates new club leads at the District level.

To be as successful as possible, and to be able to bring Toastmasters to as many new prospective members as possible, we need your help!

We still have some openings for some committee leaders:

Club Demo Chair:  This individual (or individuals) is a member of the Club Extension team under Kris Pool, PDD, DTM. Their primary responsibility it to recruit and train a diverse group of Toastmasters to hold successful Club Demo Meetings for prospective clubs, and ensure a team is assigned and prepared for each demo meeting as needed.

Club Coach Chair: This individual (or individuals) is a member of the Club Retention Committee under Keith Cumiskey, PDD, DTM. Their primary responsibility is to manager the club coach program, by managing requests for club coaches, helping recruit and train club coaches, and matching prospective coaches with clubs.

We also need a pool of individuals to draw on to help in many roles, everything from Demo Team members, to Club Coaches, to individuals with marketing experience, to individuals willing to send letters or make phone calls regarding new clubs. Getting involved in club growth is an easy, low risk way to build additional Toastmasters skills, network at the district level, and help others learn about Toastmasters.

If you are interested in helping with club growth as a member of any part of the Club Growth Team, please reach out to one of the chairs directly or to me via email at jfeucht.tm@gmail.com.

Spread the Benefits of Toastmasters

Have you ever thought about starting a new Toastmasters Club? If not, now is the time to consider it. Helping to build a new club is one of the most rewarding things we can do as Toastmasters. With the possibilities of in person, virtual and hybrid meetings, Toastmasters is now more flexible than ever, and we are able to look to the entire world as possible members for our clubs.

Do you have a passion for the Green Bay Packers, The Bucks or The Brewers? Then maybe you could help start a “Cheeseheads,” “Bucks in Six” or Brew City Toastmasters Club with others from across Wisconsin and the world passionate about those teams. Do you have a passion for Star Wars, Star Trek, The Avengers, Dr. Who, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.? There likely are at least 20+ individuals in the world that may love that topic just as much as you do. Cooking Clubs, Wine & Cheese Clubs, Foreign Language Clubs…adding these to possible clubs at our places of work, or within our home cities or counties…the possibilities are limitless.

Finding opportunities for groups that already have something in common and could benefit from Toastmasters is an opportunity we have. If you have a passion for something and think that building a Toastmasters Club around that idea, workplace or town is something you would be interested in being a part of, lets talk! Please reach out to me at jfeucht.tm@gmail.com.

Let’s get creative, let’s find new opportunities to introduce and involve people who can benefit from Toastmasters within our existing and new clubs. Our opportunities to share the benefits of Toastmasters with others is limitless. While our primary market is Wisconsin & the Upper Peninsula, with the changes over the last 18 months, the entire world is now part of our extended market. You never know – you could have 20 new best friends out there just as passionate as you are about Legos, or your 6:30 PM Central Time club meeting here in Wisconsin might be perfect for someone working Third Shift in India.

The opportunities are out there!

Keith Cumiskey, PDD, DTM – Club Retention Chair

A Call, and an Offer, for Club Coaches

Toastmasters has a program in which another Toastmaster can help low-membership clubs and provide them guidance in building club membership. There are 59 clubs in our District that are eligible to have a coach, but only a handful have requested one (and I still have two unfulfilled requests). If you’re reading this, the chances are good you’re invested in your Toastmasters experience and have something to offer. Not sure? We have training and resources available for you.

Clubs with 12 members or less are eligible to request a coach.

What do you need to be a coach? You need a willingness to attend the club meetings and offer help with getting them back to Distinguished status. What do you get? A chance to develop and grow your leadership skills. You also get credit toward your Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award.

If you are a club president of a club with 12 members or less, or are interesting in serving as a club coach, contact Keith Cumiskey at wgamer4159@att.net.

Keith Hardy, DTM – Club Quality Chair

I Can’t Wait for Saturdays!

One of my Eclectic Image Toastmasters club members made the following statement this summer, “I can’t wait for Saturdays to come to our club meetings!” Hearing that excited statement made my heart glow, along with other club leaders’ spirits.

