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The Sunshiner
www.toastmastersd47.org Fall 2010
Inside this IssueRick Furbush, District Governor Update 2
Pamela Rolle, LGET Update
Matt Kinsey, LGM Update
Corporate Groups
District Conference Details
International Conference Pictures
Joseph Miller, A True Toastmaster
Wence Martin, Man on the Move
Cathy Koyanagi, It’s a Blind Thing
Mack Payne, How He Earned His DTM
Mike Hamlin, We’re All Losers!
David Moore, Couple’s Corner
Gold Coast 50th Anniversary Party
Rick Furbush’s Bahamas Visit
Publicity Contest
Bonus Page
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Update from Rick Furbush, District Governor
State of the District
Our District 47 and the Toastmasters in it are doing better than ever!Two years ago we finished #5 in the world out of 82 Districts. Lastyear, we were the #2 District in the world second only to the countryof India, with their billions of people. That ranking can sometimesbe deceiving because it puts a priority on starting new clubs and notas much on the members’ educational accomplishments.
If Toastmasters are winning, they will be finishing their educationalmanuals, they will be staying in their clubs and they will be startingnew clubs. Despite being the 8th largest District in the world, lastyear we were #1 in CC completions, #1 in AC completions and #1 inLeadership award completions.
So how are we doing this year? First, we have started 7 clubs so farthis year! In the 82 Districts in the world, we are, right now, #1 in CCcompletions (128), #1 in AC completions (64) and #1 in Leadershipawards (164).
This is an INCREDIBLE accomplishment! Our goal this year is to be #1 and we are well on the way!
So why is that important to you? BECAUSE…these metrics actually measure the QUALITY of ourToastmaster program.
We also put together one of the largest District conferences with a World Champion at each. This fallwe expect an all time record of over 400 attendees. You don’t want to miss this conference because,as my football coach used to tell us, “If you want to be the best…you need to be around the best.”
We have a dedicated team of Governors and District Officers working around the clock to make surethat you get the best that Toastmasters has to offer. We also have many dedicated Toastmastersthroughout our District leading us to greater heights.
If we are going to be the best of the best, it will have to be a TOTAL team effort. We need yourhelp! Do everything you can to make your fellow Toastmasters’ experience unforgettable.
Rick Furbush, DTMDistrict Governor
Cornel Quarterback Rick Furbush
leads the District Team to becom-
ing the # 1 District in the World
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Dear Toastmasters and Friends;
In a few weeks, we will come together again as a District to attend our 2010 Fall Conference in Mi-
ami Florida. We are gearing up for a ‘hot’ ‘hot’ ‘Muy Caliente’ weekend at the Miami Hilton Down-
town.
Our speech contestants are preparing for two very exciting contests. Come and give them your full
support! Workshop presenters will share a wealth of information during the educational sessions
and our Immediate Past District Governor is eager to attend her Roast. It will be a special luncheon
she will never forget. At the Roast, we will continue the longstanding and fun tradition of putting
our Immediate Past District Governor in the hot seat. Roasters are ready to ‘Chop’ it up with the
luncheon guest of honor, Kristina Kihlberg, DTM. The Roast will be followed immediately by the Hall
of Fame where we will celebrate the achievements of the 2009-2010 District leaders and recognize
them for their outstanding accomplishments that made District 47 # 2 in the world! Come and
celebrate with us.
Our keynote speaker and special guest for the weekend is Craig Valentine, the 1999 World Cham-
pion of Public Speaking. He is extremely excited to present in three separate sessions; Friday eve-
ning at the opening ceremony, Saturday afternoon in a general session and on Sunday morning in a
live coaching session. Please plan to attend all three sessions.
We are also pleased to have our International Director Dave Hollingshead, DTM attend our Fall Con-
ference on his first official visit to District 47. Dave Hollingshead is no stranger to District 47 and we
are honored to have him in our midst to celebrate with us. If you have not had the opportunity to
do so, I encourage you to take advantage of purchasing an ad in our keepsake conference book us-
ing the link:
http://toastmastersd47.org/district-47/conferences/advertise-in-the-conference-program
By purchasing an ad, you can advertise your business, organization, or send good wishes to some-
one special. The keepsake program will be distributed to each attendee of the
Toastmasters 2010 District 47 Fall Conference.
Our Division Governors and their teams are still working behind the scenes to
make this conference a special event for all our members and guests. Spe-
cial thanks to our Fall Conference Chair, Jeanine Kinsey, DTM, who worked
diligently during the past few months to plan, implement and execute this
weekend of learning and fun. Thank you all for your support and commit-
ment to making this Conference a grand affair.
