Julie lead us in the Pledge, and Rennie lead the Reflection. WELCOME BACK, RENNIE!
Claire won the 50/50, and pulled the Joker. Congrats, Claire!
Our visitor was Tara Caskins, from DCF, where she is an adoption social worker.
Membership Update
Frank sent out docs pertaining to membership. We will work on ramping up the committee.
Tara is interested in joining our club. She found us through the website. Website recruitment in action!
We watched a Membership Video, and learned about different types of clubs, including Cause-based, Corporate clubs, Family clubs, and Community based clubs.
General Topics
We drew 10 calendar raffle winners to kick off 2020! Notably, Dean sold 3 of the 10 winning tickets.
Charlie will provide updates on the Rotary International and Toastmasters relationship, and will invite a member of their organization to speak at an upcoming meeting.
Charlie updated all the calendar project documents, and will work with Julie to create a project plan. Ruby, Johnny, and Julie will meet to kick off the 2021 Calendar Project.
Rennie brought us up to speed on the Scholarship project. He will follow up with Leominster High School to get applications in to us before April vacation.
Claire still needs sponsors/ads for the Vocational Awards Dinner.
We viewed a Rotary Foundation video. It explained how grants, funds, and donations are used, and how they multiply.
Christine printed out the Flower Box sponsor letters and will send them out this week.
Our regular club meeting was followed by a Board Meeting.
The District training assembly is April 18th in Leominster. Charlie will send out an agenda so those who are attending can choose their sessions.
Johnny's trip to Guatemala is still on at this time, but there is talk of cancelling due to the Corona virus. Let's hope this important trip happens! Johnny has a lot of donations to deliver...
Toastmaster Fun Facts & History
Toastmasters International (TI) is a US headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of promoting communication, and public speaking and leadership skills.
The organization grew out of a single club, Smedley Chapter One Club, which would become the first Toastmasters club. It was founded by Ralph C. Smedley on October 22, 1924, at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, United States. It originated as a set of classes with the aim of improving the communication skills of the young men under his charge. Toastmasters International was incorporated under Californian law on December 19, 1932.
The first international chapter was established in Vancouver, Canada in 1932. The organization began admitting women in 1973.
Throughout its history, Toastmasters has served over four million people, and today the organization serves over 352,000 members in 141 countries, through its 16,400 member clubs. Toastmasters membership increased rapidly around the turn of the century, nearing 16,000 clubs worldwide by 2016.
Toastmasters International uses a local club-based structure, each having around 20–40 members. Meetings are held every week or other week and usually in the evening, although some clubs meet in the morning or afternoon. Each club operates as a separate entity with a set of requirements leading to chartered status for them to be recognized as official Toastmasters clubs. Chartered status allows for clubs to use the names, promotional material and program of Toastmasters International.