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JANUARY 2008 VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
Inside this Issue:
V O I C E S D
I S
T R
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T 2
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T O
A S
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Happy New Year—Every Club Is Distinguished! Maurice Taitt, DTM - District 25 Governor
Another Year Is Upon Us 2
Is Your Club a Super 7 Club? 2
How to Handle Low Attendance Meetings 3
Make Only One New Years Resolution 4
Importance of Corporate Support 4
District Conference Note 5
Resolutions for the New Year 6
No Pain No Gain 6
High Five Everyone 8
Dear Gabby 9
Division Idol Winner 9
District Speech Contest Winners 10
Welcome New Members 11
Club Anniversaries 11
October Education Completions 12
Contest Corner 15
New District Promotions/Contests 16
District 25 Calendar 14
Voices is the official publication of District 25,
serving Toastmasters throughout North
Central Texas.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
WINTER DATES ANNOUNCED Online pre-registration available
www.d25toastmasters.org/tls
January 11 - Texas Wesleyan, Ft. Worth - 6:30 p.m. January 12 - Texas Wesleyan, Ft. Worth - 8:00 a.m.
January 18 - IBM, Coppell - 6:30 p.m. January 19 - IBM, Coppell - 8:00 a.m.
February 9 - Baylor University, Waco - 8:00 a.m. February 16 - Wayland College, Wichita Falls - 9:00 a.m.
2007-2008 District Goal: Every Club is Distinguished. There is still plenty of time for you to achieve your goals for the 2007-2008 District year. Many clubs are close to being distinguished and several clubs can definitely become distinguished by June 30. Don’t forget to go to www.toastmasters.org and check the Distinguished Program reports, either by individual club or by division and area. If you are not sure how to access these reports, check with your area governor. Its time for letters of intent to be sent in if you are seeking election as District Governor, Lieu-tenant Governor Education & Training, Lieutenant Governor Marketing or Division Governor for the 2008-2009 term. See www.d25toastmasters.org for details and get your letters in by January 15, 2008 to Distinguished Toastmaster Earl Hill, IPDG. Club officers, this is training season and we have a plethora of training offerings selected just for you, so visit our district website for details of locations and schedules. The time is just about here for Spring Speech Contests, comprising international speech and tall tales. Be sure to check the rule book for the differences between a humorous speech and a tall tales speech. Make it a point to invite as many people as you can to your contest. Re-member that contests can be used as a membership building tool when you invite non-Toastmaster guests who could become interested in joining your club after seeing and hear-ing quality speakers and participating in the fun you are all having. Club presidents, starting about the end of March you will be receiving a large blue envelope from Toastmasters International, containing proxies to Region Three Conference in June and the International Convention in August. They will most likely have my mailing address, so please mail them to me when you get them or, better yet, bring them to an area or division speech contest. These proxies are extremely important and enable our District’s clubs to have a voice in the business that is to be conducted at these conferences/conventions. Our goal is to collect 100% of these proxies. To receive these proxies, you’ll need to ensure that your officer lists have been turned into WHQ and that the mailing addresses for all officers are current.
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Voices January 2008
I hope you enjoyed the holidays and received everything you wanted, especially time with family and friends, and other blessings that money cannot buy. We are half way through the Toastmaster’s year and we have accomplished much as a district as we’ve continued our Commitment to Excellence. Our fall 2007 conference was outstanding! Diana Patton and her team did an exceptional job of linking the railroad theme, Destination Excellence, throughout the whole conference. If I were to pick my favorite parts, it would be the Awards Luncheon and the Distinguished Toastmaster ceremony. We had over fourteen people receive their DTM and they were recognized in a ceremony fit for graduates of a fine
university. At the awards luncheon, we recognized members that have completed educational goals. Those present re-ceived pins in recognition of their achievements of Competent Communicators, Advanced Communicators, Competent Lead-ers, and Advanced Leaders. Clubs were recognized for having all seven officers trained during the fall Leadership Summits. I hope that you were able to attend the fall 2007 conference and I especially hope you are making plans to attend the next conference this spring. The New Year always brings an opportunity to sit down and re-evaluate our goals. This is the time for clubs to review their Club Success Plan to determine how the club will become a Distinguished Club in the Distinguished Club Program. As mem-bers of the club, we should reassess our personal goals. Each of us should ask ourselves, how close am I to completing my Competent Communicator, Advanced Communicator, Competent Leader or Advanced Leader goal? With proper planning, active participation in the club, and a determined attitude, we CAN make it happen before June 2008. Keep in mind that this year is the last year that one can receive the old Competent Leader award. I encourage everyone that has served as a club officer and met the training and Club Success planning requirements to present two modules from the Successful Club Series and apply for the Old Competent Leader award before June 30, 2008. Club officer lists were due at Toastmasters by December 31. If your club has not met that goal and you elect officers semi-annually, get your list updated as soon as possible. All club officers should make plans to attend one of the six remaining Toastmaster Leadership summits. The learning institutes are organized for all Toastmasters. There are courses for club officers as well as other courses for general membership, such as judges training, contest quality, how to evaluate, and oth-ers. This year we are offering classes to help you with the tall tales and international speech contests. If you plan to com-pete, I suggest you attend one or both of these classes. Speaking of contests, contest season is right around the corner. Contests are so much fun! They offer an opportunity for you to grow by participating in your club contest then going outside of your club to participate or compete at your area or division where you will hear other speakers, learn new skills, and meet other Toastmasters. Finally, it has been said that 2008 is the year of new beginnings. Though we can say the same about every year, I challenge you to make this year different. Set your education goals and make them happen before June 30, 2008. If you are a club officer, make plans to attend officer training. As a member, actively participate in your club’s speech contest, and then make plans to attend your area and division contest and the next district conference. Finally, remain Committed to Excel-lence by taking every opportunity to learn as much as you can so that you and your club will be the best ever in 2008.