Special thanks to you the members of District 47 for making our
Conference a success. We look forward to seeing you and sharing
with you during this very special occasion.
Update from Pamela Rolle, Lt. Governor Education & Training
Pamela D. Rolle, DTM
Lt. Governor Education & Training
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Update from Matt Kinsey, Lt. Governor Marketing
Hello Fellow Toastmasters,
We’ve got lofty goals for new clubs this year. Most of the new clubs
that we are currently working on in District 47 are Corporate Clubs.
These are clubs that are sponsored by a company. Organizations in-
cluding Office Depot, Carnival Cruise Lines, HSBC, and BankAtlantic all
utilize the Toastmasters’ program to enhance opportunities for their
employees. Are you a member of a Corporate Toastmaster’s club?
One of our past Area Governors, Lou Polur, has a real passion for grow-
ing and helping corporate clubs survive and thrive. He is offering a
valuable resource for your club to achieve at the highest levels. I en-
courage you to join his LinkedIn group.
By Lou Polur
Careers are made by saying the right thing, the right way, at the right time, to the right per-
son. Project manager. Salesperson. Customer service rep. Contact center supervisor. Ac-
countant. Trainer. Manager. Executive. Every job title carries with it responsibility to get
others to act. Isn't that "Speaking With A Purpose"?
Corporate Clubs are where purpose meets paycheck! A new LinkedIn group, "Toastmasters
Corporate Clubs" has been created for you who want to take charge of your career. Go to
www.linkedin.com. After you sign-up, request to become a member of the group
“Toastmasters Corporate Clubs”, but don’t forget to LinkIn with me, also.
Strategically the group will focus on helping you achieve workplace and career goals by ap-
plying various Toastmasters programs. Members will work together to flesh out your imple-
mentation plans and alternatives in the discussions.
Over 30% of the members of the Ceridian St. Petersburg club use Toastmasters for profes-
sional development on their HR-Evolution Performance Management Process PMP. To help
our managers watch and support our progress, our club website uses Microsoft’s Sharepoint
to share agendas, meeting minutes, attendance lists, and other information to show company
benefits from participating in the club. Member Carmen Weaver’s manager encouraged her
to join the club specifically to help Carmen move into a leadership role. “Applying the sugges-
Matt Kinsey, DTM
Lt. Governor [email protected]
Corporate Groups—Where Purpose Meets Paycheck
Page 5
Where Purpose Meets Paycheck (continued)
tions from the manuals and [member] evaluations has empowered me to be a stronger
speaker.” This greater confidence was rewarded with a team lead position on the Dependent
Verification of Eligibility Services team.
LinkedIn’s “Toastmasters Corporate Clubs” group will facilitate sharing specific experiences
from our clubs so you can fast-track your careers. Is Speechcraft the best way to get to know
managers? Which Success/Leadership or Success/Communication program should be used for
HR, management training or marketing the company?
As our member Galen Garrison told me, "The Success/Leadership “Lunch and Learns” pre-
sented by Toastmasters were of career value to me. I joined Toastmasters because of them. I
probably would never have visited just an ordinary meeting." In
less than 3 months, Galen, a Technical Project Manager, attained
his Competent Communicator designation and also became Treas-
urer of the club.
We all have a story about how Toastmasters has changed our
lives . How do you use Toastmasters to climb the corpo-
rate ladder?
Tell me and the others by becoming a member of the LinkedIn
"Toastmasters Corporate Clubs" group. Or, email me at loupo-
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Meet the Conference Keynote Speaker Craig Valentine
Craig Valentine, MBA, an award-winning speaker and trainer, has traveledthe world helping people get remarkable results through effective leadership,communication, and change. He is also a motivational speaker and has spokenin the United States, Taiwan, Canada, Jamaica, Qatar (Doha), England, Baha-mas, Hong Kong, China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Australia giving as many as160 presentations per year. He is the 1999 World Champion of PublicSpeaking for Toastmasters International, winning out of more than 25,000contestants in 14 countries.
