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District 42

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

District Team 2014 - 2015

District Governor ……...1

District Leaders ……...4

Spring Convention …....15

District Team 2015 - 2016

District Director .…..16

District Leaders ….....17

Reformation ……….…..20

Division Highlights ..…..21

Distinguished Clubs …..23

Member Highlights ..…..29

In Memoriam .…..33

Celebrations …….….....34

Looking Back ……......37

Fall Conference ….......39

Editor Thank You ….......40

About Toastmasters …..41

Proofing/Support Team:

Greg Gazin, DTM

Layout & Technical:

Nandini Venkatesan, DTM

Marvin Henry, DTM

Editor: Carol Harrison, DTM

Assistant Editor:

Malene Jorgensen

District Website:

d42tm.org

Prairie Horizons

PRAIRIE HORIZONS Where Leaders Are Made

Promoting Members 2014 - 2015 Volume 4

Congratulations Distinguished District 42!

As I reviewed my pictures of the various different events I attended this

year, I couldn’t help but smile and also feel amazed by all of the

dedication and success stories of the members of District 42 for the

2014 - 2015 Toastmasters year.

The role of District Governor is one of the best roles in the District. In

addition to the mounds of paperwork and emails, some of the more

exciting parts of the role include:

Anniversary Celebrations

Prospective New Club Demo Meetings

Charter Parties

Club Officer Training, Destination DTM Boot Camps, TLIs

Award Ceremonies

Conference & Convention

Toastmasters International Training and Convention

District 42 currently is comprised of 297 Clubs, 58 Areas, and 9 Division.

My years in District Leadership have been an amazing and rewarding

leadership opportunity. Thank you for placing your trust in me to lead

District 42 through one its most memorable years.

District 42 Celebrates at Spring Convention!

Photo: Joe Manio

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District Governor

Doris Henn, DTM View All Events

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This year we welcomed the following new clubs to District 42:

Division Area Name Location

A 57 Licensed To Speak Toastmasters Club St. Albert

B 24 Queen City Toasters Toastmasters Club Regina

C 11 Enbridge Toastmasters Club-Calgary Calgary

C 39 BVC Toastmasters Club Calgary

C 3 H & H Toastmasters Calgary

D 30 Evolution Toastmasters Edmonton

D 7 Money Talk$ Toastmasters Club Edmonton

D 55 Kennedale Speakers Edmonton

F 12 Health Aware Edmonton

F 14 NAITurally Speaking Edmonton

G 10 Tundra Talkers Calgary

G 23 Repsol Toastmasters Calgary

J 46 CS Chatters Calgary

J 43 Syncrude Toastmasters Calgary

J 48 SPE Calgary Toastmasters Calgary

J 53 The Regulators Calgary

K 34 Speak Upside Calgary

This year in District 42 we:

Welcomed our International President Mohammad

Murad to our 2014 Calgary Fall Conference,

“Stampede to Success”

Voted to reform District 42 into two Districts:

District 42 and District 99

Added seventeen new clubs

Travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first

International Convention outside North America

Attended District training in Denver, Colorado and

Kuala Lumpur

Learned more about the Revitalized Education

Program at the Lethbridge Spring “Top Gavel”

Convention

Offered quality training opportunities for the District

42 members and clubs

Saved clubs, gave new life to struggling

clubs and built new clubs

Travelled to Ft. McMurray, Regina, Swift

Current, Moose Jaw, Grenfell, Saskatoon,

Prince Albert, Edmonton, Drayton Valley,

Lethbridge and all over Calgary

Encouraged the District 42 members to sign

the District 42 Victory Banner

“Reached for the Stars” as we stepped out

of our comfort zone and tried to accomplish

the impossible

Thank you District 42 for an amazing year.

District 42 has achieved Distinguished District

status for 2014 - 2015. District 42 celebrates in

Las Vegas, Nevada at the Toastmasters

International Convention, August 12 - 15,

2015.

Doris Henn, DTM

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District Governor Photo Gallery

Doris Henn, DTM District Incentives

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Left to Right: District Governor in Kuala Lumpur, Nevin Henn and Doris Henn, International President

Mohammad Murad in Calgary, DTM Bootcamp, District 42 Distinguished Banner with Talk of the Square,

Christmas Party with Home Club – Bottom Line Toastmasters, Mary Schoendorfer DTM Party

Photos: Doris Henn, DTM

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Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM District/Personal Achievements

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Highlights from 2014-2015

The 2014 - 2015 has been an exciting year in

District 42. As we came closer to the final days

in our Toastmaster year, we were seeing more

and more clubs finishing their year as

Distinguished, Select Distinguished or

President’s Distinguished.

More than fifty percent of our clubs will be

receiving a ribbon and congratulatory letter

from Toastmasters International President

Mohammed Murad. This is an

accomplishment worthy of many accolades and

recognition of many members for all of their

efforts. Every speech that is carefully prepared,

every evaluation that is given, every Open

House that is orchestrated, all demonstrate to

our guests and prospective members the

opportunities for personal growth that await

them when they join Toastmasters.

We have thirty three newly minted DTMs for

2014-2015 in the District. Many of the

recipients have participated in the interviews

and are featured in this year’s editions of

Prairie Horizons. Each had a different journey

and I thank everyone who shared their

experiences and lessons learned along the

way.

Every DTM was a guest at a meeting and

began their journey in that way. Not every

guest becomes a member, not every member

achieves their DTM. However, every

member has the opportunity to grow in

Toastmasters, to become more skilled in

communication and leadership.

Marg Faryna, DTM

Above: Accredited Speaker Bob Hooey

Below: Spring Convention Head Table

Photos: Valentina Tkachuk

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Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Club Officer Resources

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Welcome, Distinguished Toastmasters!

At the Spring Convention in Lethbridge (April 25, 2015)

we celebrated the achievements of our newly minted

Distinguished Toastmasters and presented them with a

DTM Medallion from District 42. These toastmasters

earned their DTM between November 1, 2014 and April

30, 2015. We are so proud of all of our DTMs. Since

July 1, 2014 there has been an unprecedented number

of DTMs, 33 by June 30, 2015.

As in past issues of Prairie Horizons, we continue to get

to know some of our DTMs a little more as they describe

some of their memorable moments and challenges on

their Journey to DTM.

Marg Faryna, DTM

Congratulations

2279503 J 43 DTM 07/15/2014 Bauer, Johnathan PMI-SAC Toastmasters Calgary

6324 B 42 DTM 06/03/2015 Bowman, Dayle B. Indian Head Toastmasters Club Indian Head 590114 J 41 DTM 09/18/2014 Brown, Glen Ernest Igniters Club Calgary 3423 D 29 DTM 12/08/2014 Cheung, Cherry Brownlee's Best Club Edmonton

976708 G 23 DTM 10/31/2014 Cramer, Susan E. MVP Advanced Calgary 7878 E 32 DTM 06/28/2015 Danoczi, Jane

Elizabeth Talk Of The Square Warman

1494 J 53 DTM 01/01/2015 Foyer, Ronald Bow Valley Toastmasters Club Calgary 4291 D 28 DTM 04/16/2015 Gazin, Gregory New Entrepreneurs Club Edmonton 1290221 C 39 DTM 04/21/2015 George, Abraham After Five Toastmasters Club Calgary

6883 E 47 DTM 06/28/2015 Harrison, Brian Peter M B S Toastmasters Club Saskatoon 980055 D 7 DTM 07/11/2014 Heinrichs, Lorenzo Excalibur's Edge Edmonton 438 J 46 DTM 07/02/2014 Henn, Doris L. Golden Gavel Club Calgary

8090 F 14 DTM 11/04/2014 Kanji, Shiraz M. Excell-Orators Advanced Toastmasters Club # 8090

Edmonton

3233 B 24 DTM 05/05/2015 Kapoor, Don Lunch ala Toast Club Regina 976708 G 23 DTM 08/23/2014 Kruis, Christina M. MVP Advanced Calgary

5143 D 30 DTM 04/08/2015 Mack, Mike Dawnbreakers Toastmasters Edmonton 1319 G 23 DTM 05/15/2015 MacPherson, Devan 3500 Foot Toastmasters Club Calgary 2799 G 38 DTM 09/04/2014 MacTavish, Ron K. Dynamically Speaking Club Lethbridge

872273 C 50 DTM 01/26/2015 Myers, Richard A. Verve Toastmasters Club Calgary 9035 G 23 DTM 04/27/2015 Nakaska, Ann Fish Creek Bravehearts Club Calgary 737481 D 30 DTM 10/07/2014 Pederson, Ingrid J. Pipe-Up Toastmasters Club Edmonton

5066 F 12 DTM 03/21/2015 Penner, Carol Morning Challengers Toastmasters Club Sherwood Park

8195 E 2 DTM 11/24/2014 Riou, Judy D. Innovation Place Toastmasters Club Saskatoon

4939 D 55 DTM 10/22/2014 Robitaille, Willard N'Orators Toastmasters Club Edmonton 450 E 2 DTM 07/06/2014 Robson, Donald J. Saskatoon Club Saskatoon 3144 B 4 DTM 04/13/2015 Ryerson, Michelle Plains Toastmasters Club Regina

848867 J 45 DTM 07/01/2014 Schoendorfer, Mary Literally Speaking Calgary 2730829 K 54 DTM 06/18/2015 Schubert, Joachim Refined Speakers Calgary 2849 B 33 DTM 06/17/2015 Secundiak, Catherine Wild Oats Club Regina