That is my vision for YOUR club in District 35 this Toastmasters year. To hear or read comments from your fellow club members that they can’t wait for Saturdays, for Mondays, or for whatever day of the week your club meets. If your meetings are so vibrant, so educational, so overflowing with camaraderie and caring among members that each one is always excited to come to the next meeting, you have a QUALITY club, my friend!

In my role as Club Quality chair, I get to assist Program Quality Director Jennifer Kibicho, DTM in ensuring that each District 35 club has all the support and tools necessary to provide members and guests with the best educational experience each time the club meets.

I will work with a committee of members from each of the seven divisions in our district to be your guest at a club meeting over the course of the Toastmasters year. We’ll visit to participate and to observe your club’s strengths and best practices. We will also share any best practices that we observe along the way to enhance member and guest experience even more.

We’ll be looking for the three L’s in your club meetings:

  • Laughing – members have good camaraderie and a good time in the meeting and help guests to feel included and welcomed.
  • Learning – the prepared and impromptu speeches provide learning opportunities for members and guests. The evaluations provide good praise and pointers for individual speakers and meeting participants along with the meeting attendees as a whole.
  • Looking good – the meeting is run efficiently and smoothly, following the posted agenda, and inviting participation by all in attendance through guest comments, table topics participation, etc.

We will begin our club quality observations after Labor Day weekend. If you want to be your division’s representative on the Club Quality team, send me a message to keithandre63@gmail.com or text to 651-497-8924.

I can’t wait to see for myself why your members can’t wait for Club Meeting Day!

Jesse Franklin – Pathways Chair

Pathways: The Road to Adventure

What begins with a “P” and can take you many places? Pathways! As you know Pathways is the educational program for Toastmasters and the District has a committee to help all members get the most out of the experience. This year, I will serve as the Pathways chairperson. Here is a little Q&A.

Who is Jesse Franklin? 

I have been a part of Toastmasters for 10 years and obtained my DTM in 2010 through the Legacy system (before Pathways). I’ve served various club officer and District roles including Area Director and Pathways Guide. Serving as chair gives me an opportunity to share my passion for facilitation and seeing members grow though out the district. My personal goal is to obtain a second DTM through our current educational program.

What are the goals of the Pathway Committee?

This year we want to set out do three things:

  • Educate: help members gain tips and tricks in using Pathways.
  • Promote: generate interest, awareness, and increase utilization of Pathways so members can achieve their personal speaking and leadership skills.
  • Excite: share the fun and excitement in the educational program.

 

How will this be done?

There are two areas the Committee will focus on:

  • Discussion groups: providing opportunities for VPs of Education to share and exchange club and member stories to continually improve the member experience.
  • “Clearing house” services: providing tools and resources for the development of corporate and community clubs.

 So, what’s up on the District calendar?

Current events that are in the works includes:

  • Pathways Perk, the coffee shop
  • BCM (Base Camp Manager) and more
  • Pathways 101 and more
  • Video minute (you never know when they will pop up)

Check the District calendar often for all upcoming events and feel free to contact me at jesse_frnkln@yahoo.com.

Susan Brushafer – Area A1 Director

Me, a Visionary?

Acting on a suggestion to write an article that reflects the visionary aspects of our new Toastmasters year, I did a quick Internet search of the words ‘visionary Toastmasters’ and ‘Toastmasters visionary’. I wasn’t sure what I’d find. Did you know that there are four Toastmasters clubs whose names include the word ‘visionary’? Those clubs include:  Visionaries (Japan), Visionary Speakers (California), Visionary Leaders (Trinidad And Tobago), and Visionary Toastmasters (Toronto).

Pathways offers a Path called ‘Visionary Communication’. The ‘Visionary Leader’ is part of The Leadership Excellence Series. You’ll even find an ‘International Envisioned Future’ statement on Toastmasters International’s ‘Our Mission’ page!