He has used World Class Speaking strategies to:
win Salesperson of the Year (3 times) for Glencoe/McGraw-Hill’s Mid-Atlantic Division
become an award-winning management trainer for one of the most prestigious and largestseminar companies in the United States
produce years of 233%, 157%, and 152% of goal for McGraw-Hill
sell more than $8 million in educational resources in a single year
win Events Manager of the Year for the National Small Business Council
win a Congressional Achievement Award from the United States Congress for excellence incommunications
earn the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johns Hopkins University
receive hundreds of speaking awards from Toronto to Taipei
help the United Way of Central Maryland reach its $45 million fundraising goal in the year2000 by training their Loaned Executives to speak
Craig is the President of The Communication Factory, LLC, which is an award-winning companythat produces excellent communicators worldwide. A partial list of Craig’s clients include:
AuthorCraig Valentine is the author of the groundbreaking book, The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking,Co-Author of the book, World Class Speaking, and contributing author for the books Guerrilla Mar-keting on the Front Lines and Success Secrets of the Social Media Marketing Superstars. He has anMBA from Johns Hopkins University and he is certified as a Co-Active Coach and a Guerrilla Mar-keting Coach. Craig is also the Co-Founder of the World Champion’s Edge program, which helpsup-and-coming speakers turn their presentations into profits.
MIT Johns Hopkins University
McDonalds Corporation Circuit City
NASA CareFirst Blue Cross/ Blue Shield
Social Security Administration HSBC (Hong Kong)
Principal Financial Group Washington DC Veteran’s Administration
United Way Washington DC Housing Authority
DuPont Pharmaceuticals And many more
Room - TBA Room - TBA Room - TBA Room - TBA
Achieving Greatness Through Mentoring
4 Generations of Toastmasters Here &
NowGet Organized!
Growing Beyond Your Club
Karen Novek, DTM Elizabeth Rodgers Kathy Furbush, DTM Vince Treague, DTM
Grow Club membership with effective Mentoring
Maximize member retention by understanding
generational differences
Use efficient methods to coordinate your schedule for
maximum productivity
Find out what opportunities await outside the four walls
of your Club
Resolving Conflict The "IT" FactorHumor - The Art of
SurvivalThe ABC's of the YLP
Evelyn Benson Myrna Brooks, DTM Shawn Purvis Anthony Longley, DTM
Steps to maintaining harmony in business and personal
relationships
Market your Club using social media networks
Make them laugh with humorous writing techniques
Youth Leadership - Prepare today's youth for tomorrow's
opportunities
Become a Sandwich Master
Conquer the ARC A Magical Means for
MembersHelp! I Need a Speech Topic
Bob Turel David Johnson Kelly Siegel, DTM Linda Deshauteurs, DTM
Learn effective methods of speech evaluations
Discover keys to becoming an effective communicator
Speechcraft - A great tool to boost and recruit membership
Capture the attention of your audience with the most colorful speech topics
District 47 Fall Conference 2010 - Workshop Sessions
Saturday November 6, 2010
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Important message!Important message!Important message!
Your Voice Counts!Twice a year, during the District Conferences, there is an important business meeting taking
place – the Council Business Meeting.
All Clubs should be represented. The President and VP Education have voting responsibilities at
these meetings. If they are not able to attend, they should sign a Proxy for another member of
the Club to vote on the Club’s behalf. The Proxy is also available on the D47 website.
At the upcoming Council Business Meeting, held on November 6th at the Miami
Downtown Hilton, we will vote on an important issue.
As a District, we have grown in tremendous speed during the last few years; at the moment,
we are already the 7th largest District in the world (out of 81). The recommended size for any
District is 100-150 Clubs. At the moment, we have 257 Clubs. With the anticipating growth
during the next two years, it’s expected that D47 will reach over 300 Clubs.
Our planning and action starts NOW for an official split by July 1, 2012.
We want to continue to be a highly successful District. After the last split a few years ago, we
have been President’s Distinguished District both years and we are on our way again this year.
A smaller District, both geographically and in member size, only benefits the members. That is
our main goal – to continue to serve our members so that we all can thrive and become even
better communicators and leaders.For more information about the pend-ing reformation, please visit the District47 website – www.toastmastersd47.organd listen to the infomercial.
The Reformation Committee has pro-posed an East/West split. This wouldmake the most sense as we have a natu-ral divide by the large lake and the vastEverglades where no Clubs will ever form.
This suggested split has been voted on bythe District Executive Council and ap-proved. Now it’s time for the Clubs tohave a say as well. Please attend theCouncil meeting on Nov 6 and vote!
For more information, please feel free tocontact the Reformation Committee ChairKristina Kihlberg [email protected]
District 47(not showing Bahamas)
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International ConventionInternational ConventionInternational Convention
August 2010, Palm Desert, CAAugust 2010, Palm Desert, CAAugust 2010, Palm Desert, CA
Rick Furbush, Kristina Kihlberg and Pamela Rolle Kristina Kihlberg receives award from
International President Gary Schmidt
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The Celebration Continues!The Celebration Continues!The Celebration Continues!