1499 K 5 DTM 09/24/2014 Stehmeier, Lester Tireless Talkers Toastmasters Club Calgary 5374 D 30 DTM 12/08/2014 Tanner, Ken Wild Rose Club Edmonton 3527435 K 5 DTM 10/08/2014 Welte, Wendy L. ATB Calgary Campus Calgary

1022113 D 30 DTM 04/14/2015 Yip, Wang TM4PM Toastmasters Club Edmonton

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MIKE MACK, DTM Can you remember the first table topics question you answered? What was it and how long did you speak? It was September 2002 and I was asked to talk about a golfing story. I was somewhat nervous, but enjoyed the question. Of course, I won Table Topics that day......as I later learned it is a great way to get guests to become members after winning. LOL What scares you more than public speaking? Roller coasters!! If you could pick anyone to spend a day with to be coached on your speaking or leadership skills, who would you choose, and why? Tony Robbins. I have always admired Tony and have learned a great deal from his material in the past fifteen years. He is driven and wise! A great mentor in my mind. Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? This is my first DTM. I became a Toastmaster in October 2002 which makes it an eleven and a half year journey. What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? Focus, discipline and mentorship. (I am extremely grateful that Peter Kossowan has been my mentor since day one. He encouraged me, and challenged me to always stretch myself with Toastmasters)

What was the most rewarding part of your journey towards DTM? How amazing my home club members have been on my DTM achievement. They showed wonderful respect and it motivates me to help them achieve their Toastmaster goals. What is your favorite quote? “Get very good at what you love to do, because you can never get good enough at something that you are not suited for.” - Dr. Robert Anthony What is your next journey destination? Business growth with my company X5 Management along with balancing that growth through quality time with my beautiful partner, Bonita Lehmann. (She is also a Toastmaster!) Anything else that you would like to make comment about. I have always been extremely proud to be a Toastmaster and I encourage many people to become members and see their own personal growth and confidence increase after every meeting! It has been one of the best professional development decisions that I have ever made!

Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Leadership Track

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WANG YIP, DTM What scares you more than public

speaking?

Everything, now that I’m not scared of

public speaking.

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If you could pick anyone to spend a day with to be coached on your speaking or leadership skills, who would you choose, and why? Tony Robbins. I think indirectly he could coach me on my speaking and leadership skills but he could also help me find the purpose behind these skills. I haven't figured out what these skills were meant for in my life. I assume that it was meant for more than what I'm currently doing. Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? Eight years. What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? We make progress through action. If you need help, there are literally hundreds of Toastmasters who have gone through the DTM and can guide you on your way. What is the most interesting information you have used for your introduction? Author of four self-published books. What was the most interesting speech you gave? I gave a speech about my winter journey with Mike Mack. We met a demon and he vanquished it with his public speaking skills. Oh and it rhymed as well. What was your biggest challenge? I think the biggest challenge I had to my DTM was not knowing who to connect to for some of my advanced designations. I was well on my way to achieving my DTM but had no idea what I needed to do for my ALS. When I finally learned, I did not know who I was supposed to contact to achieve my HPL or my term as a dignitary in Toastmasters. What is your favorite quote? "You're an ambitious man and an ambitious man is never happy with what he has."

DICK MYERS, DTM Can you remember the first table topics question you answered? What was it and how long did you speak? It's been twenty three years, and I'm getting old. No, I don't remember. What scares you more than public speaking? Brussel Sprouts. If you could pick anyone to spend a day with to be coached on your speaking or leadership skills, who would you choose, and why? Any new Toastmaster, because they have new ideas. Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? No, it's my fourth. The first one took fourteen and a half years.

Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Communication Track

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What is your next journey destination? Best-selling author. Anything else that you would like to make comment about. The journey to DTM was extremely rewarding. I thought it was too long but ultimately, it was just the right length for me. Even though I have achieved my DTM, I will never stop learning and trying new things in Toastmasters.

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Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Distinguished Toastmaster

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CAROL PENNER, DTM Can you remember the first table topics question you answered? What was it and how long did you speak? The first question was about the colour of finances and I spoke about a minute. What scares you more than public speaking? Talking on the phone. Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? Yes this is my first DTM. It took me eight years. What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? Don't give up. Someone told me when I was ready to give up, “You have come way too far to give up now.” What was the most rewarding part of your journey towards DTM? Realizing that I have leadership skills and speaking skills that I didn't think I had. Getting out of the comfort zone of my own club and visiting with a lot of others at club level as well as at conventions because you all have at least one thing in common. What is your next journey destination? The next one is to work on another DTM. Why would you stop now when there is still so much to learn?

What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? Never stop learning. What was the most rewarding part of your journey towards DTM? Working with Youth Leadership. What is the most interesting information you have used for your introduction? I coached Little League Baseball for twelve years. What was the most interesting speech you gave? My years spent drifting across the USA in a cloud of marijuana. What was your biggest challenge? Getting up for early morning meetings. What is your favorite quote? “Success is having the love of one child, and the admiration of one adult.” What is your next journey destination? Hopefully, going to Las Vegas for the International convention . Anything else that you would like to make comment about. Sorry, it's bedtime.

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What was the most rewarding part of your journey towards DTM? All the amazing people I met along the way!! Absolutely bar none!! What is the most interesting information you have used for your introduction? Usually some comment about being one step away from being a crazy cat lady. What was the most interesting speech you gave? I got lots of positive feedback on two speeches: one on self-esteem and one on cat communication. What was your biggest challenge? My first year as Area Governor I felt like I was just barely treading water…and the whole Telus Success club was …well let’s just forget about that. What is your favorite quote? “Evil is allowed to happen when good people remain silent!” What is your next journey destination? To mentor and support at the club, area and division level while I work through my second DTM. I also want to work on my own career as a career consultant and speaker.

ANN NAKASKA, DTM Can you remember the first table topics question you answered? What was it and how long did you speak? No. What scares you more than public speaking? Heights, millipedes and deep, deep water!! Also, really big snakes and crocodiles. Lots of things!! Public speaking is easy! If you could pick anyone to spend a day with to be coached on your speaking or leadership skills, who would you choose, and why? For leadership skills and living - Mother Theresa or maybe Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen has been a world leader for an incredibly long time and I think she would know a lot! For speaking skills I would probably choose Bill Clinton or President Obama, or the speaker I heard who shot himself in the face…funniest speech I ever heard! The latter is my benchmark of a great speech. (Not to worry… he only sustained a small flesh wound.) Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? This is my first and it took a little more than five years. I have already started on my second.

What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? Just work on one or two awards at a time. They really do take time.

Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Educational Resources

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GREG GAZIN, DTM

Can you remember the first table topics question you answered? What was it and how long did you speak? I can’t recall the question, but my first table topic thirteen years ago lasted 11.3 seconds as the timer reported, after which I kept staring at my watch like a school boy waiting for the 3 o’clock bell and I was out of there. I vowed never to return. Obviously I came back and glad I did. What scares you more than public speaking? Zombies & Vampires. If you could pick anyone to spend a day with to be coached on your speaking or leadership skills, who would you choose, and why? If I needed to choose a person living, it would be Robin Sharma. I can easily connect and relate to what he says. He uses fables to share his wisdom like in “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” and teaches how leadership can be everywhere in “The Leader Who Had No Title”. Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? This is my fourth, one year to the day from my third. My first one took five years. What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? Most Toastmasters have no idea what’s possible when they begin their journey so a DTM can often seem way beyond their reach. You need to keep your eyes; ears and mind wide open and imagine the possibilities. Once you take that step forward that’s when the transformation begins.

What was the most rewarding part of your journey towards DTM? As a writer and Gadget Guy, the journey took me from out behind the keyboard to out in front of audiences and places I never thought possible. Furthermore, for me leadership was never on my radar, let alone becoming a District Governor. I also met some incredible people and while I still continue to learn, there is a more natural tendency to want to give back, a natural progression to motivating, inspiring and mentoring others. What is the most interesting information you have used for your introduction? Also known as The Gadget Guy & Managed a Beatles Tribute Band What was the most interesting speech you gave? The day I met Steve Jobs. The funniest was my 3rd icebreaker as one of the lost McKenzie Brothers, wearing a toque, earmuffs and speaking like a hoser (Good Day, Eh!) What was your biggest challenge?

Biggest challenge came in my first year where it took time to get buy-in on the Toastmasters program. Once I really started to understand what was possible, the sailing become a little smoother and the transformation began.

What is your next journey destination? Already working toward DTM #5, helping to charter our District’s 1st Spanish Bilingual Club and continuing as one of the Official Hosts of the Official Toastmasters International Podcast. Also after having written my first book, “Corey OutSMARTs the Butterflies”, it’s also time to plan some speaking opportunities to actually promote the book. Anything else that you would like to make comment about. I have discovered that instead of looking at Toastmasters as just another chore I have to do every week, I’ve embraced it as something that’s actually become part of my life - and over time, it had certainly enriched it and continues to do so.

Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Toastmasters Podcast

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Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Education Incentives

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CATHERINE SECUNDIAK, DTM Can you remember the first table topics question you answered? What was it and how long did you speak? No, but my Ice Breaker speech was well over ten minutes. What scares you more than public speaking? Going somewhere I have never been before and walking into a room full of people I do not know (i.e. my first Toastmasters Conference). If you could pick anyone to spend a day with to be coached on your speaking or leadership skills, who would you choose, and why? Mary Kay Ash (founder of Mary Kay) – I know people who had been trained directly by her and they said she had the ability to make every single person around her feel like they were the most important person. I admire her courageous story of how she built the Mary Kay business and how she truly wanted to help women gain confidence and take control of their lives. I also aspire to be a role model for my daughters and inspire other women to believe, “I can do it”. Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? This is my first DTM and it took almost five

years to complete.