Wow, Another Year is Upon Us! Peggy Holloway, DTM – Lieutenant Governor Education and Training
Is your Toastmasters Club a SUPER 7 Club? Each club that have all seven officers trained in the winter will achieve the Super 7 Award and receive a brown ribbon to proudly hang on the club banner. Club officers may attend any Toastmasters Leadership Summit held in December, January, or February. Fine Print: Promotion runs December 1, 2007 through February 29, 2008. In order to qualify for the Super 7 Club award, all 7 club officers must attend a District 25 sponsored training session held in December, January, or February. Club officers may also attend the Toastmasters Leadership Institute in District 44, 50, or 55 during the same time period. In the event all seven officers do not attend district sponsored training sessions during the promotion period, the club will not be eligible for the Super 7 Club award. Open only to District 25 Toastmasters clubs in good standing. For more information, visit www.d25toastmasters.org/super7
Voices January 2008
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Toastmaster club meetings need to provide those moments of enjoyment. It is more difficult to do during times of low membership or attendance. Here are some ways your club can still provide those moments when there are fewer than six members present.
TWO MEMBERS PRESENT--- HAVE ONE SPEAKER AND THE OTHER EVALUATOR The speaker can be prepared or impromptu. The evaluator should incorporate grammar usage and number of ahs into the evaluation.
THREE MEMBERS, PRESENT--- HAVE ONE SPEAKER, ONE EVALUATOR AND A TOASTMASTER. If no one is able to give a speech then expand Table Topics. Everyone gives a topic, receives a topic and evaluates a topic. Use the District Six "Cook Book" for other creative Table Topic ideas.
FOUR MEMBERS PRESENT--- HAVE ONE SPEAKER, GENERAL EVALUATOR TOASTMASTER AND TABLE TOPICSMASTER. The General Evaluator incorporates the duties of "ah" counter and grammarian into the evaluation of both the speaker and the meeting. The Toastmaster also acts as timer. It is essential to the health of the club that these duties remain natural and that a positive attitude is adopted by members in order to keep guests interest in joining this club maximized.
FIVE MEMBERS PRESENT--- TOASTMASTER, SPEAKER, GENERAL EVALUATOR , TABLE TOPICS MASTER AND TIMER. With five people in attendance, the duties somehow now seem to be a breeze. The opportunity to have a quality meeting according to all the requirements of TI are now possible. Each and every guest will see the positive growth aspects of belonging to this club and if each one is ASKED TO JOIN, one can be reasonably sure they will.
The business meeting (for all the above meetings} should incorporate the essentials of parliamentary procedure whenever possible. Membership building plans to include conducting a Speechcraft, increasing local publicity, and everyone inviting three guests each week should be discussed. Invite your area and division governor to attend and offer ideas.
The schedule of next week’s meeting would be reviewed and the Toastmaster for the following week would be directed to phone ALL members to remind them of their duties. Printed agendas should be available to help guests follow the meeting.
The key to a successful MEETING is to plan, prepare, execute and follow up. If you make each meeting organized, educa-tional and fun, guests will join. The more members, the more opportunities there are to learn and grow. Remember "WE LEARN BEST IN MOMENTS OF ENJOYMENT." So make your next low member meeting one of enjoyment and growth!
The key to saving a CLUB and seeing it through (low member) hard times is for the members to remain FLEXIBLE AND POSI-TIVE. The kiss of death for any club is to suspend meetings until the membership has grown. The aspects of this position are evident, the membership cannot grow if there are no meetings. TOASTMASTERS is the one club that will foster personal growth in people even under adverse conditions. In fact, anyone belonging to a low member club will undoubtedly experience personal growth in an enhanced capacity far more readily than those in larger clubs. Think it through, adjust the agenda and for your sake, DON'T GIVE UP! ! ! Attitude is everything.