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TOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIES
How do I begin…sigh
Joseph Miller is a class act!
He always dresses elegantly and speaks eloquently!
He is in a class by himself. A true Toastmaster!
He likes to tell the story of when he retired and tried to keep it a secret from me. But theword got out and he knew I would be calling.
I asked him to help me boom Toastmasters. We needed to start new clubs in our District.And did he ever!
He was intimately involved in starting our 33 clubs in 2008-09. Last year 2009-10, we as adistrict started 37 more clubs.
I’ve never met a more dynamic, full of life, spiritthan the man we know as Distinguished Toast-master, Joseph Miller. He likes to refer to us assidekicks, but it has become much more than that.He is a true friend to not only Toastmasters but toKathy and me.
This year, 2010-11, he is the District Parliamentar-ian and New Club Chair. He is so good, he helpedus start 3 clubs in one day, in one company (anew record I think).
Since getting the news three weeks ago of Jo-seph’s pancreatic cancer, we talked, he said hewanted to leave the way he lived his life, withclass and dignity. He didn’t want to put his atten-tion on the illness but wanted to continue to workwith me to make our district dream come true. Sowe work together daily on booming our district.
To put it in perspective, the last two years with Joseph’s help, out of 81 Districts in the world(116 countries), we were #4 and #2 respectively. Our dream this year is to be the #1 Dis-trict in the world and whether we make our goal or not, he will always be #1 in our hearts.
Rick Furbush, DTM
District 47 Governor
Joseph Miller, DTM
Always Supporting Toastmasters!
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TOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIES
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TOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESLosing sight in one eye, Cathy Koyanagi had this
crazy idea ... an Eye Ball Bash
By Leslie Gray Streeter - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
For the complete story go to thttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/health/losing-sight-in-one-eye-cathy-koyanagi-had-881742.html
It was on a long, depressing Tri-Rail ride home from yet another procedure to save her dwindlingeyesight that Cathy Koyanagi gave up all hope of ever seeing again. And things have been betterever since. "A little sight, or 'maybe,' doesn't cut it. On the train I said 'I can't exist like that.' So Isaid goodbye to my eye," says Koyanagi, 54, who completely lost sight in her left eye and main-tains only partial sight in her right after radiation treatments for a cancerous tumor.
But how she said goodbye, well that's another story. The West Palm Beach professional speakerand parenting skills educator decided to mourn her eye - and her loss of sight - with a kick-buttparty. She held a "wake" for her eyeball. Yes, you read that right.
The gathering combined standard instruments of mourning (sympathy cards). But it also had adress code for guests, requesting they wear patches over their left eyes. Even the dog. The songlist? Strictly tunes with the word 'eye' in the title like Eye of the Tiger and Don't It Make My BrownEyes Blue. The desserts: cupcakes with googly, gummy eyes on them. A blind musician playedthe piano.
There were toasts. One of the blind guests said, "I'll be seeing you, Left Eye ... Wait, I can't see,either!" There was laughter and tears. And Koyanagi's friends - both sighted and blind - had achance to marvel at her strength.
In the year since she began losing her sight, Koyanagi, a Hawaii native, has reclaimed her life andher strength. A dedicated member of Toastmasters, she started the Toastmaster Gavel Clubfor the Blind and Visually Impaired at Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches.Cathy is also a member of Gold Coast Toastmasters in Palm Beach Gardens.
The wake was a formal way of explaining her decision to move on with her life, and the Toast-masters chapter is a way of continuing to embrace it. "Toastmasters is a whole other arena, oflearning self-confidence," she says. "I want others to do it."
And her family is on board as well. Her husband, David Clarke, is currentlyworking on an auditory timing signal for blind speakers who can't see the tra-ditional lights used in Toastmasters, and daughter Whitney, 24, (and a mem-ber of Hobe Sound Toasters Toastmasters) is training to be her mother'ssighted guide.
There are things that Koyanagi misses, like reading while lying in bed, readingthe expression on people's faces when she's said something witty, or driving."They won't let me. It's a blind thing," she jokes.
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TOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESWhat it Takes to Earn the Distinguished Toastmasters Award
By Christy Swift, Highlands Today Newspaper—published August 23, 2010
While public speaking remains the number one fear, trumping even death in polls, Mack Payne, experi-enced Toastmaster, says anyone can beat it. As Payne put it jokingly, "The guy speaking at the funeral ishaving a harder time than the guy in the box."