What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? Set goals for yourself in the program each year and keep working towards them. If life happens, then readjust and change your goals, but always keep pushing yourself forward. Don’t miss out on any opportunities in Toastmasters – just say “yes!” and then work with your mentors to figure out how to do it. What was the most rewarding part of your journey towards DTM? Mentoring others and watching new members grow in the program – especially sponsoring and mentoring new clubs. Having my teenage daughters participate in a Youth Leadership Program and seeing the confidence they, and the other kids, gained by the end of the program. It gives me hope for the future. What was your biggest challenge? My original goal was to complete DTM by Dec 2014 but 2013 -2014 was my Area Governor year and I didn’t spend much time preparing speeches so I had to adjust my goal to June 2015. In January of 2015, I had nine speeches left! I got focused… contacted my clubs VP’s of Education, scheduled my speeches, contacted other clubs to get extra speaking opportunities, reached out to my mentors and the Circle of Gold to help with speech topics and preparation… and I got it done!

What is your favorite quote? “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle What is your next journey destination? I am onto District leadership starting with District 42 Administration Manager for 2015 - 2016. The new journey will help prepare me for career advancement to Executive Leadership and/or Consulting and Professional Speaking.

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Lieutenant Governor Education and Training

Marg Faryna, DTM Leaders Opportunities

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What was the most rewarding part of your journey towards DTM? I like the idea of helping others adding the way to their DTM because of all the people who helped me. What was the most interesting speech you gave? My speech on Aaron Sorkin, the creator and writer of The West Wing, Sports Night, and The Newsroom. What was your biggest challenge? Club coaching because you need to develop a much more flexible stance and truly facilitate rather than demand. What is your favorite quote? “The strength of the wolf is in the pack. The strength of the pack is in the wolf.” To me this demonstrates the need for strength at all levels of the organization. What is your next journey destination?

PEI, this summer.

DEVAN MACPHERSON, DTM Can you remember the first table topics question you answered? What was it and how long did you speak? Don't remember, sorry. What scares you more than public speaking? Heights. I am desperately afraid of heights. If you could pick anyone to spend a day with to be coached on your speaking or leadership skills, who would you choose, and why? Patrick Lencioni, author of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team because he has such applicable techniques. Is this your first DTM? And how many years did your journey take? Less than seven years. What advice would you give to a toastmaster who needs some encouragement on their journey towards DTM? Know what you want out if it and know that there are opportunities to do all of the requirements and they are close at hand. Lastly make it beneficial for you, particularly in your high performance leadership project. Make it relevant to your life. DTM Profiles Photos: Valentina Tkachuk

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Lieutenant Governor Marketing

Lorraine Wheatley, ACB ALB Webinars

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Highlights and the Future

Hello fellow Toastmasters!

It has been a busy but fulfilling year as Lieutenant

Governor Marketing for the District. I enjoyed

working with all our Area and Division

Governors and want to thank them for their work

this past year. Attending events is something I

look forward to as I end up meeting new people;

it’s one of my favourite things about events!

Our upcoming year, in 2015 - 2016, will bring

challenges as we plan for the reformation of our

District. District 42 has had a wonderful sixty year

history and much success as we near three

hundred clubs! My new role, which starts July 1,

will be titled Program Quality Director and I will

be responsible for all aspects of education and

training. I will be looking after the clubs for

District 42 North and Carolyn Kaldy from

Calgary will be Program Quality Director for

District 42 South. It will be a year of changes

and much planning. Our district leaders in 2015 -

16 will consist of five officers in contrast to the

current “Trio” of executive officers.

I appreciated the opportunity to serve the

district and want to thank you for your

confidence in electing me this past year.

I am grateful to my mentors and all

those who helped guide me, enabling me

to grow and refine my communication

and leadership skills. It is my intention to

pay that forward and support our

members in their efforts toward skill

enhancement and personal growth

throughout their own toastmaster

journey.

Lorraine Wheatley, ACB, ALB

Above: Leaders in Action! Spring Convention

Below: Leaders Helping! Lorraine Wheatley, C& L

Award Recipient, Bev LeBlanc Co-Chair

Convention

Photos: Joe Manio

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Public Relations Officer

John Bauer, DTM Prairie Horizons

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Year in Review

Fellow Toastmasters,

How do you say good bye to another great year?

This year we launched two contests, Display Your

Banner (thirty entries) and Galloping Gavel (fifteen

entries). There has been great success with the

Display Your Banner and not as successful with the

Galloping Gavel. It’s great to see members step

outside their own club showing the pride they have

both in their club and Toastmasters.

The winners of the Display Your Banner and

Galloping Gavel Contests were:

Display Your Banner

o February: Bottom Line - Calgary

o March: CTI TechTalkers - Calgary

o May: Excalibur's Edge - Edmonton

o June: Industrial Toastmasters -

Regina

Galloping Gavel

o February: Communicator Club -

Regina

o March: Mosaic Tower Talkers -

Regina

o April: Queen City Toasters - Regina

o June: Weekend Warriors - Regina

The District website has seen many updates this

year that include the Calendar, Home Page, and

side windows, just to name a few.

We had a great year celebrating the 60th

Anniversary of District 42. The Prairie Horizons

team produced a great 60th Anniversary Special

Edition, which was only available in print at the

Calgary Fall Conference. We have now made it

available online.

Right: Wild Oats Galloping Gavel

Photo: District 42 Facebook

Our District 42 Facebook page had

another successful year with over 150

new “Likes” and even more clubs sharing

their Facebook successes both on the

District’s and their own club page.

Since, July 2014 District 42 has been

published over thirty times. This is due

to the hard work of those working to build

and spread the word and increase

membership.

Finally, I just want to encourage each

member to work towards their goals

and remember we are all here to

support and encourage everyone to

succeed.

John Bauer, DTM

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Helping Others Grow

Photos: Valentina Tkachuk

Spring Convention

Lethbridge April 24 - 26, 2015 Contest Planning

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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Congratulations to our

Evaluation Contest Winners

First Place: Harvey Taphorn

Second Place: Chuck LeBlanc

Third Place: Iris Talbot

.

Congratulations to our International

Speech Contest Winners

First Place: Russ Dantu

Second Place: Lisa Mulrooney

Third Place: Alison Ferie

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Greetings from the District Director

2015 - 2016

District 42 will be embarking on another exciting

year. From my experience, keeping focused on

what makes the year strong, making an effective

transition to the incoming team and starting the

new year with a bucketful of energy and lots of

enthusiasm, creates the perfect learning laboratory

for developing leadership skills. All members can

participate whether it is by attending celebrations,

reporting club successes, getting involved in club

officer training or participating in the creation of a

Club Success Plan.

This will be the year for many changes in District

42. The titles for District Leaders will change

effective July 1, 2015. Most notably, Area and

Division Governors will now be called Area and

Division Directors.

Resulting from the continuous growth and

successes during the past years, District 42 will be

in our pre-reformation year in 2015 - 2016. In

July 2016, our District will split and become two

distinct districts - District 42 and District 99.

We enter the new Toastmaster year adapting to

many changes, with much excitement and

measured apprehension. Please consider your

personal goals for the new year, your contribution

to the success of your club, your pursuit of

leadership in Toastmasters and embrace in every

way, the value in that “You Make a Difference”.

Marg Faryna, District Director

District 42

Leadership Team

District Director

Marg Faryna

Program Quality Director North

Lorraine Wheatley

Program Quality Director South

Carolyn Kaldy

Club Growth Director North

Lorenzo Heinrichs

Club Growth Director South

John Bauer

Administration Manager

Catherine Secundiak

Finance Manager

Shannon Vinter

Public Relations Manager

Marc Haine

Division Directors (12)

Division A – Jonathan Ettie

Division B – Jeannette Caldwell

Division C – Abraham George

Division D – Stephen Hall

Division E – Donald Zurakowski

Division F – Garfield Hiscock

Division G – Grant Hanna

Division H – Joan Petruk

Division J – Poorna Pushkala Subramani

Division K – Terry Kozllyk

Division L – Christina Kruis

Division M – Cheryl Schofield

In addition there are Area Directors (62),

to be of service to the members of our

District.

District 42 Director and Leadership Team

2015 - 2016 District Leaders

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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Page 17

Program Quality Director

North and South District Officer Resources

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North: Lorraine Wheatley

South: Carolyn Kaldy

My name is Carolyn Kaldy. I am delighted to

be serving as your Program Quality Director

alongside Lorraine Wheatley. So who am I?

I was raised in Lethbridge, attended

University of Alberta Engineering, landed in

the oil patch in Calgary, obtained my Project

Management Professional certification and

am now continuing the circle back to

University in the field of Social Work. Along

the way I fell in love with Dancing

(Ballroom, Country, Argentine Tango, West

Coast Swing and Latin style dances), travel

and community volunteering with United Way

Cabinet and the Distress Centre Crisis Line. I

would say the spark that lights me up is

continuous learning.

Photos: Valentina Tkachuk

On the Toastmasters front, I am a proud

charter member of the President

Distinguished CanOrators club that meets

Thursday at lunch in downtown Calgary.