How to Handle Low Attendance Meetings David McCallister, DTM - Lt. Governor Marketing 2007-2008
Marketing Workshop
Learn how to attract, recruit, and retain members for your club. Also leave with valuable materials,
handouts, and resources to help build and sustain your club membership.
Saturday, January 19, 2008 @ 12 p.m. IBM Corporation - 1177 Beltline Road, Coppell, TX 75019
Open to all members - Seating is Limited! Attendees are asked to pre-register. For more information or to register online, visit www.d25toastmasters.org/marketing/workshop
IMPACT CLUB Y O U R
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It is hard to believe but 2008 is here and many of us are thinking about making those yearly resolutions. Look-ing back we think about all those resolutions made, missed and forgotten. Why make them? Simple, we want to make the coming year a better and more successful year than the last.
We want to be better in our personal lives, social lives and business lives. Yet, we find ourselves in the same state as politi-cians (very topical) who make commitments and promises to make themselves and ourselves feel good. Then when the time comes these “feel good” goals and objectives drop by the wayside. So how can we be different? The answer is simple! Commit to start each day with one mantra…”make today better than yesterday!” If yesterday you did a presentation, simply ask yourself how can I do it better tomorrow? Far too often, at the end of presentation, meeting or just an interpersonal inter-action, we self-criticize ourselves and that is simply a downer and does no one any good. The better approach…”how can I do it better next time?” Now the fun part. You can make the New Year resolution today and get a running start by applying it today. Go for it. Let’s look forward to our next Toastmaster meeting and make it even better than the last! Remember our District Governor’s theme – “Committed to Excellence.” Excellence demands that we be better than ourselves. Ted Engstrom
Absolute Awesome Division A - Make Only One New Year’s Resolution Diana Patton, ACB/CL – Division A Governor 2007-2008
Importance of Corporate Club Support Ed King, ACS - Vice President Public Relations, BNSF Club How important is it for a corporate Toastmasters club to have the support of company leadership? Well, for BNSF Toastmasters it has been immeas-urable. BNSF’s senior management believes in the Toastmasters program and as a result, Toastmasters thrives on our Fort Worth campus. BNSF Toastmasters benefits from the vision, the values and the leadership phi-losophy of our company, and gives back by producing more rounded em-ployees. Over the years since its 1999 charter, our club has had a steady flow of fresh blood come through the door. We have a core of steadfast members that anchor the club and a variety of Toastmaster disciples who talk up the organization wherever they go. Last year, BNSF Toastmasters spawned a second thriving club on our campus, BNSF Ex-pressed, and yet, we still grow. BNSF Toastmasters has added 13 new members since July 1, 2007, adding a Smedley Award ribbon to our banner. Today, upon completing five Distinguished Club Program goals, we are headed confidently towards our seventh consecutive Presidents’ Distinguished Club Award. BNSF breeds leaders, many of whom join Toastmasters to learn and grow. We are proud of our club and the accomplishments we have achieved. More importantly, we are proud of our mem-bers for setting, reaching for, and ultimately achieving their goals.
Some Helpful Guidelines for Submitting Articles for Voices: • It’s usually best to use the inverted pyramid style. Write the material from most significant to least significant so the editor (or the
reader) can cut it off at any point (or any time) and know that the most important part has been covered. • Try to stay under 500 words (but don’t worry about it). • If possible, include pictures, along with information about who is in the picture and what is going on. • If formatting is important, use Word, but plain email is fine too. • If there are more than a couple of pictures, compress them and attach the compressed file.
Now get those articles in! Deadline for submittals is the 25th of the month. All articles are subject to editing.