"I was like a lot of people. If I ever had to speak in public, I would almost go into convulsions," Payne ad-mitted. Just last month Payne was awarded the Distinguished Toastmasters Award (DTM) by Toastmas-ters International. The DTM is the highest recognition a member can receive, and less than 1 percent ofall members achieve it. In order to earn the award, Payne had to give 40 speeches and execute on anumber of leadership projects. One of his favorite speeches that helped him achieve the award was aspeech on liberty given to the Toastmasters club in Wauchula, a club he also helped found.
He attended his first Toastmasters club meeting with a friend while living in Naples in the '80s. Payne thenstarted his own bottled water business, moved to Lake Placid in 2004, and sold the business in 2006. Af-ter selling his business, Payne decided to get involved with Toastmasters again, and was dismayed to findthat there was no club in the area.
While he was giving the Tampa office a hard time on the phone about it, the woman on the other end re-sponded with, "Why don't you start one?" "My initial reaction was, are you crazy? But then I thought,that's what I do. I'm an entrepreneur," Payne said. Working with other interested locals, Payne startedthe Sebring Toastmasters Club in 2008. But Payne felt there wasn't enough support from the higher levelsof the hierarchy, and the Sebring club felt isolated from the nearest supporting areas in Orlando and onthe east and west coasts. "We were sort of like orphaned children. It was hard to get anyone from thedivision to come and see us. If we had our own area, we could have all the activities we were missing outon," Payne figured.
Payne then decided to start his own area, which needed to consist of four clubs. So, he launched both theHardee County Toastmasters club in Wauchula and the Lake Placid club six months later. These were fol-lowed by the Desoto club in Arcadia.
Payne was later asked to serve as a division governor, and that's when he decided to try for the DTMaward. "I was determined to do it, so I went for it. It's an amazing thing!" Payne, a U.S. Army veteranwho has won awards and honors for his service in Vietnam said he was more proud of the DTM distinctionthan any of the military awards he has achieved.
"I just appreciate this so much not only because of what it took to get it, but the good this organization isdoing," said Payne. "I call it Toastmasters magic," said Payne. "I get excited because I've seen too manypeople get better. I know that if people can speak better,they can be more successful, and we all gain."
"I'm still not one of these spell-binding speakers, but it's al-most like who cares, I enjoy it. If you get the right subject,it's fun," smiled Payne. "If I could do it, anybody can do it.Good speaking is a quality that everybody needs. If you cancommunicate better you're going to do a better job of what
you're trying to do," said Payne.
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TOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESTOASTMASTERS’ STORIESWHAT A BUNCH OF LOSERS!
by Michael Hamlin, CC, CL VPE Suncoast Toastmasters
Last January I attended the Division C Toastmaster Leadership Training Institute at theUniversity of Tampa. Lance Miller, the 2005 World Champion of Public Speaking wasthe keynote speaker.
Lance Miller began his presentation by asking who in the audience had ever competed in a Toastmaster contest.About half the room raised their hands.
“How many of you have won a contest”? Only a few hands remained in the air.
“How many of you have lost in a speaking competition”? All hands were raised again.
“What a bunch of losers”! He chided.
Lance Miller explained that one never loses when one competes. Competition is the fundamental building blockof speaking success. I had been presenting speeches in my Suncoast Toastmaster Club for a year and thought Iwas getting pretty good at it. But I had never entered a contest, so I really did not understand what he wastalking about. That all changed this summer when I entered the Humorous Speech Contest, coming in second atthe Club level and first at the Area level. I now have a much broader comprehension of Miller’s message.
At the Club level, I had been writing scripts, practicing them 10 to 15 times, giving the speech, and moving onto the next project. Contest participation forced me to roll up my shirtsleeves and dedicate myself in a way notpreviously required. I learned three important lessons about speech craft during this process that I will nowshare.
1 First lesson, listen! After preparing my script I sent it out to a half dozen friends to review. While most of the
feedback was not constructive, it was wonderful for my self-confidence. I attended a workshop organized byKathy Furbush, DTM from Pros Like Us, to polish scripts, led by our local Humorous Speech guru, Shawn Purvis.Later, I invited Shawn out for dinner in exchange for reviewing and editing my script. There are a plethora ofexpert and advanced Toastmasters around who are willing to help colleagues along. You just have to figure outhow to access this gold mine.
