FORT LAUDERDALE — “Conceive, connect and create” is the theme for a workshop

recently hosted by Toastmasters International and more than a dozen local authors who

cover a spectrum of genres and tastes.

The Day with the Authors workshop was held on a Saturday morning at the African-

American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale. The event, billed by as a

must see, provided would-be authors with information about self-publishing, book launch

strategies, targeting their readers and speaking to sell books.

Attendees will hear presentations from up to 30 self-published authors including Toastmasters

Antoinette Smith, Lydia Harris, Kingsley Grant, Larry Benovitz, Marlene M. Bryan and other

authors across the South Florida communities.

In addition, Miramar Commissioner Wayne Messam will make a presentation on the

importance of the written word. Messam belongs to a Toastmasters club at the Fountain of

New Life Church in Miami Gardens.

"We want to help would-be authors learn about writing, publishing and marketing their books.

We also want to emphasize the value of the written word in uplifting our communities," said

Bryan, the District 47 public relations officer with Toastmasters International. Continued on Page 2

Toastmasters stretch as authors

Organization Name

Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1

Newsletter Title

DISTRICT 47

THE SUNSHINER News from Southeast Florida and The Bahamas

2014-2015

District 47

September 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Club anniversaries

Lt. Gov. Marketing

District Highlights

Fall conference time

District Governor Anthony (Tony) Longley is already excited about the upcoming conference in West Palm Beach. He wants us to get excited, too! Page 3.

Ready to assist

Lieutenant Governor of Marketing Jeanine Kinsey says Area Governors and district leaders are ready to help clubs that are off to a shaky start. Pages 6, 7, 8.

Help wanted

Public Relations Officer Marlene Bryan wants photographers, videographers to help take pictures at the Fall conference. Page 9.

Around District 47

Check out the achievements and activities, as submitted by our members. Page 10.

MEETING THE AUTHOR: Marlene Bryan, DTM, signs copies of her book, Live a

Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose, at a Toastmasters event this summer. She and other

District 47 Toastmasters are teaching others how to write, publish and promote their books.

2

Continued from Page 1

Seminole Casino Hollywood Toastmasters Club in conjunction with

Friends of the African American Library and Cultural Center

presented the showcase, which also focused on the importance of oral

and written word, and the organization. Toastmasters International

helps men, women and children develop public speaking and leadership

skills. There are more than 14,600 clubs throughout the world,

including 152 in the district that covers southeast Florida and the

Bahamas.

Bryan said that many Toastmasters aspire to write a book or perhaps

they have written books but wondered how to get the word out about

it. Such events allow would-be authors to learn about the process of

writing, publishing and marketing their books. They also give exposure

to the Toastmasters organization, which helps people overcome their

fears of public speaking while developing their leadership skills.

Bryan is a distinguished Toastmaster, inspirational speaker and life

coach. Her self-help book is Live a Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose.

She is one of a few black female sales engineer managers in a field

dominated by men. She and about 15 other authors provided tips to

attendees. Other speakers included:

Carline Francois writes about her faith in Enough is Enough Already.

Her book is a fictional account of a woman of faith who experiences

tragedies that make her start to doubt her faith and leads to her fuller

understanding of the meaning of faith.

Kingsley Grant has written the book Two Steps to ForGIFTness to help

people get past the pain of past relationships and issues; how to learn

to forgive when their heart says, no.

Dr. Welma Palmer was raised in Jamaica and is an ordained minister

who has been married to a minister for 44 years and raised a family.

Her book, Untold Miracles, details her life of struggles, faith and victory.

Georgina D.N. Robinson is a mediator and peace builder as well as

an elder law attorney. She is the founder of readingpaysmore.com

whose mission is for every child to read above grade level. Her book is

My Bright Bright Light—a children’s story about learning to share.

Andrea Robinson, ACB/CL

Sunshiner Editor

MEET #TMD47

THE SUNSHINER

Published by Toastmasters International District 47: Southeast Florida and The Islands of The Bahamas.

Submit articles, questions and comments to

sunshiner@toastmastersd47.org.