As the 2021-2022 Toastmasters year gets underway, how will you and your Toastmasters club become visionaries? Consider a few opportunities:

  • Create a Club Success Plan, and you’ll use foresight and imagination to plot your club’s success.
  • Set your vision for what you’ll accomplish in the new year. Will you start a new Path or complete Level 5 in your current Path? Will you earn a Triple Crown and be recognized in our District? Are you one project away from earning your Distinguished Toastmaster award?
  • Perhaps part of your personal vision for success in the coming year includes investigating the challenges and learning experiences involved in becoming a club or District leader. Participate in one of the many TLIs (Toastmasters Leadership Institutes) offered in 2021-2022; you don’t need to be an officer to get a leadership sneak-peek into these excellent learning sessions.

Well-known author and humanitarian, Deepak Chopra, said, “The more boundless your vision, the more real you are.” We’re a month into the new Toastmasters year. How boundless is your vision for your own and your club’s success over the next eleven months?

Lucas Roberts – Northern Division Director

Hybrid Meetings

Hybrid meetings are the perfect solution for clubs that have Toastmasters who are desperate to start physical meetings but also have Toastmasters who want to keep the online format. Hybrid meetings allow both of these members to enjoy club meetings together.

You only need 2 devices! Our club started off with only 2 smartphones. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done. You can get as fancy as you want with the tech, but it’s not required or necessary.

DO NOT CONNECT THE AUDIO ON THE 2ND DEVICE! The lectern-facing device is the only device at the physical meeting that should be connected to the audio. If other devices join the audio, you will get weird feedback and/or echoes, which disrupt the listening experience of your online experience. If you have a member who accidentally connected to the audio at the physical meeting, there’s a simple solution: have them leave the online meeting on their device and re-join.

And that’s it! You set up a hybrid meeting!

I recommend watching this 45-minute training video in case you have extra questions about the finer details. Bottom line; don’t be intimidated by the fact that you’re not an IT professional to stop you from bringing hybrid meetings to your club. You don’t have to be this guy:

Meme of a frustrated man wrapped up in network cables

If you want to see a hybrid meeting in action, there’s a couple of options:

If you want to schedule a joint meeting, please let me know.

Good Luck in your Hybrid Meeting endeavors!

Theresa Flynn, DTM – Club New Source Research Chair and Area B3 Director

Two New Clubs

We’ve got two great new clubs starting up soon — share these with other Toastmasters and friends!

Meeting 1:

Let’s celebrate this historic year and share great stories of the decades that built up to it. This year’s athleticism? Uniforms that looked like gym shorts? Your first game? They’re all on the court in this club.

Meeting 2:

Share your passion. Star Trek? SciFi? Manga? Dystopian fiction (aka 2020) — we’ll have some great themes moving forward. Let’s geek out on awesome and find great new friends and universes!

Kathy Grasty – VP Public Relations, Leveling Up Leadership

Virtual Only Club, With a Business Focus

Many clubs have faced challenges over the past year and half and deciding how, or if, to meet. Out of all the uncertainty came virtual club meetings. Some clubs have gone back to meeting in person or maybe a hybrid, but there is a new specialty club that is only virtual and this club has a focus of business and leadership development.  Welcome to Club #7860403, Leveling Up Leadership!

Leveling Up Leadership is still focused on Toastmaster’s goals of improving your speaking skills, building confidence, preparing speeches for groups, etc. With the specialty club focus of business and leadership, the club is concentrating on developing leadership skills, networking, and working with others. Our meetings have a Business Tipster presentation where the speaker presents a business tip (or two) for the group. These tips range from useful leadership skills, to how to present oneself on virtual meetings, to resources to help us grow in our business roles.

We all need some levity in our lives so we have a Jokemaster to lighten our mood. Speeches are presented by members from the Pathway that the member is working on.

The club meets at noon (Central Standard Time) every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, so it’s an easy way for people to join. Of course, the best thing is that you can be anywhere and still join because it is a virtual meeting!