2 Second lesson, practice! Practice in front of your bathroom mirror, practice until your pets look at you with
malice in their eyes, and practice in various locations. I personally favor parking garages. Most importantly, es-pecially for comedy, practice in front of people. The sense of timing, of what is and is not funny, and the confi-dence needed to do the job are best learned from friends. I have never heard a “no” when I’ve asked friends,“Do you want to hear a speech?” I’ve practiced in Respiratory Therapy Departments and I’ve abused friendswho unwittingly accepted dinner invitations to my house. In fact, a revised ending to my Humorous SpeechContest presentation, which added tremendously to the humor and overall effectiveness, came by way of sug-gestions from the chefs at Apron’s Cooking School when I practiced for them.
3 Third lesson, stick with it! Although you may become bored and wonder if there is anything at all funny about
the speech, it is essential to keep pushing on. And continue to take it to new audiences. My poet friend con-vinced me to try it out at an open mike in Ybor City, where I received a wonderfully gratifying response fromthe audience. The open mike venue made all the work on Lessons 1 and 2 more than worth it.
While all this preparation was just for one contest, the lessons I learned about speech writing and delivery aswell as about myself were extremely valuable. If you have never entered a contest before, perhaps it is time foryou to jump on board the next train. The International Speech Contest is right around the corner. Competitivespeaking is a lot of work, but the payoff is well worth it.
Well, there were many losers in the Lance Miller audience that Saturday morning. Every person in that roomwho did not raise a hand, and I was one of them, had lost out on something. Luckily for me, I found it!
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COUPLE’S CORNERCOUPLE’S CORNERCOUPLE’S CORNERBALLROOM DANCING is
TOASTMASTERS FOR YOUR FEET
By David Moore, ACG, ALB
My wife, Karen and I were strolling past a row of store front windows, looking for information aboutwhere our favorite antique and gift shop had moved, and what might have moved in. We looked in thewindow and were amazed to see couples dancing where we had just shopped for cards and gifts onlya few weeks earlier. There was a beautiful wood dance floor where once was a store broken up into adozen small display areas. The walls that were once covered in dried flower wreaths and tacky stretchprints were now mirrors; floor to ceiling!
We went inside, much to my apprehension. In one corner a group lesson was taking place, lead by agorgeous, young, Latin girl. Things were looking up; maybe I was born to dance! In the center of thefloor there was a private lesson (a pro and a student). They looked as good as any dancers you wouldsee on Dancing With the Stars; unbelievable! We watched intently; I was watching the group lesson(instructor) Karen was watching the professional. I knew I was in trouble when Karen leaned over andwhispered in my ear “I want to do that”. That was just the beginning.
Group lessons are the place to start, so we signed up. I was excited about this because I had alreadyseen the class and knew what (who) to expect. You can only imagine my shock when we arrived forour first beginner’s lesson; there was no cute, young, Latin girl: our instructor was a tall, dark, slender,Russian man. Wow did this ever backfire. I asked, “Where’s the girl? “ My new friend answered in athick Russian accent, “she teaches only the advanced students, get in line!”
We learned a lot from our Russian professional in our group lessons; enough to go out and look likewe could dance; go around the dance floor without hurting ourselves or anyone else; I was done: notKaren. Remember, “I want to do that”? Well she still wanted more, I didn’t. You have Toastmasters, Iwant to dance.
This is when I realized; the Toastmasters educational path and the competitivedancing path are similar. Dancers start out as beginners; trying to achieve theirfirst designation, which happens to be Bronze; just like Toastmasters. A Bronzedancer can dance certain steps, has gained enough experience to do some smalltricks and spins, just like Toastmasters. A Silver dancer has learned and canperform more tricks, lifts and more complicated routines, just like a Silver Toast-master. A ballroom dancer that has earned the Gold designation can do it all.
Karen has moved through her ballroom dancing career at the same pace I have inToastmasters. She is dancing Gold, I am speaking Gold. Karen and I have bothcompeted. Karen listens to my speeches and I help her with her dance routines.
We are both in the middle of competition season. While I competed in an Areacontest representing my “home” club; Sunset Speakers, Karen was in Orlando atthe United States Dance Sport Championships. From the looks of our trophy case,I should make room because one of use is coming home with the Gold!
Whether you are dancing to a slow melodious waltz or a jacked up swing; it’s thesame as speaking with a slow and deliberate pace or getting crazy in Table Topics.it’s the same; Toastmasters is dancing with your voice; Ballroom is dancing withyour feet.