DISTRICT 47 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

District Governor

Anthony "Tony" Longley, DTM

Lt. Governor Education and Training

Damien KT Miller, DTM

Lt. Governor Marketing

Jeanine Kinsey, DTM

District Public Relations Officer

Marlene M. Bryan, DTM

District Secretary

Ruth Field Beck, ACB/CL

District Treasurer

Laura Thezine, ACS/ALB

District Sergeant At Arms

Thomas Plant, ACB/ALB

Immediate Past District Governor

Francis Molina, DTM

Division Governors

Div. A: Heather Mahoney, ACS/ALB

Div. B: Karen Lake, ACB/ALB

Div. C: Michael Thorn, DTM

Div. D: Valerie Johnson, ACB/ALB

Div. E: Jason Stewart, ACS/CL

Div. F: Deborah Young, DTM

Div. I: Delmaro Duncombe, DTM

OTHER DISTRICT OFFICERS

TLI Training Coordinator: Antoinette Fox, DTM

Contest Coordinator: Indira Sands,

Fall Conference Chair: Diana Loy, DTM

Spring Conference Chair: Lydia Harris, DTM

Club Coach & Advocate Chair: Beverly Cordner, DTM

Webmaster: Stanley Lloyd, CC

Parliamentarian:

Audit Chair: Glenn Parks, ACS/CL

Social Media Chair: Maria Alexandra Sanchez, DTM

Sunshiner Editor: Andrea Robinson, ACB/CL

Copy Editor/Proofreader: Hieu Huynh

Toastmasters stretch in roles as authors

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Fall conference excitement is in the air! Are you ready?

I n a few weeks, members from all over the District (Southeast

Florida & The Bahamas) will come together in West Palm Beach,

Florida to attend the District 47, 2014 Fall Conference. How about

you… will you be there? At this conference, we will celebrate the

success of our members and show our appreciation to you for achieving

success in your Clubs. We will hear the funniest speakers from seven

Divisions; each being the winner of their Division’s Humorous Speech

Contest. Also, some of the most constructive critics in our District will

compete in the Evaluation Contest. The conference theme is

“Broadway” and we look forward to sharing with you during this very

special occasion. See you at the Double Tree Hotel, November 7 – 9.

Are you on target to achieve at least one education award this year?

There is no greater feeling than to hear the applause of fellow

Toastmasters as you are recognized for achieving an education award. To top it off, you receive a beautiful

certificate from Toastmasters International to display in your home office or at work. You can also request a

congratulatory letter be sent to your Manager. Now that’s special! Imagine if you achieve two or three education

awards this year, then it means you get three certificates and three opportunities to impress your employer. In

Toastmasters, members are special because “Members Make It Happen”! Without you, there would be no Clubs.

Can we count on you to invite at least one new member to join your Club this year? This is a good time to give

others the opportunity to enhance their communication and leadership skills. What makes Toastmasters so special

is the number of lifelong friends you meet when you become a member. We have so many resources in our

District and in Toastmasters worldwide. This is certainly worth sharing with your community. So, share the stage

of Broadway with everyone with whom you come in contact, so they too can experience the “lights, camera and

action” that is Toastmasters!

See you soon… on Broadway!

Toastfully,

Anthony “Tony” Longley, DTM DISTRICT GOVERNOR, DISTRICT 47 “In Pursuit of Excellence” District 47 Region 8"In Pursuit of Excellence" District 47|Region 8 Toastmasters International "WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE" Email: tlongley@toastmastersd47.org website: www.toastmastersd47.org website: www.toastmasters.org

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Name: Michael E. Thorn

District 47 Office: Division C Governor

Location (i.e. city of residence): Boca Raton, FL

Hobbies: Academia

Number of years in Toastmasters International: Six

Home Club: Sensor Toast

In a sentence, describe how Toastmasters has changed your life: Greater number of personal contacts.

Who is your mentor in Toastmasters? Why? Chim Francisco ….. Personal style and expertise

Describe your most memorable speech/presentation: Loss of comrade in SEA

Advice for a beginning Toastmaster: Stay the course.

Name: Michael E. Thorn

District 47 Office: Division C Governor

Location (i.e. city of residence): Boca Raton, FL

Hobbies: Academia

Number of years in Toastmasters International: Six

Home Club: Sensor Toast

In a sentence, describe how Toastmasters has changed your

life: Greater number of personal contacts.

Who is your mentor in Toastmasters? Why? Chim Francisco …..

Personal style and expertise

Describe your most memorable speech/presentation: Loss of

comrade in SEA

Advice for a beginning Toastmaster: Stay the course.