Voices January 2008
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District 25 Conference Note Laura Mason, VP of Education for Nissan Toastmasters, Club 5922
I had a great time at the District 25 Conference. Friday night dinner was great and the Evaluation contest was fantastic. I was a first timer at the District conference so I got special attention and sat at a special table. They had a 70s night on Fri-day and several people dressed in their best 70s attire. The top two best 70s dressed people won a prize. What else could a 70s fan want more than to win a Lava Lamp? It was a blast from the past. I met many wonderful people and they shared many fantastic experiences. The conferences are more than just going to see a contest. It’s for education and networking. You listen and get to share ideas. The evaluation and speech contests going on are only a part of the conference. The key factor there was education. I wish I had Hermione’s time-keeper with me so I could have gone to more meetings. There were several good ones going on at the same time, but I had to make a choice. Since I was only one person I could only go to three classes but they were great and I learned a lot. This was the first time they offered officer’s training at a conference event and I’d have to say it was great. I’ve been to several training sessions and I liked this one the best. The most single thing I went away from the conference with was a quote I heard that really stuck with me and I want to share it with you. “Leadership isn’t a rank, it’s an obligation to serve.” No truer words were ever spoken because that’s exactly what you saw at the conference. You have all these people in the district there to help you and your club. There is so much that goes on outside the walls of our club that help make Toastmasters a success everywhere. They take everything they learn and bring it to us, the members. They continue to strive to do better and to find more ways of bringing great educa-tional tools to us the members. We learn about these tools by going to the meetings and training sessions. I had no idea just how worldwide Toastmasters was until I went to the conference. We have clubs in Saudi Arabia and the women are allowed to sit in the same room with the men. If you know anything about the middle-east culture, you know that this is very forward progress. I learned that the women there are very educated and attend schools via television. The pro-fessors teach that way because they can’t be in the same room with the women. But in the Toastmasters meeting men and women are in the same room! When you hear things like this it makes you appreciate the small things we enjoy everyday. Toastmasters is taught in over 130 different languages. I wasn’t sure what to expect at the business meeting portion of the conference but as your VP of Education I went to repre-sent our club at this meeting. I was impressed and very glad I attended. I got to see parliamentary rules in action. At the club level we have parliamentary rules that we adhere to on a small scale. Getting the chance to see those rules used in all manner of business related items was a great experience. They gave a report on the budget and expenses, then a report on the educational, marketing and membership plans. Then everything is voted on for approval. Everyone votes in the area governors and other district officers. The meeting is open to everyone but only district officers and the President and the VP of Education from each club are allowed to vote. If either of these people aren’t able to attend the district business meeting they are allowed to give their proxy to any club officer that plans to attend the meeting. If no officers are able to attend the meeting, the proxy can be given to any club member who plans to attend. I could tell you more about my District Conference experience but that would make this report too long. It’s impossible to put everything in this short message. Instead I’ll give you the next conference date information so you can plan to have that per-sonal experience in the spring. The 2008 Spring Conference will be on May 2nd and 3rd at the Marriott Solana in Westlake. I encourage you to mark your calendars and plan to attend. You will have lots of fun and learn so much along the way. You will also enjoy a great meal and have wonderful companions, other Toastmasters. So plan now, pick a club member to team up with for that weekend event or invite your spouse along for the ride.
Find a Mistake? It is our policy to include something for everyone. Since some people like to find errors, we regularly include a few in
our publications to meet this need. Please email: [email protected]
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So a New Year is upon us and many of us will make resolutions for the New Year, and some won’t. If you have friends that say they do not make resolutions, because they always fail anyway, they are perfect poten-tial members of your Toastmasters club. Studies show that most people abandon their resolutions within days of making them. According to Dr. Stephen Kraus, a Harvard-trained social psychologist that has done extensive research on resolutions. “Of
the 85 percent who abandon their resolutions,” says Kraus, “20 percent break them within a week.” If 85 percent of people abandon their New Year's resolutions, that means 15 percent complete them. And when those peo-ple succeed, they feel good about themselves. And they put themselves in a position to set and achieve higher-level goals. When people say they don’t believe in making New Year's resolution, what they really means is that they don't believe in set-ting goals. They may dream about having a better life. And they may talk about it. But nothing happens. So they chalk it up to fate. Some people are lucky, and some people are not. If people believe success is a matter of luck that means their destiny is out of their control, and they are waiting for something to happen that will change their life for them. That is where Toastmasters comes in. Goal setting is fundamental in Toastmasters. It is a fun and easy way to learn how to set achievable goals. Not only that, but they get a tremendous support system to cheer them on each step of the way. And what do people risk by setting new goals for themselves? Some time. Some effort. But what are the possible rewards? They might accomplish something meaningful. They might improve themselves in some significant way. It makes me feel good to believe that I can control my future - to believe that by increasing my knowledge, developing my skills, sharpening my thinking, and ruling my emotions, I can accomplish a great deal. And the only way I know of to do that is to set goals and pursue them, one small step at a time. Studies show that people who set goals achieve more in life than those who don't. Those same studies confirm that when people write down their goals and refer to them regularly they achieve even more. More often than not, success in life comes in small degrees - one small accomplishment added to another, gradually, over time. You can be someone’s luck this year. Share Toastmasters with everyone you know. You could be instrumental in changing someone’s life.
Resolutions for the New Year Dodi Foster, DTM - District 25 Public Relations Officer 2007-2008
NO PAIN! NO GAIN! Pat Quick - Afterburners Club 6109
We do everything we can to stay in our warm, safe, cozy space we call our comfort zone. However, is that the best place for us? As long as we stay in our comfort zone we do not ever become more than we are right now. After all, isn’t that why we are Toastmasters to learn, grow and become the best that we can be as communicators and leaders? Therefore, we have to leave our comfort zone and encounter a little pain along the way.