Karen & her dance
partner, Herb
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CLUB EVENTSCLUB EVENTSCLUB EVENTS
Hurricane Donna 1960
and the Gold CoastBy Barbara Strasdas, ACB, CL
One of the all-time great hurricanes, Donna was first de-
tected as a tropical wave moving off the African coast on
August 29. It became a tropical storm over the Atlantic
the next day and a hurricane on September 1. Donna fol-
lowed a general west-northwestward track for the follow-
ing five days, passing over the northern Leeward Islands
on the 4th and 5th as a Category 4 hurricane and then to the north of Puerto Rico later on
the 5th. Donna turned westward on September 7 and passed through the southeastern Ba-
hamas. A northwestward turn on the 9th brought the hurricane to the middle Florida Keys
the next day at Category 4 intensity.
While the population of Florida was battling a storm that blew through in a few days, Toast-
master International was processing the charter for Gold Coast Toastmasters, Club 2727 in
northern Palm Beach County. History recorded the early part of September 1960 and sto-
ries of the hurricane survive but the history of Club 2727 continues to grow and strive
thanks to the strong leadership of its members over the past 50 years.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its charter, 90 people came to the Marriott in Palm
Beach Gardens on Friday September 24th to recognize this achievement of longevity and
strength. The attendees included the Mayor of Palm Beach Gardens David Levy, District 88
State Representative Mark Pafford, and Martin County Commissioner Patrick Hayes, Past
District 47 Governor Kristina Kihlberg and PRO Myrna Brooks, former and current Gold Coast
Toastmasters. Gary Roberts (Past President FSA) presented the keynote speech with bits of
humor, magic and motivational messages. Marilyn Monroe (aka Kathleen Gemme, from
Hobe Sound Toasters) stopped by to sing a special Anniversary song to the enraptured audi-
ence. The event included a champagne toast, dinner, raffle, the funky chicken and other
fun dances provided by Rich Otten and Dancensound.
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CLUBS CHARTEREDCLUBS CHARTEREDCLUBS CHARTERED
New Club for the Bahamas
BAF Stars Toastmasters Club 1504246, a new corporate club formed at BAF Finan-
cial, Nassau Bahamas in June, 2010, held its Charter ceremony and officer installa-
tion ceremony on Wednesday October 6, 2010. The club, started by Immediate
Past Area 81 Governor, Glennette Reckley, DTM got off to a fast start with over 30
charter members. The event was well attended by club members as well as
Toastmasters from other Division I clubs and special guests. Also in attendance
were District 47 LGET Pamela D. Rolle, DTM, Kathy Furbush, wife of District 47
Governor Rick Furbush, Godfrey Springer DTM, Advisor to the District Governor;
and Anthony Longley, DTM, District 47 Youth Leadership Chair. The presentation
of charter and charter member certificates was conducted by District Governor Rick
Furbush, assisted by LGET Rolle.
Following the charter ceremony, held at the Sheraton Hotel, Down Town, the club
executive officers were formally installed by Area 87 Governor Nadia H. Johnson
and Division I Governor Demekas Foster, DTM. Pesident Karlos Mackey's charge
was then read by DG Rick Furbush who also pinned him with his club President's
pin along with a District 47 pin. A reception followed this exciting event.
Karlos Mackey is installed as BAF Stars Club President
by Rick Furbush
Karlos Mackey, Rick Furbush & BAF Financial
President & CFO, I. Chester Cooper, DTM
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CLUB EVENTSCLUB EVENTSCLUB EVENTS
Rick Furbush Makes Official Visit to Bahamas
Rick Furbush, DTM accompanied by his wife Kathy Furbush, DTM made his official visit to
the Bahamas October 5-8th, since assuming the office of District 47 Governor on July 1,
2010.
Included in his busy itinerary of events was a visit to the First Bahamas Branch of Toastmas-
ters Club 1600 on Thursday October 7, 2010. The club was chartered in 1969 and is still
going strong with more than 65 members. In his address to the huge audience of guests
and members, including 10 club Past-Presidents and 4 Past-Division I Governors, DTM Fur-
bush congratulated the officers and members on their continued success and thanked them
for their usual contribution to the legacy of District 47. Also in attendance were LGET Pam-
ela D. Rolle, DTM and Division I Governor, Demekas Foster, DTM, and Area Governors, Na-
tasha Russell and Wence Martin.
DTM Rick Furbush marked the special occasion with presentations of a District 47 pin to club
President Ernesto Gongora and a DTM Medallion to Past-Division Governor Clement Foster,
DTM. Division I Governor 2009-2010, Anthony "Tony" Longley, DTM observed that DTM
Foster was not wearing a DTM medallion at several District conferences. On learning the he
actually did not own one, DTM Longley purchased a DTM Medallion for Foster while attend-
ing the International Convention in August. He asked District Governor Furbush if he would
kindly present it to DTM Foster on his visit to Club 1600. DTM Foster has been a member of
club 1600 for 35 years. Photos Courtesy of Club 1600 PR show:
Clement Foster, DTM; District Governor,
Rick Furbush, DTM; Tony Longley, DTM
Immediate Past-Division I Governor.