Name: Vincent Edwards

District 47 Office: Area 62 Governor, Division F

Location (i.e. city of residence): Nassau, The Bahamas

Hobbies: Electronics, gardening, reading

Number of years in Toastmasters International: 14 years

Home Club: E.T. Communicators 1050379

In a sentence, describe how Toastmasters has changed your life: I

have grown from being introverted not giving up any speaking

opportunity.

Who is your mentor in Toastmasters? Ted Wood, DTM

Why? He stands for tenacity and “just do it” which are very important

life lessons.

Describe your most memorable speech/presentation: Informational

speech about electrical energy. My audience including the instructor

enjoyed the speech and asked many questions.

Advice for a beginning Toastmaster: Decide what you want from the

program and let your decision determine how much you put into it.

Getting to know our fellow Toastmasters

5

Name: Tarell Knowles

District 47 Office: Division I, Area 94 Governor

Location (i.e. city of residence): Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas

Hobbies: Learning new cultures, meeting people, surfing internet, hanging

with family & friends, mentoring young ladies.

Number of years in Toastmasters International: 4 years

Home Club: Soaring Eagles of South Eleuthera

In a sentence, describe how Toastmasters has changed your life:

Toastmasters impacted my life by allowing me to gain more confidence in

myself, which trickled down in other areas of my life.

Who is your mentor in Toastmasters? Jason Springer is my mentor in

Toastmasters. Not only is he a seasoned Toastmaster, he is very passionate

about it, which ignites the fire in me; and whenever he sees me lagging

behind, he always reminds me why I joined.

Describe your most memorable speech/presentation: My most memorable speech was “Starting Over”. I was very

fond of that speech because I was transitioning in so many areas of my life, and had to leave many things in my past, and for

the first time I realized that walking away doesn’t always mean that you are a quitter, but that you are strong enough to know

when to move on to better things.

Advice for a beginning Toastmaster: My advice for new Toastmasters is that you are only going to get out what you put

in. It isn’t always going to be a bed of roses, there will be some hurdles but you have to press through. It is imperative to find

a mentor where there is shared interest so that they can encourage through your low points.

Name: Heather Mahoney

District 47 Office: Division A Governor

Location (i.e. city of residence): Hollywood

Hobbies: Music, my son

Number of years in Toastmasters International: 3.5

Home Club: Good Morning Gelfand Toastmasters Club

In a sentence, describe how Toastmasters has changed your life: It

has allowed me to hone my skills

Who is your mentor in Toastmasters? Why? – I do not have a

mentor. I see TMs with great habits and I adopt those to my

speaking and presentation style.

Describe your most memorable speech/presentation: I filled in at

the last moment and delivered a speech titled the Division of Dick –

the Road to be a DTM

Advice for a beginning Toastmaster: Be open to the possibilities

6

Club having challenges? We’re here to help!

A ll of our clubs have been very busy this month! Everyone

should have received at least one visit from their Area

Governor at this point. If you have not, they should be seeing you

this month as they complete the first round of Official Club

Visits. Please let them know if you need any support, or are having

any specific challenges so they can let us know.

Challenges and Incentives:

Earlier this month, we sent out all of the Club Challenges for this

year. Each month, I will recognize those clubs that have met the

Marketing Challenges for that month.

Congratulations to City of Miami Gardens Toastmasters Club!

For chartering within 30 Days of their Kickoff, they will receive a new Club Banner.

For Chartering by September 30th, they will receive a $25 Gift

Certificate to the Toastmasters Store.

For Chartering this year, they will receive the Club Meeting Plaque.

Congratulations to the following clubs for paying their dues by

September 16th. Each club will receive 4 CL Manuals at the Fall Conference.