I experienced that lesson first hand a few weeks before and during the Fall Conference. Brenda Daniels, contest chair, asked me if I would be the test speaker for the evaluation contest on Friday night. My heart started racing and panic began to surge through my body as the thought of speaking in front of 200 Toastmasters ran through my mind. All my senses were tell-ing me “Warning! Danger! You are leaving your comfort zone.” Brenda must have seen the color drain from my face because she quickly gave me soothing words of encouragement. As my blood pressure started to return to normal, I decided that this was a tremendous growth opportunity and somehow it would be for my betterment.
It was Friday night and just minutes before I was to give my speech that the feeling of panic returned. There I was outside my safe zone again. I scanned the room and thought, “These are Toastmasters. You might can fool some of the people some of the time. However, these people know every single detail about public speaking.” Nevertheless, before I could bolt and run the Toastmaster introduced me and there was no turning back. Confidently I walked to the stage remembering the commer-cial “Never let them see you sweat.” The audience peered at me and I peered back. Miraculously words started to flow out of my mouth and after about the second sentence I felt right at home.
A valuable lesson was learned that night. Never let your fear paralyze you into staying status quo. There is so much more that lies within all of us just waiting to be discovered. We will not achieve our personal best if we never leave that warm, safe cozy space that we call our comfort zone.
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Training Twice is Nice! Whether you’re an amateur or adept, there’s lots to learn at the second round of club officer training. Newly elected officers have the opportunity to: ►earn the basic responsibilities of their new role ►meet district leaders who can help them during their terms ►discover and share ideas that can help them improve their clubs Veteran or mid-term officers have the opportunity to: ►participate in training sessions to complement their core training ►discuss with district and other club officers the challenges their clubs may be facing ►share experiences and solutions for these challenges District 25 will be conducting training for club officers between December 1 and February 29. For training dates and locations, visit www.d25toastmasters.org/tls.
Ready to step out of your comfort zone and speak before a non Toastmasters audience? This public relations event for District 25 needs you! We will showcase the humorous speaking talents from all over District 25 in an event advertised to the general public. This is your opportunity to help us spread the word to the community about the benefits of membership in Toastmasters. There are 10 speaking slots open for five to seven minute humorous speeches. If more than 10 members sign up, speakers will be selected by committee and final slate of speakers will be determined in late winter.
We also need volunteers to serve on the committee and help the day of the event. Contact Dodi Foster, DTM via email [email protected].
TOASTMASTERS IN THE PARK
Spring/Summer 2008 Fort Worth Trinity Park
BEST CLUB NEWSLETTER CONTEST (January 1 — April 15, 2008) Does your club have the best club newsletter ever written? Then you need to receive recog-nition for it! Save your best three issues to submit by April 15, 2008. Your club will receive recognition at the District 25 Spring Conference, and a $30.00 gift certificate to use at the Toastmaster Store!
BEST CLUB WEBSITE CONTEST (January 1 — April 15, 2008) Register you club website with the district public relations officer by April 15, 2008. Send club name and URL. Your club will receive recognition at the District 25 Spring Conference, and a $30.00 gift certificate to use at the Toastmaster Store!
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HIGH FIVE, everyone. Ernestina Piñones,DTM - District 25 Awards Chair 2007-2008 Were you at the Fall District Conference? Were you there at the Awards Luncheon to see the seven Out-standing Officer Winners? It was definitely a “golden moment” that four officers were present to actually accept their award. They were David Watkins-SAA, Hope Hill-Secretary, Cindy Warmbrodt-Breaman-VP Educa-tion and Rick Sharon-President. The other three winners not present were Nancy Swope-Treasurer, Venzula Tate-VP Public Relations and Glenn Laidlaw-VP Membership.
My nominations committee read the achievements of all the outstanding officer nominations you submitted. All of us were impressed with their accomplishments. It was very rewarding to have received so many nominations because this showed you were proud of your officers and that they were persons you felt should be recognized for their hard work. What a great way to applaud your officers and give them a well deserved pat on the back. Thank you for taking time to place a nomination. For the Spring Conference, I am challenging all Toastmaster members to do three things: 1) Vote online for your club officers who held office July-December, 2007 whom you feel are going over and above the stan-
dards of their officer roles as outlined in either your Communication and Leadership Manual or your Competent Leader Manual. I am sure every club has one, two or more officers which are deserving and should be recognized. Ask your VP-Education or Secretary to help you with the statistics requested. They should know attendance and other information re-quired for your officers.
2) Encourage your club member and officers to attend the Spring Conference to acknowledge your nominated officers. It is an exhilarating feeling to have the officers present to accept their awards. 3) Plan to attend the Outstanding Officer Nominations class being offered at the TLS. If you are attending an officer training, please ask one of your club members who are not officers to attend and take notes for you. I know that the Spring Conference will afford another “Golden Opportunity” for me to help the District acknowledge the out-standing officers. I am looking forward to being there and I hope you will be there as well.