Some of the great memories have been

winning the District 42 Evaluation

Contest, hosting a district conference

with the then International President Gavin

Blakey and being addicted to district and

international conventions. However, the

best memories are from the people I have

met over the years.

It is these amazing toastmasters which

makes me so proud to belong to an

organization focused on being positive

and supportive in club meetings therefore

empowering members to develop their

communication and leadership skills. My

goal, as Program Quality Director, is to

help the District through education and

training opportunities that will serve to

enrich members’ experience in

Toastmasters. I believe it takes a village to

raise a Toastmaster so I am very excited to

be working with an awesome team of

Division Directors and Area Directors and

alongside a fabulous District support

team that will help you, the member,

experience the benefits of Toastmasters.

Carolyn Kaldy, DTM

Left to Right: District Team 2015 – 2016

John Bauer, Carolyn Kaldy, Marg Faryna,

Lorraine Wheatley, Lorenzo Heinrichs.

Page 18

What do I expect for this year? I look

forward to working with clubs to make

them even stronger then we already are.

I hope to work more with Club

Sponsors, Mentors and Coaches and

to encourage other members to step

forward and work with other

Toastmasters to achieve excellence.

One goal I have for this year is to see

each club increase their membership

base by eight members which is two

DCP Goals. What do I mean? If you

have eight members on July 1, 2015

then I would like your club to work at

increasing membership to sixteen

members. If your club has twenty

members on July 1, 2015 work at having

twenty-eight members by June 30, 2016.

Finally, I just want to encourage each

member to work towards their goals

and remember we are all here to support

and encourage everyone to succeed.

John Bauer, DTM

South: John Bauer

Fellow Toastmasters,

I am looking forward to another great year in

District 42 and I look forward to serving the

members of District 42

This will be a very exciting and eventful year in

District 42. Our last official year as District 42,

as we know it, consisting of Alberta and

Saskatchewan, will start in a few days. A lot has

already changed such as District, Division and

Area leader titles and there is still more to

come.

District 42 Team Leaders

Photos: Valentina Tkachuk

Club Growth Director

North and South Club Coach/Mentor/Sponsor

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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North: Lorenzo Heinrichs

Page 19

District Administration Manager

2015 - 2016 District Business Meetings

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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2015 - 2016 Goals

I have been a member of Toastmasters since

November 2010. I am a member of four

Toastmasters Clubs in Division B – Wild

Oats (Regina), Club 13 (Regina), Wey

Better Speakers (Weyburn) and B.L.T.

Advanced Club. I have served in many Club

Officer roles including Secretary, VP

Membership and VP Education. I have

completed a term as Area Governor (Area 4 –

2013- 2014) and Division Governor (Division

B – 2014-2015). I completed my

Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)

designation in June 2015.

As the Administration Manager for District 42

this year, I am looking forward to learning

more about the Clubs, Areas and Divisions in

District 42 and learning more about District

Leadership to help me develop to Executive

Leadership in my career.

2015 - 2016 Goals

As you grow and learn over this next year, my

goal is to ensure you are aware of and have

access to District information and

resources in a timely manner.

District Leader Planning Goals

Photo: D42 Website

This year, I will be serving the members of

District 42 by…

1. Distributing and receiving

correspondence on behalf of the District.

Notice of meetings to be sent four

weeks prior to Council Meeting

2. Taking complete and accurate minutes

at District Council, District Executive

Committee and District Business

meetings

Minutes to be made available within

one week following the meeting

3. Documenting accomplishments and

keeping custody of District documents

(i.e. updating the D42tm.org website).

Promoting the D42tm.org website as

a source of helpful information

Conduct two webinars this year on

Toastmasters information sources

4. Assisting the Public Relations

Manager with promotion, registration and

evaluation of District, Division and Area

events and webinars (i.e. Survey links).

Update District event calendar and

provide event/webinar registration

links within three days of request

Provide evaluation survey link within

three days after event/webinar

5. Assisting the Finance Manager with

tracking and documenting District

inventory (i.e. banners)

This is going to be a dynamic year in

District 42 and I look forward to serving

you!

Catherine Secundiak, DTM

Page 20

District 42 - Becoming Two

Districts!

On July 1, 2016 our current District 42 will

become two Districts. The International

Board of Directors approved the

request at their February 2015 Board

meeting, and the result was officially

announced in late March.

The southern half of our District will

remain as District 42. The northern half

will become District 99. The exact

boundaries approved by our District,

among many other details, are listed on

the D42 Reformation website

www.reformation.d42tm.org.

The Reformation committee and various

District Leaders are working through the

transition planning, as well as identifying

the many tasks and activities needed to

accomplish this reformation into two

Districts.

In the meantime we continue to operate

as one District 42 even though

preparations are being undertaken to set

the stage for both Districts.

Exciting times are ahead!

Any questions can be directed to the

Reformation committee at the following

email address

reformation@d42tm.org

Ken Tanner, DTM, PID

District Reformation

Committee Chair - Ken Tanner, DTM, PID About Reformation

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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More Potential Members! CIWA DEMO meeting

Photos: Doris Henn, DTM, D42 Website

Page 21

++

Division F

Northern Alberta Spiritual Living Toastmasters

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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Division F Highlights

With thirty-nine clubs in eight areas at the start

of the year, Division F was clearly the largest

Division in District 42. From the start, the

Division Governor and the Area Governors

agreed that not only is F the biggest Division,

but the friendliest. Consequently, we promoted

ourselves as The Friendly Giant. Hand in

glove with being friendly is being approachable

and members of the team have maintained an

openness and approachability fitting of the

description. Lines of communication were

always open and the result was shared

knowledge among members of the Division.

The year started with four clubs in distress. As

of the time of this writing, three of the clubs that

were in distress are now in excellent shape.

One has achieved President’s Distinguished

status, and two are Distinguished. Although

the fourth club added five new members

after June 30 it has, regrettably, slipped down to

two paid members and currently needs to

consider other options.

The success achieved can be largely attributed

to two factors – amazing Area Governors and

amazing members that not only believe in

Toastmasters but in themselves. Area

Governors have poured their hearts and

souls into helping the clubs succeed,

including hands on efforts such as acquiring

venues for clubs, arranging and attending town

hall style meetings with chambers of commerce

and other groups, as well as promoting local

clubs in media, both written and radio.

Camaraderie among area clubs was achieved

with District sanctioned “gavel club” efforts, club

of the week initiatives, and area newsletters.

One Area Governor initiated a club of the

month program which encouraged

members of area clubs to converge on the

selected club at its regular meeting on a

rotational basis. Club leaders caught the

vision and carried the promotions to local

residents with the same level of

enthusiasm.

One of the distressed clubs presented a

tthree part seminar style workshop

targeted to professionals suitable to its

venue and club culture. Another in a

different Area presented a Leadership

seminar for the community. Another Area

Governor has been active in advertising

all the community clubs in the Area

simultaneously in order to provide wide

options to prospective members.

Friendliness and vision have been the

order of the year for Division F. While it has

certainly not been a “cake walk” the overall

performance of the Division has been a

rewarding experience for many

Toastmasters, Area Governors, Club

Officers, and club members.

Lorenzo Heinrichs

Division F Governor 2014 - 2015

Page 22

Early Face Time = Springboard to

Success

Change is the name of the game in

Division G this year with the re-alignment of

areas and divisions within District 42 as a

result of the District reforming in 2016-2017.

Some of the Division G clubs will be

transitioning over to the newly formed

Division L on July 1, making our annual

handover transition just a little more

challenging than usual. Not quite a new

game, but the etch-a-sketch was definitely

shaken up.

Christina Kruis, the incoming Division L

Director, has handled her transition

beautifully. She had her team of Area

Directors lined up to go even before the

Spring Convention started. (Good thing she

made it in as Division L Director!) The fact

that many of these leaders knew each

other before taking on their roles has

helped to springboard her team’s efforts to

start their year off with a bang. These pre-

existing bonds are going to really help

Division L gel as a team sooner than when

no one knows each other at the start of the

term.

Division G

Southern Alberta Sugar Town Sweet Talkers

Igniters Toastmasters

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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While not everyone has the luxury of a fairly

fully formed team at the ready, a Division

team can still come together quickly and

effectively as Grant Hanna, the incoming

Division Director for Division G, is

proving. Grant has already started making

the rounds and attended the Club Officer

Training in Lethbridge so the Area Directors

for G36 and G38 had an opportunity for

some face time with him and the clubs

attending now know how he is. It is not

always easy to make sure everyone is up to

speed as a result of the geographical spread

of clubs in Division G but already Grant is on

top of it.

As the outgoing Division G Governor, I know

the Division G Areas and Clubs I’ve come

to know and love are in strong, capable

hands with their new Division G and L

Directors. I will miss you all. Thank heaven

for contests and conferences where we can

still reconnect from time to time!

In parting, I wish my successors all the

success and rewards a year as Division

Director brings!

Devan McPherson

Division G Governor 2014 - 2015

Teamwork!

Division L Director Christina Kruis and

Division G Director Grant Hanna

Photos: District 42 Website

Page 23

Distinguished Clubs

Division G Big Rock Pioneer Toastmasters

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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Mission - Be Member Focused

Big Rock Pioneer Toastmasters (BRP) ended

the 2012-2013 year twenty-four members

strong and achieved Select Distinguished

Club for the first time in the ten year history

of the club. The year- end celebration in High

River Alberta was memorable. Longstanding

member, Division G Governor and Past

President Harry Wenzle, predicted great

things as he had put in place a strong BRP

executive and a BRP member would lead Area

23.