Division Area Club Name Division Area Club Name

A 10 Beacon Point Advanced D 41 Hobe Sound Toasters

A 10 Weston Area Toastmasters Club D 41 Juno How To Talk

A 11 Davie Toastmasters D 41 Palm City Orators

A 13 Miami Lakes Club D 42 Gold Coast Toastmasters Club

A 13 Tyco Talkers D 42 Power-Full Voices

A 13 Universal Toastmasters Club #7653 D 42 Secure Speakers Toastmaster Club

B 20 Latamasters D 43 Palm Beach Advanced Toastmasters

B 20 Pompano Beach Toastmasters D 43 The Palm Beach Toastmasters Club

B 21 Early Bird Club D 44 Freddy's Forum Toastmasters Club

B 21 Great Fort Lauderdale Toastmasters Club E 50 Voice Of Champions Club

B 21 Toast Of The Gold Coast Club E 51 Toastmasters At FIU Business

B 22 BPB Talking Heads E 52 Brickell Toastmasters Club

B 23 American Express Tech Talkers E 53 Coral Gables Club

B 23 Plantation Club E 53 South Dade Toastmasters Club

B 23 Sawgrass Toastmasters Club F 60 Achievers of Excellence Club #1811702

B 24 Club Awesome Toastmasters F 60 Healing Communicators Club

B 24 West Broward Toastmasters F 60 Pinnacle Seekers

C 30 Bill Gove Golden Gavel Club F 61 BAF Stars Toastmasters Club

C 30 Delray Newsmakers Club F 61 Cable Beach West Club

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From Our District Lt. Governor Marketing: We’re here to help

Division Area Club Name Division Area Club Name

C 30 Palm Beach Noon Toastmasters Club F 62 Dynamic Persuaders

C 31 Boca Raton Noon Toastmasters Club F 63 B.P.S.U. Majestic Marlins Toastmasters Club

C 31 Boca Raton Toastmasters F 63 E.T. Communicators

C 32 NCCI Toastmasters I 90 Action Communicators Extraordinaire

C 32 Sensor Toast Club I 90 Fidelity Toastmasters of Distinction

C 33 1st US Portuguese Toastmasters I 90 First Bahamas Branch of Toastmasters

C 33 Boca Raton Advanced Toastmasters I 91 Ernest T. Strachan Club Advanced TM Club

C 34 Club Paradise I 91 Scotia Dynasty Club

D 40 Fort Pierce Toastmasters I 92 Action For Achievement Club 1095

D 40 Port St. Lucie Speakers I 92 B.U.T. Nation Builders

D 40 Stuart Martin Chamber I 92 Cable Revolutionaries Toastmasters 2591529

D 40 Talking Heads of Stuart I 93 Abaco Lighthouse Beamers

D 40 Treasure Coast Toastmasters Club I 93 Freeport Eagles

D 41 High Voltage Voices I 94 Luminaries Toastmasters Club #1510789

Our next challenge is for those clubs who show 85% Retention on October 31st This means that you have at

least 85% of your club base as of July 1, 2014 paid to Toastmasters by October 31st. These clubs will receive 10

Best Evaluator Ribbons + 10 Best Speaker Ribbons + 10 Best Table Topics Ribbons. If these do not arrive in time

for the Conference, they will be delivered at the TLIs or Division Contests.

Please review the Challenges for the rest of the year as well as the Prize Options. Most of the other Challenge

winners will be awarded points that may be redeemed for the prizes that your club is most interested in. This is

a great opportunity for you to compare the Challenges with your Club Success Plan and set goals to earn the

prizes that will benefit your members the most.

Does your club need hellp?

Now that your members have renewed their dues, it is time to assess your club status.

Do you have less than 12 members? Do you have 12 – 16 members?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, we want to help! Please contact your Beverly Cordner at

bcordner@toastmastersd47.org and let her know that your club would like a Club Coach or Club Advocate to help you get back to 20 members and be a Distinguished Club this year.

What are Club Coaches and Advocates you ask? They are members just like you that have attended training and

want to help your club. They are NOT spies or judges. They will come in and work with your club to see what

you are doing well, and what you can improve to attract and retain members in your club as well as meeting the

other goals in the DCP Program.

The Coaching Program is an official Toastmasters Program and Coaches who help a club achieve Distinguished

Status can earn credit towards their DTM.

The Advocate Program is a District 47 Program which looks much like the Coaching Program, but Advocates do

not receive DTM credit from TI. They may use this position to complete a High Performance Leadership Project

instead.

If you are interested in serving as a Coach or Advocate, we will be offering the training at the Fall Conference and

the Winter TLIs. You are encouraged to attend one of these trainings to learn more about the program and to be

added to our list of certified Coaches and Advocates.

New Clubs:

While we are supporting our current clubs, we are also working to start new clubs. If you know a company or a

group that is interested in starting a new club, please contact Michael Schoen in Florida

8

CLUB CHARTER ANNIVERSARIES FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary greetings are extended to the following clubs. Thank you for your contribution to the growth and

success of District 47. On behalf of District Governor Tony Longley, the District Executive Committee, and all members across South

Florida and Islands of The Bahamas, we wish you a successful, President’s Distinguished Year!

Club having challenges? We’re here to help!