Pictured: Hope Hill, Rick Sharon, Cindy Breaman, David Watkins, and Ernestina Piñones
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DEAR GABBY Dear Gabby, We get a lot of guests that attend our meeting once, but never visit a second time or join our club. How can we get these people to join our club? - They never called. Dear: But You Said You’d Call: Attending a Toastmasters club for the first time is like going on a blind date. You are nervous, don’t know what to expect, and hope you don’t make a fool out of yourself. And the most important thing is you want to make a good first impression. So if you are not getting asked out for that 2nd date, you need to take stock of the impression your club is making to visitors. Does your Sgt at Arms greet guests and introduce them to all the club members? Do you pro-vide guests with a guest packet and seat them next to a friendly and seasoned member that can help answer questions? Does your meeting start on time, and always have an agenda? Does your Toastmasters acknowledge guests and welcome them? Is your meeting well run and all participants know and explain their roles? And does your meeting end on time? What about after the meeting? Do you spend time with your guest and show an interest in them and find out what their needs are? And most importantly, do you ask them to join? If you need help on polishing your club image, consider presenting some modules out of the Successful Club Series, like Moments of Truth. It is a club self-evaluation tool. And Creating the Best Club Climate, how to create and maintain a healthy club climate. And Closing the Sale. Techniques on how to get that guest to Join. Just like on a first date, if your guest feel welcomed and comfortable, they see something meaningful and potentially gratifying to them, and they feel wanted and had a good time, they are more likely to say yes to that 2nd date. But most impor-tant, don’t make the mistake of not making that follow-up phone call or note to let them know you care. It could be the start of a beautiful relationship. Ms. Gabby thanks all for their submissions. Keep sending those questions and comments, and remember, if you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side. Do you have a question about a meeting role, speech content or topic choice? Need ideas on attracting new members to your club? Are you contemplating starting your leadership track? If so, Gabby is here to help! Dear Gabby will provide down to earth-practical answers to all Toastmaster related questions. Like a good neighbor, disinterested friend, or "a second mother" she calls it as she sees it. All questions submitted will be answered. Check monthly to see if your questions and answers will be published in the District Newsletter. Email your questions to [email protected].
Division C Crowned Division Idol - Season Two! Last year, Division Idol was launched as part of a new and exciting way for area and division governors to report their state-of- the-division and compete for the coveted sprit stick and title of Division Idol. Season Two of Division Idol left the audience in tears; both good and bad. Our host “Ryan Seacrest” was on hand to ensure that everyone had a great time. Our distinguished panel of judges included the ever-popular “Paula” Holloway, the infamous “Simon” McCallister, and the ever-steady “Randy” Taitt. Each division blended unique fun and creativity with their performance including a rendition of popular tunes and altering the lyrics to portray their achievements this year. Last Season, Division E won the infamous "spirit stick". However, because of a superb perform-ance from Division C that left Simon with nothing but good things to say, and despite media outlet rumors that Division E would hold on to the title, Division E gracefully handed over the sprit stick and the winning title of Division Idol. It should be interesting to see which Division will win Season 3 of Division Idol on Saturday May 3, 2008 at the Spring Conference.
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District Evaluation and Humorous Speech Contest Once again, a courageous group of District 25 Toastmasters touted their excellence in Evaluation and Humorous speech skills at the District 25 Fall Conference on November 30th and December 1st. Each of the contestants faced competition in three rounds of contests to gain a coveted speaking slot at the conference. They were the best of the six divisions in District 25, and all proved worthy of the title. The Friday night Evaluation contestants skillfully presented their evaluations of member Pat Quick’s test speech on “Old Blue Eyes.” The Evaluation Speech Contestants were: Div Area Name Club A 13 Craig Bickley EFW B 21 Priscilla Hollis Six Twenty Nine C 34 Dave Plazak Longhorn Toastmasters D 45 Dawn Brown Top Notch Toastmasters - TNT E 51 Mary Alice Benton North TX F 63 Tony Bieniosek Flagship Speakers Toastmasters All did an amazing job. The winners were: 1st Tony Bieniosek of Flagship Speakers 2nd Mary Alice Benton of North Texas Toastmasters 3rd Priscilla Hollis of Club Six Twenty Nine The Saturday Humorous Speech Contest proved a large draw, as all six contestants gave all in the room an uproarious good time. The Contestants were: A 14 David Watkins Motorola B 25 Robert Fulwiler VHA Toastmasters C 32 Michael Meier Texas Wesleyan Spellbinders D 45 Frankie Rike Christian Speakers E 51 Russ Stukel North TX F 63 David Bernstein Golden Triangle Toastmasters Taking the tile as most Humorous in the District for 2007 were: 1st Robert Fulwiler VHA Toastmasters 2nd Russ Stukel North Texas Toastmasters 3rd Michael Meier Texas Wesleyan Spellbinders Congratulations to all of the winners.