Less than a week later, the entire region was

severely impacted by flooding. The ambitious

plans to grow the membership to thirty and

achieve President’s Distinguished became

instead a struggle to rebuild the club. As

President, Jacquelyn Blight took on all the

executive roles, and began the process of

rebuilding. Over the year we lost most of our

core members, those experienced and dynamic

leaders that you can count on year over year to

keep a club going. Membership was reduced

to about four active members one of which

was busy at the Area level.

This year the club focused on member

retention to rebuild that important core of

skilled leaders and speakers. We choose not to

focus on membership building campaigns. Goal

setting and member surveys were the keys to

the plan. We used Easy Speak to track

progress in CC and CL manuals and looked for

opportunities to complete CL projects by

mentoring members as contest Chairs and

organizers of special events.

The most important educationals delivered were

“Selecting your Topic” and Advanced

Evaluations incorporating material developed by

Christina Kruis and Nandini Venkatesan.

These paid enormous dividends and the

quality of the evaluations were the key to

converting guests into members. This aligned

with member goals to develop skills in delivering

feedback effectively. One important change was

moving the Table Topics segment to the end

of the meeting to make the best use of available

time. We tried to make the topics welcoming

developing a culture of empathy, understanding,

respect and creativity to encourage participation.

Big Rock was a safe place to TRY.

Early in the year we videoed a demonstration

meeting matching each member to a role they

were confident in and asking them to prepare well

for that role. We also developed a meeting

script that new members could refer to the first

time they took on a role.

We had many that were interested in developing

as Keynote or Professional Speakers. To

facilitate growth in these areas, we purchased

Brian Lee’s CD’s for the club library and

connected members to MVP’s Keynote

workshop and mentors both inside and outside

of BRP.

In June we signed up two new members and

reinstated a High River member who had taken a

year off. This brought us to twenty members

(ten of which are new or reinstated) and for the

first time the club achieved President’s

Distinguished with an additional four educational

awards being carried over to the next year.

The Key to success was being member focused,

and never giving up.

Linda Vanneste

President 2014 - 2015

Page 24

Developing a Culture of Success

Golden Gavel Toastmasters (Calgary) celebrated their

41st anniversary in January 2015. Surprisingly, the

club faces the same membership challenges that

many Toastmasters clubs face each year. The club

started the year with twenty members. During the year

we added or reinstated twenty new members and

ended the year with twenty members. When you do

the math, you will discover that we did a lot of

membership building through this Toastmasters year.

Fortunately, we still had a base of twelve core members

following the April 1 dues renewal period.

During the year the club was challenged with many

members leaving the club due to work commitments,

job loss, and busy schedules. We have discovered that

membership building is an ongoing process in our

Toastmasters club.

Some of our more successful membership building

initiatives included:

Speechcraft

Every year Golden Gavel holds a Speechcraft program.

This year we gained five members as a result of our

Speechcraft program. Unfortunately, several of them

did not return after the April 1 dues renewal period.

Open House/Invite a Guest Night

To rebuild the membership we held two Open House

events. Our most successful event was our Invite a

Friend/ Guest Night “Skill Building Workshop” which

was held on June 10. The sessions included:

How Toastmasters Can Help You – Doris Henn,

District 42 Governor

Organize Your Speech – Grant Hanna, Division

J Governor

Using Gestures & Vocal Variety to Enhance

Your Speech – Louise Grenier, Club Coach

Effective Evaluations – Oriah Ori, Golden Gavel

President

Using Visual Aids – Nevin Henn, VP

Membership

Photos: District 42 Website

Distinguished Clubs

Division J Golden Gavel Toastmasters

C

Lorraine Wheatley, CC, ALB

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Our whole club worked hard inviting guests,

arranging for refreshments, greeting

guests, setting up the room or being a

presenter. I was very proud of the

combined team effort. We had six

guests. Three of them joined Golden

Gavel, one of them joined To the Point and

the other two are interested in joining a club

closer to where they live. The event was a

huge success, not only because we added

the remaining members we needed to

achieve President’s Distinguished status

for the 2014 - 2015 Toastmasters year, but

because we worked together as a team to

make the event successful.

I believe that striving to achieve

Distinguished Status each year should be

every club’s goal. Overcoming challenges

such as losing many members during a

Toastmasters year should not cause the

club to fall apart. I encourage you to turn

the challenges of lost members into an

opportunity to rebuild and work as a

team to achieve the Club Success Plan set

by the Club Executive at the beginning of

the Toastmasters year.

It is our plan to finish the 2015 - 2016

Toastmasters year as President’s

Distinguished as well. Golden Gavel has

developed a “Culture of Success”.

Doris Henn, DTM

District Governor 2014 - 2015

Page 25

Distinguished Clubs

Division J SAIT Sayers Toastmasters

SOS Toastmasters

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Coaching to Success

It is often challenging to lead a college club to

Distinguished Status by June 30 of the

Toastmasters year. College students are

challenged with demanding schedules, exams, the

stress and pressure of a heavy course load, part

time jobs and a lack of time.

Club Coach Tony Wegscheidler, has worked

with the members of SAIT Sayers for the past

three years. Tony has a desire to see each of the

members succeed by building their speaking and

leadership skills. Club Coaching is a labour of love

for Tony. He faithfully attends each weekly

meeting. The members get far more than

coaching on how to speak with confidence. Tony

cares about each one of them and gives them

career advice, teaches life skills and is a

genuine friend and father figure to each of them.

SAIT Sayers has a unique chemistry. The

members are supportive of each other in the

club and also outside the club. They cheer each

other on to success, have become friends and

look out for each other throughout the school year.

Clubs Helping Clubs

Above: Bottom Line and Sait Sayers Year End Party

Right: Coach Tony Wegscheidler honoring Alex

Dimattia, for his achievements.

Photos: Doris Henn, DTM

On Saturday, June 20, 2015, I had the

pleasure of attending the joint Bottom Line

and SAIT Sayers year end celebration.

Alex Dimattia, ACB delivered an

inspirational speech from an advanced

manual. Alex has developed from a nervous

speaker who spoke faster than a speeding

bullet to someone who now speaks with

purpose and deliberation. He plans to be a

professional speaker and presenter. He

learned to speak by joining SAIT Sayers.

Kendra Wegscheidler also gave her last

speech to earn her Advanced Communicator

Bronze. A couple years ago, I had the

pleasure of hearing Kendra deliver her

tenth speech to earn her Competent

Communicator award on a bus filled with

Calgary Toastmasters enroute to the

Saskatoon Convention.

SAIT Sayers is a safe place to learn, grow

and develop confidence as a speaker and

leader. Thank you to Club Coach Tony for

the dedication he has shown over the past

three years. Congratulations on becoming a

successful Club Coach and leading SAIT

Sayers to Distinguished status for the

2014 - 2015 Toastmasters year.

Doris Henn, DTM

District Governor 2014 - 2015

Page 26

Distinguished Clubs

Division J To The Point Toastmasters

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Promoting the Possible

In September 2014, To The Point Toastmasters

had only three returning members. What

looked like an impossible situation evolved

into a huge success story as the Toastmasters

year unfolded.

Seasoned Toastmasters including Darlene

Davies, Castilia Carabelea, John Bauer, Area

Governor Michelle Jeffrey and District

Governor Doris Henn offered their support by

delivering speeches, presenting educational

talks, helping with meeting roles and inviting

guests. Club Coach Diane Fox and her

husband Glen Brown joined the club in

November and provided the stability that the club

needed to move forward. Club President Nevin

Henn provided consistent leadership throughout

the 2014 - 2015 Toastmasters year. As a result,

To The Point grew from the three returning

members to twenty-two members as of June

11, 2015 and ended the year as a President’s

Distinguished Club.

On June 18, 2015, To The Point held their

annual Award Ceremony. It was a pleasure to

attend and present awards to many of the

members who have benefited from the quality

meetings that take place each week. We

enjoyed three quality speeches, three effective

evaluations, exciting Table Topics and great

refreshments.

To The Point won two of the District

contests this year. For submitting a

picture taken with the Club Banner, To

The Point won one of the monthly District

42 prizes. The club also won a ticket to

the Lethbridge “Top Gavel Convention”

for being a part of the District 42 Club

Buddy program.

To The Point meets in the newly

renovated Calgary Crowfoot Co-op

meeting room every Thursday night from

7 to 8:30 pm. A change of location was

one of the factors that contributed to the

success of this club.

Bringing a club from three returning

members to the point of twenty-two

members is the result of hard work, a

combined team effort, and quality

meetings.

Great job To the Point. You are a great

example for the clubs in District 42.

Doris Henn, DTM

District 42 Governor 2014 - 2015

Page 27

Distinguished Clubs

Division L Twin Rivers Toastmasters

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Emotional Rescue

Seven Ways One of District 42’s Oldest

Clubs Came Back from the Brink

A year ago, I would not believe we would be

here today. In May 2014, I accepted the

position of Area Governor for J53. I am

delighted to learn that it includes two of the

District’s oldest club, Bow Valley

Toastmasters and Twin Rivers 667.

Delight turns to distress when I learn that

several of Twin Rivers’ decades-long

members have recently passed away, leaving

only a handful of members.