(mschoen@toastmastersd47.org) or Vanessa Scott in the Bahamas (vscott@toastmastersd47.org) and give them

the details. This team is looking for Sponsors and Mentors who are willing to help our new clubs start off on the

right foot. Both of these positions offer DTM Credit for the Member who successfully Sponsors a new club

through the charter process or Mentors a club through the first 6 months after Chartering.

If you are interested in being a Sponsor or Mentor, we will be offering the training at the Fall Conference and the

Winter TLIs. You are encouraged to attend one of these trainings to learn more about the program and to be

added to our list of certified Sponsors and Mentors.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Fall Conference in West Palm Beach.

Jeanine Kinsey

Lieutenant Governor Marketing

District 47 Toastmasters

954-778-0599 (cell) jkinsey@toastmastersd47.org

www.toastmastersd47.org

Date Years Club Name City Club Area Division

9/1/1960 54 Gold Coast Palm Beach Gardens 2727 42 D

9/1/1963 51 Early Bird Fort Lauderdale 3659 21 B

9/1/1971 43 Boca Raton Boca Raton 3299 31 C

9/1/1985 29 Pembroke Pines Pembroke Pines 6003 11 A

9/10/2002 12 Office Depot Toastmasters Club Boca Raton 9086 32 C

9/28/2005 9 Scotia Dynasty Nassau 829842 91 I

9/29/2005 9 Club Destiny Freeport 839960 93 I

9/17/2008 6 Hobe Sound Toasters Hobe Sound 1206922 41 D

9/5/2008 6 NCCI Boca Raton 1216633 32 C

9/3/2008 6 The Soaring Orators of Johnson Park Nassau 1227605 62 F

9/29/2009 5 FCC Pembroke Pines 1390883 20 B

9/29/2011 3 Scientifically Speaking Jupiter 1778344 42 D

9/10/2012 2 LexisNexis Risk Boca Raton Boca Raton 2709556 33 C

9

10

Public Relations Corner: A call for shutterbugs and videographers!

C alling All Photographers and Videographers

Do you love to take pictures and/or videos? Do you have a camera or a

videocamera? Are you attending the District 47 Fall Conference? What is a

great show without paparazzi?

We need paparazzi to take photos and videos of our Broadway stars at the

District 47 Fall Conference Friday through Sunday, Nov. 7 - 9, 2014. You will be

assigned to cover a specific slot for: the opening ceremony, contests,

workshops, media wall, luncheon award session, D47 business meeting and

other activities throughout the weekend.

If you are still in the Competent Leadership manual, this may be a great way to

fulfill one of the leadership requirements. Help to make this a memorable event

by helping us to capture lasting images and video. Please contact our Lead

Photographer, John Schneyer by sending an email to

jschneyer@toastmastersd47.org and Marlene M. Bryan at

mbryan@toastmastersd47.org.

See you there when we say: “Lights, camera, action!”

11

12

13

He’s “On the Grow”

“Homestead Toastmaster Club member Mike

Williams (above), is really on-the-grow,” says

Richard Erschik, the Club’s president. Since

joining the five months ago, Mike has not only

completed his CC, but he has also volunteered to

be Area Governor and has been selected. And if

that’s not enough of an accomplishment, Mike has

also volunteered to help Richard with his quest to

introduce the Toastmaster’s program to their

area’s Job Corps students, in a dedicated 4-week

program. “I’m considerably older than Mike,”

Erschik said, “and I can tell how valuable this is all

going to be for him as he gets to flex his

Toastmasters muscle in the real-world.”

Got News? Please share with The Sunshiner!

We want to hear from you!

Consider The Sunshiner your source for news and information about the happenings in your club,

area, division and across the district. For this to be a successful endeavor, we need your input.

We’re interested in the events, successes, triumphs and fun in the clubs and in personal feats. This is

the place to celebrate club achievements, milestones, and individual accomplishments.

Please email your information or ideas to sunshiner@toastmastersd47.org. A schedule of upcoming

issues and cutoff dates will appear in an upcoming issue of The Sunshiner.

Greeting the Governor General

GOVERNMENT HOUSE--NASSAU, BAHAMAS: Toastmaster JC

Sweeting, the Chaplain of the Gideons International (Nassau) greets

Dame Marguerite Pindling Governor General for the

Commonwealth of the Bahamas during a presentation of a Dignitary

Bible.

Toastmaster Sweeting is a member of three Toastmasters Club

in Nassau, Bahamas.