Club 1600 President, TM Ernesto
Gongora and District Governor, Rick
Furbush, DTM
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“Don’t Just Get Game,“Don’t Just Get Game,“Don’t Just Get Game,
GET “IT”… The “IT Factor”GET “IT”… The “IT Factor”GET “IT”… The “IT Factor”
Do you have the Personality, Presence, Magnetism, And Relationship Skills that youcan MORE EFFECTIVELY ATTRACT, INFLUENCE, WIN OVER AND LEAD OTHERS?
What’s your “IT Factor"?
Some people are present at a party or at a function - but nobody notices them. Theyare present - but they have no presence.
Have you ever noticed how some people look right past you sometimes as if youweren’t even there; as if you were unimportant and didn’t really matter? How didthat make you feel?
Have you ever met someone and instantly took a liking towards them? You can’t ex-plain why, but you like them and you want to do things to help them.
In a job interview, you are more likely to be hired if the interviewer likes you as aperson. In a business situation, you are more likely to get deals done and gain fa-vors. In a personal situation, you are more likely to gain trust and loyal friendships.
What is your “IT Factor”? what are the qualities of a person with the “IT Factor” , Whydo you, or I want it, and most importantly, how do you get IT?
The “IT Factor” is the ability to: create and strengthen your leadership style so thatothers are attracted, influenced, and won over to your way of thinking.
Let me say that another way… It is about - Developing Your Personality, Presence,Magnetism, And Relationship Skills so that you can MORE EFFECTIVELY ATTRACT, IN-FLUENCE, WIN OVER AND LEAD OTHERS.
District 47’s publicity focus is the “IT Factor” and how you can get the “IT Factor”through the development of effective communication, effective listening and rapportcreation; habits that will enable you to become an extraordinarily influential force inother people’s lives.
It’s time for you to assess your ‘IT FACTOR”. Do you have “IT?”… If not, you can learnhow to increase your “IT FACTOR” and live a fulfilling life where you can be the uniquesuperstar you were born to be.
“Don’t Just Get Game, GET “IT”… The “IT” factor!
Attend Myrna Brooks’ Workshop Saturday at the Fall Conference and discover step-by-step how you can use social media and real world strategies to remove self imposed limi-tations, open up your possibilities and learn the power of your IT Factor!
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I N S I D E S T O R Y H E A D L I N E
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The Sunshiner—Fall 2010
Publisher Rick Furbush, DTM
Editor Brooke Samples
District 47 Executive Officers
for 2010-2011
DG Rick Furbush
LGET Pamela Rolle
LGM Matt Kinsey
PRO Myrna Brooks
Secretary Lori Stephens
Treasurer Jim Ellis
IPDG Kristina Kihlberg
District 47 Leaders
District Org Officer Kathy Furbush
Parliamentarian Joseph Miller
SAA Ron Rice
Webmaster Jeanine Kinsey
Division A Governor Robert Rizzo
Division B Governor Francis Molina
Division C Governor Tatanisha Bennett
Division D Governor Hieu Huynh
Division E Governor Tony Vivaldi
Division F Governor Steve Zeris
Division G Governor Vicki Wayne
Division H Governor Jenelle Taylor
Division I Governor Demekas Foster
The Mission of the District is to enhance
the performance and extend the network
of clubs, thereby offering greater num-
bers of people the opportunity to benefit
from the Toastmasters educational pro-
gram by:
Focusing on the critical success factors
as specified by the district educational
and membership goals
Ensuring that each club effectively ful-
fills its responsibilities to its members
Providing effective training and leader-
ship development opportunities for club
and district officers
The Sunshiner is a publication of District
47 Toastmasters. Reproduction of arti-
cles is strictly prohibited without the
express permission of the District 47
Governor. Toastmasters International
and Toastmasters International emblems
are trademarks of Toastmasters Interna-
tional registered in the United States,
Canada and many other countries.
Share your Stories and Pictures!
This page doesn’t have to be blank. If you have a Toast-masters’ story you want to share, please send it Myrna Brooks [email protected] or to Brooke Samples at [email protected] . If I don’t hear from you, I’ll end upfilling The Sunshiner with pictures of my dog (and I’ve got a lotof pictures).
Brooke Samples, Editor
If your club
dresses for
Halloween,
how about
sharing some
meeting
pictures?