Most of those members are new and green

except for Ed Howse, VP Education for

2014-15. Ed’s enthusiasm for Twin Rivers

667 infects the club throughout the year.

A year later Twin Rivers 667 achieves

President’s Distinguished status.

Here’s a brief rundown of the key actions and

factors that helped us achieve this lofty goal.

1. First thing: Club Coach assigned. That

was me. After I became Club Coach, I

became a member. Only eight members

to go! We were at about five members

when I joined and for a long time I was the

only woman in the room!

2. I quickly added some other Toastmasters.

My Assistant Area Governor, Anthony

Sanni needed a new home club. He fit

in perfectly with the other young

engineers.

3. Ed Howse asked for a senior Toastmaster to join. Division J Governor, Grant Hanna stepped up. His contribution to parliamentary procedure, running tight meetings and his expansive knowledge of Toastmasters made him invaluable to the club.

4. Our location was a problem. Our host building had literally crumbled (you may have seen it on the news) and it took us some months to research a new location. Ultimately, one of our club executive members secured space in Suncor Energy Centre. Twin Rivers 667 meets at 6PM on Monday evenings on Floor 17W at Suncor Energy. Guests are always welcome.

5. Since occupying the new location, our membership has grown. The new members are eager and are working busily in their CC and advanced manuals. The club has many new members with strong starter speaking skills. Most are young professionals but we have a good mix of ages, gender, and occupation.

6. Club member, Scott Humphries, (President 2015-16) performed like a pro in both fall and spring contests. He represented Area 53 in Division J Humourous Speech, International Speech and Speech Evaluation contests. He placed in the top three in two of the Division contests, impressive for a beginner Toastmaster from a once-struggling club!

7. Weekly meetings are well-run, with continuous adherence to the Toastmasters principles that make this program work for people all over the world. Members complete manual speeches and are working towards their educational goals.

All the members, new and renewed, have

contributed to the success of Twin Rivers 667. I

am confident they will continue to succeed as a

club and as individual members. It has been a

privilege to be involved and to see the club

achieve success. Now I believe that any club

can be rescued.

Shelley Goldbeck,

Area J53 Governor 2014 - 2015

Page 28

Distinguished Clubs

Division L Verve Toastmasters Club

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Verve’s Success Story

Verve Toastmasters was hanging by a

thread. We were able to sign up only ten

members for the April 1 dues renewal. Our

average attendance at meeting had fallen

below five members. It was time for action.

Our first step was to have a brainstorming

session, asking for as many ideas as

possible. We chose to plaster the

neighborhood around our meeting

location with posters, brochures, and

Toastmaster magazines. We then planned

for an open house, inviting past guests,

other Toastmasters, and those who had

expressed an interest in joining, but who had

not attended any meetings.

Our attendance at the open house was

remarkable – seven members, six other

Toastmasters, and seven guests (six of

whom have signed up as new members).

Our membership at the end of the year was

20 members and we were able to achieved

President’s Distinguished status.

The moral of the story is to never give up.

Use the same determination used to achieve

educational goals to building the club. It

works!!!

Dick Myers, DTM

President 2014 - 2015

Top Gavel Contest Winner

It is said, “What's meant to be will always

find a way.” Literally within seconds of

receiving the email from Marg Faryna,

congratulating the New Entrepreneurs Club

for winning one complimentary

registration to the District 42 Spring

Convention by achieving Distinguished

Club Status before April 10, 2015, I was

asking our VP Ed Noel Bentley to consider

me.

In a few days I was in Lethbridge making

new friends. My plan was institutional and

personal. First, I wanted to witness, for

the first time, the speech contest at

District level, be part of the elections of

the executive team and hear about the new

Educational Path. Invaluable lessons from

speakers to a crowd of Toastmasters!

Secondly, it was also a personal celebration

of my first year anniversary with

Toastmasters, working towards sponsoring

the first Spanish bilingual Club, receiving

my Triple Crown and seeing my mentor

Greg Gazin receive his 4th DTM. All

expectations were met plus one more:

becoming Division M, Area 28 Director.

Fascinating challenges!

Marta Munoz

Spring Evaluation Contest

Photo: Valentina Tkachuk

Page 29

Member Highlights

Division C Division D - Fabulous Facilitators

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An Inspirational Toastmaster

“Over my almost nineteen years as a

Toastmaster, I have listened to more than one

hundred Icebreakers. But until recently, I have

never heard these words, ‘in just five days I

will be 91 years old, and I’m just getting

started’. But those were the words spoken by

Dot Myers in her icebreaker speech last

month. And, yes, she is now 91 years old.

Dot, or as I am so lucky to call her “Mom”, lost

my Dad last year after over 66 years of

marriage. For the past year Mom has been

living in a hospital, and in a seniors’ residence.

Now she is living in a nursing home. During

this time she has been understandably

depressed, and unwilling to socialize with her

fellow residents. Then I realized what Mom

needed was confidence. What better

organization than Toastmasters to help

someone gain self-confidence? So in June, I

enrolled Mom as a member of Verve

Toastmasters in Calgary. She immediately

started preparing her first speech, practicing it

many times.

On August 16 she delivered that Icebreaker

speech, and cannot stop telling everyone

where she lives about the experience. Now

she constantly wears her Toastmasters pin.

She has more bounce in her step, and a

much improved outlook for the future.”

I wrote these words almost five years ago,

never really expecting it to go much further.

But this year, on June 10, 2015, Mom

completed her Competent Communicator

manual, at the amazing age of 95!!

Most of her speeches were about her life

and her family, but her favorite speech was

about oranges, where she had to learn a lot

of facts. When I explained that this was the

last speech in her manual, she asked,

“Does that mean I won’t do any more

speeches?” But her eyes lit up when I told

her about the advanced manuals. She

has chosen her Manuals. It’s only a matter

of time and scheduling before she starts

toward her ACB designation. My Mom is

my inspiration.

Dick Myers, DTM

D-Dedicated and Determined

Flashback…. June 2014. I encouraged

Peter Gachira to join Toastmasters and

he accepted the invitation. I became his

mentor and guided him through his initial

steps towards his Toastmasters journey.

I knew he was a fast learner and it gives

me so much joy to see him excel and

have done exceptionally well. Peter has

completed his CC, CL, ALB and ACB

designations.

Photos: Doris Henn, DTM and Clubs

Page 30

Member Highlights

Division E

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Peter initially served his home Club

Fabulous Facilitators as the Club

Secretary and was elected as the VP-

PR in the second half of the year. Peter

competed in the Fall Contest where he

placed second in the Table Topics

competition at the Area level. At the spring

competition he represented Area 7 at the

Division Level.

Peter assisted the Money Talk$ charter

presentation by presenting a speech. He

was a model speaker for a few club and

Area contests.

He is currently an active member of his

home club Fabulous Facilitators as the

elected VP-PR, Secretary of the soon to

be charter club Health Aware and a

member of the Edmonton Advanced club.

For the upcoming term 2015-2016 Peter

was appointed as the Area Director.

It makes me proud to be the mentor to

Peter who has done exceptionally well. A

toast to this rising *Star*. One of the many

Stars adding to the sparkle and glitter of

Division D Star Power Galaxy.

Well done Peter!

Carisa David, DTM

Division D Governor 2014 - 2015

Promoting Toastmasters Clubs in the Online World

Another busy Toastmasters year has

come to an end. Not only have we seen

many clubs participate in Club, Area and

Division contests, but we have also seen

more people get involved with their club

executives. While we do select a new

club executive each year, I have

personally seen a big desire to learn

more, especially from our VP-PR

executive members.

This year has been my first official

Toastmasters year, but I decided to

make the most of it. Being a geeky tech

person, I was approached to give the

Division E website a complete

makeover. With some guidance from

Richard Jackson, the previous

webmaster and fellow Prairie Schooner

member, I decided to make this my HPL

project and create something very

valuable for Division E Toastmasters.

With a strong team in place, the new

website was created. And with that came

the “Free Toast Host Club Website

Tutorial Series,” which can be

accessed right from the homepage of the

Division E website. We quickly learned

that there was a big need for Free

Toast Host web training, but this kind

of training was not part of our bi-annual

executive training.

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Member Highlights

Free Toast Host Web Training NAYLP

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The “Free Toast Host Club Website Tutorial

Series” has only been live since January, but

it has already helped clubs around the

world. When we released the tutorial, we

experienced four times as many visitors

as we previously had on the Division E

website. In fact, clubs from France, Spain

and the United States were taking full of

advantage of the free web tutorial.

But maybe these international visitors are

finding more than just the tutorial series

useful. Throughout this past Toastmasters

year, I have made several changes to the

website. With articles being submitted from

several Division E Toastmasters and Area

Governors, the new website has really

become a resource center. I have

personally added useful videos from

Toastmasters International as well to help

foster the individual development of brand

new members.

If you have not been to the website

(divisionetm.org) this year, please head over

there and have a look around. If you know a

club who is struggling with their Free

Toast Host website, let them know about

the training. This should be a resource

given to all new VP-PR executive members!

Our aim is to create a strong Division E with

informative and well-done websites that

could influence membership rates.

I want to thank everyone who

contributed, commented, encouraged

and supported me and my fantastic

HPL team throughout this web

makeover. I hope I have left a great

resource for everyone to use to take their

club websites to the next level. I have left

the webmaster position with Sarah

Penner, so you are all in great hands. I

can’t wait to see you all out and about at

Toastmasters event during this upcoming

Toastmasters year. Make this new year

the best you can.