Pictured: Maurice Taitt, Tony Bieniosek, and Charlotte Howard
Pictured: Maurice Taitt, Charlotte Howard, and Robert Fulwiler
Do you have experience designing websites? Can you create forms using php technology? Are you familiar with Adobe Dreamweaver? If so, we need your help! Please contact District 25 Lt. Governor Marketing David McCallister so you can find out more about what is involved in working on the District 25 website.
Contact David via email [email protected]
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JANUARY CLUB ANNIVERSARIES
Welcome to Toastmasters! New Members from November / December 2007
4963 Weatherford Toastmasters 6810 Bell Helicopter 8055 Las Colinas Communicators 2278 Microsoft LC 6497 Phi Rappa Yappa 8474 First Command 4236 Southlake Evening Toastmasters 633836 Professional Excellence Toastmasters
Robin Rong Aegonizers Laura Bishop Airport Toastmaster Cheryl Mason Airport Toastmaster Minish Singh Airport Toastmaster David Guillory Arlington Nooners Toastmasters Grant Mathews Arlington Nooners Toastmasters L. Odle Arlington Nooners Toastmasters Jose Rodriguez-Figueroa Arlington Nooners Toastmasters Susan Hughes ATD Toastmasters Emily Kimmett ATD Toastmasters Lamar Collins Baylor Orators Toastmasters Marjorie Hopens Big T Toastmasters Danice Ferguson BNSF Toastmasters Amanda Johnson BNSF Toastmasters Kimberly Yaxtheimer BNSF Toastmasters Tava Marrington Burleson Toastmasters Kim Sharp Burleson Toastmasters Evelyn Ellis Cleburne Toastmasters Birat Mishra Connection Communicators Thisun Polasub Connection Communicators Jean Davis Cowtown Toastmasters Brian Henderson Cowtown Toastmasters Jeff Wright Cowtown Toastmasters Jacqueline Lankford DREAM CHASErs Toastmasters TELEISHA TERRY DREAM CHASErs Toastmasters Richard Garner EDS-Trinity Christian Renteria Expressionaires Susanna Gallegos Eyeopeners Cindy Hambright Eyeopeners April Marchand FAA Toastmasters Marc Devlin First Command Curtis Svehlak Grand Prairie Toastmasters Joan Manly Hewitt Fastenators Carol McIntosh Hewitt Fastenators Alicia Scott House Speakers Toastmasters Surya Konjeti Irving Toastmasters Phillip McClure Keller Communicators
Venkat Radhakrishnan Lakeside Sarah Gray Las Colinas Communicators Melinda Johnson Colinas Communicators Varun Kukreja Las Colinas Communicators Jerry Gentry LM AeroSpeakers Mack Kyles Lonestar Toastmasters Kathleen Payamipour Longhorn Toastmasters Jennifer Pounders Marine Creek Toastmasters Bobbi Rhe Stringer Marine Creek Toastmasters KEN HATMAKER Mid-Cities Noon-Time Nancy Bechtold North TX Valerian Eshelman North TX Jennifer Maik North TX Ruth Bomar Plus-Two Arsa Kulasuriya Plus-Two Kerry Noble Plus-Two Peter Pactor Plus-Two Brooks Jarvis Ryan Plaza Kenneth McNeal Ryan Plaza Kelly Slaughter Ryan Plaza Candy Kennedy Sheppard Communicators Eugenia Pitts Shining Stars Jaci Solis Shining Stars Vidya Raj Solana Classic Heather Wilson Southlake James Harycki Speaking With Class Letty Govea Star-Telegram Jim Houston Star-Telegram Cassandra Mackie TCU Toastmasters Otis Jackson Toast of the Southwest George Arndt Top Notch Toastmasters - TNT Pat Quick Top Notch Toastmasters - TNT Minnie De La Rosa VHA Toastmasters Patsy Sasser VHA Toastmasters Eugene Grooms Weatherford Arsa Kulasuriya Weatherford Lourdes Cardenas Wichita Falls Aneisa Watson Young Street Yappers
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Education Completions for November and December 2007
Club Division Area Award Date Member C lub4225 B 22 CC 11/8/2007 Beesley, Charlotte Shining Stars 6040 A 12 CC 11/23/2007 Brawley, Stephanie Rose Masters of Speaking 6332 F 65 CC 12/6/2007 Brown, Ronald Ray Grand Prairie Toastmasters 305 A 12 CC 12/14/2007 Cherry, Sue Elizabeth Wichita Falls