Our club is still working on chartering and we are seeking new members and Dual members to join. To really grow your leadership skills, we also have a couple of officer roles open. If you are interested in enhancing your leadership skills, networking with other business professionals, leading and not just managing, contact the VP of Membership Sue Grace Krokosz at vpe-7860403@toastmastersclubs.org for a virtual meeting invite.

Our website is:  https://7860403.toastmastersclubs.org/.

Also, connect with us on social media:

David Reed – Public Relations Manager

Annual Potluck Picnic

Summer is upon us. Everyone has cabin fever and wants to experience the great outdoors. Salesmasters and Brookfield Toastmasters is hosting an annual potluck picnic for all Toastmasters and families. Join us for an afternoon of feasting, outdoor games, networking and family fun.

  • What:  Brookfield Toastmasters & Salesmasters Annual Joint Potluck Picnic
  • When:  Sunday 8/29/2021
  • Time: 11 am to 4 pm
  • Where: Wirth Park, Picnic area # 5, 2585 Pilgrim Road, Brookfield, WI 53005
  • Activities: Food, games (bean bags, frisbee, relay contests), fun

All Toastmasters club members and their families are invited. Don’t miss this great social networking event. Please pass this info to your members.

Salesmasters and Brookfield Toastmasters will provide brats and beverages. All attendees should bring potluck food to share!

For pre-registration and/or questions, please contact:

Ken McKenzie – VP Education, Stevens Point Toastmasters & Wausau Morning Toastmasters

Toastmasters Celebrate Freedom of Speech

A cluster of central Wisconsin Toastmaster members gathered on July 4th to take part in the annual Independence Day Parade through downtown Stevens Point. Local area Toastmasters clubs in the Northern Division were invited to join in on a wagon ride parade float intended to bring attention to celebrating Freedom of Speech while enabling members to meet and network with other TI enthusiasts!

The float, courtesy of Dick Hawley, DTM, and his neighbors’ Bauer’s Deere Farm (Mark & Darlene Bauer) touted signage that read “Toastmasters: Celebrating Freedom of Speech” and demonstrated American patriotism with American flags outfitting the parade wagon that carried about six folks, while others took to the street on foot, sharing free candy to kids and fielding any questions or thoughts from the large assembled crowd on the parade route.

On the float, two lecterns were manned by Carol Adams, Club President of Stevens Point Toastmasters and Jenny Prideaux, VP-Education of Sentry Toastmasters. These leaders were positioned back-to-back to enable facing out to street side parade viewers in faux speaking pose. 

During a pause along the parade flow, one parade observer asked, “Shouldn’t you be giving a speech or something?” Post parade comments suggested a sound system and broadcast of speeches be used next year; certainly providing food for thought!

Besides celebrating America’s freedoms on this patriotic day, the effort, spearheaded by Hawley, was one of persistent outreach to the general public by drawing attention to Toastmasters’ ENVISIONED FUTURE: to be the first-choice provider of dynamic, high-value, experiential communication and leadership skills development.

Additionally, members sought to spread the word that Toastmasters involvement provides 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.

Many thanks to Sentry Club member Lacy Skrzeczkoski for sharing her photos of this special July 4th shared event! 

 Central Wisconsin Area Toastmasters Clubs members helped 'Celebrate Freedom of Speech' in July 4, 2021 Parade in Stevens Point. From left: Sentry Club #4596 members: Cole Monroe, Lacy Skrzeczkoski, Jenny Prideaux; Stevens Point Club #570’s Ken McKenzie, Carol Adams, Carol's daughter, Tiffany Adams, visiting from Little Rock, AR; and Dick Hawley and Brandon Birrenkott; both also from the Sentry Club.

Central Wisconsin Area Toastmasters Clubs members helped ‘Celebrate Freedom of Speech’ in July 4, 2021 Parade in Stevens Point. From left: Sentry Club #4596 members: Cole Monroe, Lacy Skrzeczkoski, Jenny Prideaux; Stevens Point Club #570’s Ken McKenzie, Carol Adams, Carol’s daughter, Tiffany Adams, visiting from Little Rock, AR; and Dick Hawley and Brandon Birrenkott; both also from the Sentry Club.

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