Malene Jorgensen CC, ALB

Advanced Youth Leadership

I am excited to share with you the

results of our Pilot Project for an

"Advanced" Youth Leadership

program. Some of the youth who

registered for the Advanced Session

had completed two or three previous YL

sessions, and they are hungry for

more! Helen Mah was the

Coordinator, and Matthew Mercredi,

one of the assistants. They suggested

we establish some 'stretch' goals for the

youth. I have to say these even made

ME nervous! But the feedback at the

graduation event was great!!

1. Speeches had to be a minimum of

5 minutes, and Table Topics had to

be a minimum of 1 minute -- or they

would have to be redone.

2. Their evaluations were excellent,

and they used the sandwich

technique each time. In addition, I

asked that they focus on helping the

Page 32

Member Highlights

Youth Leadership NAYLP

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speaker discover that special essence

they had that was unique to them, and

help them to see that in themselves

3. When asked the most difficult thing

they had to do, one little gal said it

was to give a speech three times in

order to reach the time. But I can

tell you that she was SO PROUD to

know that she faced and delivered on

that challenge.

4. We are planning to add an Advanced

session to our programming, and as

such, will require our Coordinators to

ensure they are meeting basic criteria

in order to prepare the youth for the

Advanced session. Some of the youth

said that their previous speeches only

had to be one to three minutes in

length!

5. Upon completion of the Advanced

program, it is our intention that the

Youth will feel prepared and

comfortable attending a Toastmaster

meeting when they turn eighteen.

6. Cherry Cheung, our Team Leader,

has been approached by the Ben Calf

Robe School, and on April 8, 2015 we

delivered a model Youth Leadership

session. We have a number of

Toastmasters who are interested in

attending and helping deliver

this. NAYLP has just this term

sponsored materials for THREE

Youth Leadership programs, and

parents (and students) want to know

when we'll run the next one!

Photos: Toastmasters International Website

7. Just barely home from the graduation

event, I got a telephone call from a

mother wanting to register her

daughter in a session. It was hard to tell

her that it may be Fall before another set

of sessions will be scheduled.

Also very exciting is my own growth as a

speaker, and I owe it all to my

participation in the Toastmasters Youth

Leadership program.

I was Test Speaker for the Spiritual

Living TM Club, and I gave a speech,

without notes, and shared my passion and

experience about working with the Youth.

And I only got a little "misty" at times!

Karen Tober

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In Memoriam

Edmonton Calgary

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Lilia Witzke DTM

To Lilia’s Toastmasters family,

The family of Lilia Witzke, DTM, would

like to acknowledge the generous

support from the Toastmasters

community. Your hugs, cards, phone

calls, and watermelon kept our spirits

high through the difficult time. Lilia was

proud to be a Toastmaster and I’m

sure she is already organizing a demo

meeting wherever she is. She has

packed a lot in her 52 years, and all of

you were part of that journey.

With sincere thank you from our family to

yours,

Bernd, Eduard and Justin Witzke

Remembering a Special Toastmaster

Photo: Witzke Family

Jane Zarn, ATM Silver, AL

Jane Zarn was a charter member of Igniters

and her favorite positions were taking on

leadership roles. She was feisty, a straight

shooter, and like the phoenix had a way of

rising again and again over many challenges.

Jane passed away on March 6, 2015. We will

miss you Jane.

Last year, Mona Cooley, Marvin Henry and I

went to visit her in Red Deer when she was not

feeling well. She was very excited about

Igniters 10th Anniversary, a few days later

she sent a mini speech for the event.

Excerpts from Jane’s speech:

“I can recall many a laughter and always

returning home from the Club weekly meetings,

with my SPIRIT IGNITED and a flame burning

brightly until the next weekly Club meeting. The

reason I joined Toastmasters was to better

present myself at interviews as well as

presenting myself better – every time I spoke. I

love to be amongst eager achievers!”

Nandini Venkatesan, DTM

Sharing Friendship

Photo: Mona Cooley, DTM

Page 34

Celebrations

Saskatoon, SK. Big Thinkers Toastmasters

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Big Thinkers 30th Anniversary

On Friday, June 5th 2015, at 7 pm, Big Thinkers

Toastmasters Club #5921 celebrated its 30th

anniversary, in the Canadian room of Saskatoon

Inn, a great venue nicely decorated by Cecilia

Elizabeth for the occasion. The event was co-

chaired by Edna Boissonnault and Soji Oyenuga,

who nailed it with a very rich and pleasant program.

More than forty people attended, including Area

Governors Brian Harrison (Area 19) and Carol

Harrison (Area 47), Toastmasters from other clubs

such as Saskatoon Toastmasters Club 450, CBA

Living Skies Advanced and current and former

members from across Saskatchewan and Alberta.

In his welcome speech, Judicaël Moukoumi the

Club President talked about what makes Big

Thinkers Toastmasters Club unique. It is a club in

which the environment which is always supportive,

respectful, positive and fun, fostered by

seasoned members. It also includes members

from all walks of life including, artists, academics,

professionals, students, retired people and public

servants. The club is a diversified group in terms

of age (from 20s to 90s), and background

(Aboriginals, African Descents, European Descents,

Asian Descents); A wonderful blend of seasoned and

new members working together.

Some members are working on their second or third

DTM while others are completing the first speeches

of their CC manual. All this richness strives on the

solid foundations built by the chartered members,

represented in the room by Ben Waldron and

Linda McMurray, who received a standing

ovation. Bev Roth led the Table Topics

session with questions pertaining to the

benefits of joining Toastmasters and bridging

the past to the present.

One of the features of the evening was the

historical perspective of Big Thinkers

Toastmasters speech by Alice Hanlin. She

exemplified the excellence of speaking while

allowing the audience to learn more about the

context and spirit in which Big Thinkers

Toastmasters Club came into existence thirty

years ago. Charter Members, past and current

members who have contributed the most to

the club’s success received certificates of

appreciation from the president.

One of the most emotional moments of the

evening was when Vi Hawkins, twenty-five

year veteran of Toastmasters, received a

new DTM plaque as the original was lost in a

tragic event a couple of months ago.

Katherine Kawula was there with her great

sense of humour to test the listening skills of

the audience in the Quiz session. Vijay

Kachru and Cecile Coppens added sparks to

the event with their short but touching and

profound speeches.

Two lucky members of the audience won the

two paintings graciously donated by the artist

Vijay Kachru for this occasion.

What best exemplifies the emotion, the beauty

and the magic of this great event is without

doubt this picture of the different generations

of Big Thinkers in joy and happiness around

their 30th anniversary cake, a family of better

and big thinkers.

Judicaël Moukoumi ACB and

Cecile Coppens DTM

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Celebrations

Anniversaries and Charters

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Clockwise from top left: Success!

AON Risk Management Speakers Charter,

Dinosaurs 50th Anniversary, Derrick 25th

Anniversary, Healthy Living Charter, CS

Chatters Charter, SPE Calgary Charter,

Derrick 25th Celebration

Photos: Given by Doris Henn, John Bauer, and

Clubs

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Celebrations

Anniversaries and Charters

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Clockwise from top left: Celebrating Success

H & H Charter, Syncrude Charter, IHS The

Speak Charter, Igniters 10th Anniversary,

Intact Charter, Tundra Talkers Charter.

Photos: Given by Doris Henn, John Bauer, and

Clubs

Page 37

Promoting Speakers’ Corner

At 7:00 am Thursday morning June 25,

2015 Big Thinkers Toastmasters hosted

their annual Canada Day breakfast

meeting at Speaker’s Corner on the

grounds of Saskatoon’s City Hall. This event

is held rain or shine on the last Thursday

before Canada Day. The club invites other

Toastmasters members to attend. People

passing by often stop to see what is

happening during the regular Toastmaster

meeting, complete with Table Topics and

speeches, unfolds in the great outdoors.This

year the sun shone, the wind stayed still

and speakers stood behind the stone

lectern surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Alice Hanlin, the main instigator of seeing a

speaker’s corner on this site attended the

2015 event.

Looking back at Prairie Horizons issue 26-2

we see the history of Speaker’s Corner in

Saskatoon.

Speaker’s Corner - History

It was 7:00 a.m. on July 12th, 1990.

Approximately 100 people gathered at

“Speaker’s Corner” Saskatoon City Hall.

They were there for the unveiling of a plaque

in dedication of “Speaker’s Corner.” The

Toastmasters of Saskatoon initiated this

idea and worked with City Council to

make it a reality.

Councilor Morris Cherneskey accepted the

plaque on behalf of Saskatoon,

acknowledging that July 8th to 14th had

officially been declared Communication

Week within the City of Saskatoon. A mini-

Toastmaster meeting was held, which

introduced many guests and passersby to

Toastmasters.

Looking Back

Prairie Horizon Archive District 42 Prairie Horizons Archives

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Special thanks to Saskatoon’s two breakfast

clubs, Early Risers and Big Thinkers, for

sponsoring the event and continental

breakfast. It was a successful venture for

Toastmasters in Saskatoon, and only the first

of many future meetings at District 42’s first

“Speakers Corner”.

Alice Hanlin ATM

A Look Back to Spring 1985

As I read through the archives of Prairie

Horizons found on the District 42 website, I

chose this one about a record year for the

district. Thirty years later we are looking

back at a year of change, a year of

celebration, a year of records hopefully set

again. This year as our district’s growth led us

to reforming into two districts. The

reformation committee was headed by Ken

Tanner DTM, PID. In Division E we

celebrated the thirtieth anniversaries of three

clubs chartered in the 1984-85 year. That

year Meewasin Valley received the 100th

charter for our District. This year it has been

renamed Nipawin Nooners. Engineers 5820

is now named Innovative Toastmasters and

still continues to meet and Big Thinkers

remain Big Thinkers, proud of their history.

Look at the clubs in the other four divisions

and see if you know any trivia about them.

This article, “A Record Year For D-42”

appeared in Prairie Horizons issue 21-1.

Congratulations to everyone in the District! As

1984-85 District Governor, I had the thrill to

accept many awards on behalf of the District

at the International Convention in Columbus,

Ohio. As a District, we earned more

awards than any other District in the

world.

Page 38

Looking Back

Prairie Horizon Archive District 42 Prairie Horizons Archives

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Three awards were earned for the first time in

our District’s history.

President’s Distinguished District: this

is the highest District award available

indicating performance among the top six

Districts in the world. We placed fourth

overall in the world.

President’s Extension Award: We were

recognized as one of the top three

Districts in the world with the highest

activity in new club growth and club

retention.

President’s 20+ Award: District 42 was

one of the top three Districts in the

world with the highest percentage of

clubs with membership at or above 20.

The fourth major award earned is for this

publication. The efforts of Bob Barker,

Editor of the Prairie Horizons were well

recognized. Prairie Horizons was selected as

one of the Top Ten District Bulletins for

1984 - 1985. A significant accomplishment.

Congratulations to Bob!

How’s this for performance during

1984 - 1985?

During the year, District 42 registered six

DTMs

Thirty-three AT’s were awarded, four of

which were Bronze. Kingsway 3484 led

with four. Friendly City 2479 and Tuesday

Nooners 3868 each had two.

CTM’s were earned by 378

Toastmasters. The clubs registering the

greatest number were Southern Lights

3684, Speakers Corner 4310 and Bow

Valley 1494 with eleven each. Kingsway

3484 had nine.

Fifty-four Speechcraft programs were

registered. Leading was Dawn Breakers

5143 with nine and Waterways 3881 with

seven.

Youth Leadership programs were

conducted at a record pace. Of the twenty-

two conducted, Kingsway 3484 led with six,

Golden Gavel 438 and Forum 2344 had

two each.

Seventy-seven Success/ Leadership

programs were registered. Chinook 1448

took the lead with twelve programs followed

by Southern Lights 3684 with ten.

For having a membership at or above forty,

there were fourteen clubs achieving the

prestigious “President’s 40 Club”.

Congratulations to these clubs for sharing the

“Opportunities for growth.” Golden Gavel,

Northern Lights, Communicator, 3500 Foot,

Bow Valley, Rooster Rousers, Bowmen,

Foothills, Southern Lights, Fun Speakers,

Westwinds, Kingsway Dawn Breakers and

Waterways.

There were nineteen clubs receiving their

charter during the past year. This is one of the

major reasons why District 42 received so

many awards.

We welcomed the following clubs:

Division A: Fun Speakers, Rocky Mountain

Hot Air, Century Circle, Word Runners

Division B: Queen’s Court, Freedom

Speakers, Park Place

Division C; Big Rockers, Calgary

Centennial, Advanced Speakers, Sundial

Division D: Lloydminster Upgraders, First

Expressions, Speak Easy, Toastbusters,

Heritage

Division E: Meewasin Valley, Engineers,

Big Thinkers.

Ken Tanner, DTM

District 42 Governor 1984 - 1985

Page 39

Save the Date – November 20 - 22, 2015

District 42 Humorous and Table Topics

Contests a variety of educational sessions to

explore possibilities of improving communication

and leadership skills within Toastmasters and

beyond – exciting keynote speaker – networking

opportunities with fellow Toastmasters from across

our great district – all this packed into one weekend

of . . .

Exploring the World Of Possibilities

We invite you to come and Explore the World of

Possibilities with us at the District 42 Fall

Conference in Saskatoon, SK. The conference will

be held at the beautiful Saskatoon Inn with easy

access to the airport and main roads into our city.

Watch for more updates on the d42tm.org

website.

Fall Conference Preview

Saskatoon, SK. District Fall Conference

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First Convention!

I read the program before getting to the

spring convention in Lethbridge, AB, I was

still was not sure what it was all about, so I

would like to share with you the highlights

that left an impression on me.

The level of the speech contest was a

great experience to see a group of very

skilled people with powerful messages

and refined speaking abilities. During the

contest I was trying to predict the winners

and it was very difficult due to the high

quality of delivery.

The banquet was the time to dress up and

attend a glamorous night. The structure of

the program to receive the authorities in the

banquet’s room was something that I did not

expect. Each one of them was announced

before entering the room, walking to a

designated table for them to sit, and then all

of the sudden the piper - what a surprise!

He walked through the floor playing his

instrument which sounded melodious and

quite solemn.

The piper preceded the entrance of the

District Governor and head table guests.

It was a treat for the ear and the eye. In

general the banquet was not only about the

ceremonious moment, it was about giving

the recognition to the hard work of all the

volunteers serving the clubs, particularly

governors, past governors and club

authorities, those who donated their time

and effort for the well-being of the club; in

many cases for very long years.

This was a weekend to learn, to enjoy the

camaraderie with the Toastmasters I met,

and a time to expand my Toastmasters

horizons. Thank you TM, I did enjoy it!

Israel Ginez

Page 40

It has been my pleasure and a great

privilege to have been District 42’s

Prairie Horizon editor for two years. As I

am thankful to previous editors for

helping to preserve the history of our

district I want to wish the future

editors much success. Thanks for

allowing me to help preserve the

memories and accomplishments of the

amazing Toastmasters in District 42.

Carol Harrison DTM

Hope you enjoyed this edition of Prairie

Horizons and keep promoting your members

to honour and recognize their achievements.

Special thanks for all the teamwork. The

talent in District 42 is inspiring!

Nandini, and Marvin

Left to Right: Prairie Horizon Team

Carol Harrison, Nandini Venkatesan, Marvin Henry,

Malene Jorgensen, Greg Gazin, Darlene Davies,

Geetha Nicodemus and John Bauer

Photos: Valentina Tkachuk and PH Team

Editor – Thank You

Prairie Horizons Team d42tm.org

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Promoting Members and Teamwork

This will be my last issue as District 42

Prairie Horizons editor. I have enjoyed

reading submissions from members, clubs

and district leadership over these last two

years. Scouring the archives to find articles

for the Look Back portion of this newsletter

has been informative, given a few chuckles

at the hairstyles of years past – or in some

cases the hair some people still had. It has

given me a glimpse into some reoccurring

challenges along with interesting ideas that

others have tried. If you have a few minutes

browse these archives. You never know

what might spark an idea for you or your

club.

I hope these issues have helped you realize

you are part of a family of Toastmasters

spanning the vast geographic region of

Alberta and Saskatchewan yet united in

striving to reach their personal goals of

improved communication and leadership

skills. I hope it has encouraged you,

promoted Toastmasters and celebrated the

accomplishments of so many.

Putting out these issues of Prairie Horizons

takes an entire team. I have been so

fortunate to work with an amazing group of

talented people. Nandini Venkatesan and

Marvin Henry have worked their magic to

take the articles and photos and come up

with this beautiful publication. Thanks seems

so small for the hours of work they have put

into this.

There has been support for the District

PROs that I have worked with, Geetha

Nicodemus and John Bauer. I can’t forget

all who helped with editing and proofreading

to make this the best it can be. Thanks

Malene Jorgensen, Greg Gazin and

Darlene Davies. Many eyes spot little

inconsistencies which we can fix to polish

each piece to the best of our abilities.

Page 41

Sharing the Toastmasters Advantage

Has Toastmasters helped you with your

communication and leadership skills? Do you

know friends, family, and colleagues who

might benefit from visiting a Toastmasters

Club?

Why Should I Join?

The Toastmasters program offers many

benefits that help people in all walks of

life. As a result of participating in

Toastmasters, you will:

Increase your self-confidence

Become a better speaker

Become a better leader

Communicate more effectively

About Toastmasters

New Members & Guests Toastmasters International

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How Does It Work?

A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-

doing workshop in which participants hone

their speaking and leadership skills in a no-

pressure atmosphere.

There is no instructor in a Toastmasters

meeting. Instead, members evaluate one

another’s presentations. This feedback

process is a key part of the program’s

success.

Meeting participants also give impromptu

talks on assigned topics, conduct meetings

and develop skills related to timekeeping,

grammar and parliamentary procedure.

Members learn communication skills by

working in the Competent Communication

manual, a series of ten self-paced speaking

assignments designed to instill a basic

foundation in public speaking.

About District 42

District 42 comprises more than 250

corporate clubs in most of the cities and

towns of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

To learn more about District 42 please

visit:

www.d42tm.org.

Welcome to Toastmasters International

Looking to develop speaking and leadership

skills? Ace a job interview? Ignite your

career?

Toastmasters International is a world leader in

communication and leadership development.

Our membership is 332,000 strong. These

members improve their speaking and leadership

skills by attending one of the 15,400 clubs in

135 countries that make up our global network

of meeting locations.

Membership in Toastmasters is one of the

greatest investments you can make in yourself.

It is also one of the most cost-effective skill-

building tools available anywhere.

www.toastmasters.org