1E+06 E 54 CC 12/17/2007 Dawson, Frankie Eagle 2 799727 B 21 CC 11/2/2007 Driscoll, Sherry Texas Toasters 959155 E 53 CC 11/6/2007 Durrani, Mariam K. A-Team 676842 D 42 CC 11/22/2007 Feltman, Mary L. Heart of Texas Bridge Gappers
4236 A 15 CC 11/25/2007 Filarowicz, Jane H. Southlake Evening Toastmasters 2476 F 64 CC 12/17/2007 Friberg, J Ben R Mid-Cities Noon-Time 2209 F 65 CC 11/6/2007 Garcia, Louisa V. AAFES Toastmasters 3055 E 51 CC 11/13/2007 Heyen, Anna Keturah Denton Toastmasters
879088 A 14 CC 11/16/2007 Kelsoe, April BNSF Expressed Toastmasters 746 E 54 CC 11/15/2007 LEGAN, ROSITA J Solana Classic
621025 A 15 CC 12/13/2007 Lewis, Grady Scott Keller Communicators 6040 A 12 CC 11/20/2007 Morgan, Barbara B. Masters of Speaking
771978 B 24 CC 12/14/2007 Morrison, Jill P Connection Communicators 6411 E 53 CC 12/14/2007 Randle, Tisha D Inner VoiceToastmasters 2209 F 65 CC 11/6/2007 Santy, Michael C AAFES Toastmasters 6411 E 53 CC 11/19/2007 Sleeper, Paul Inner VoiceToastmasters 7694 F 64 CC 11/27/2007 Terrell, Randy EDS-Trinity 5718 A 14 CC 12/18/2007 Thiruvallarai, SathyanarayanMotorola
823161 C 35 CC 12/1/2007 Trione, Amy Toast of the Town
Club Division Area Award Date Member C lub8474 C 33 ACB 12/4/2007 Knighton, James First Command 6572 C 32 ACB 12/10/2007 Meier, Michael Scott Texas Wesleyan Spellbinders 9646 F 61 ACB 12/5/2007 Morris, Barbara S. Aegonizers 5718 A 14 ACB 12/4/2007 Powers, Yvette C. Motorola 5286 F 62 ACB 11/14/2007 Thomas, David J. Plane Talk 989 F 61 ACS 11/30/2007 Lalani, Salim S Mid Cities Evening Toastmasters
6040 A 12 ACS 11/14/2007 Morgan, Barbara B. Masters of Speaking 9595 D 45 ACS 11/16/2007 Shephard, Raun B. Toastmasters Anonymous 6017 E 52 ACG 11/13/2007 Gardner, Marcheta Talk Blue Toastmasters 6040 A 12 ACG 11/14/2007 Morgan, Barbara B. Masters of Speaking 420 E 51 ACG 11/28/2007 Schenk, Helen L. North TX
5496 A 11 ACG 11/16/2007 Shephard, Raun B. Cowtown Toastmasters
Congratulations to our fellow Competent Communicators
Congratulations to our fellow Advanced Communicators
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Club Division Area Award Date Member C lub897575 C 34 CL 11/21/2007 Bratcher, Teresa Star-Telegram
305 A 12 OCL 12/4/2007 Cherry, Charles D Wichita Falls 6810 F 64 OCL 11/28/2007 Cozby, Oliver Ray Bell Helicopter
676842 D 42 CL 11/22/2007 Feltman, Mary L. Heart of Texas Bridge Gappers 2975 A 14 OCL 12/17/2007 Miller, Betty Lou BNSF Toastmasters 7514 C 31 CL 11/2/2007 Misquez, Henry Arlington Nooners Toastmasters 3006 B 25 OCL 11/6/2007 Samuelson, Gary M. Oration Plus Toastmasters 420 E 51 OCL 11/26/2007 Stukel, Russ North TX
5537 F 63 OCL 11/19/2007 Swann, James E. Airport Toastmaster
Club Division Area Award Date Member C lub2476 F 64 ALB 11/14/2007 Perry, Jon Mid-Cities Noon-Time 3055 E 51 ALS 11/8/2007 Chilton, Jeanie M. Denton Toastmasters 7407 C 35 ALS 11/19/2007 Cozby, Oliver Ray Pro A.M. Toastmasters 9595 D 45 ALS 11/16/2007 Feltman, Mary L. Toastmasters Anonymous 6191 A 11 ALS 11/16/2007 Foster, Dodi D. Afterburners
676842 D 42 ALS 11/16/2007 Horton, Rosemary Heart of Texas Bridge Gappers 6040 A 12 ALS 11/16/2007 Morgan, Barbara B. Masters of Speaking 4370 F 63 ALS 11/20/2007 O'Neal, Kyle David Flagship Speakers Toastmasters 6040 A 12 ALS 11/16/2007 Sefcik, Betty L. Masters of Speaking 9595 D 45 ALS 11/16/2007 Shephard, Raun B. Toastmasters Anonymous 5537 F 63 ALS 11/19/2007 Swann, James E. Airport Toastmaster
Club Division Area Award Date Member C lub3055 E 51 DTM 11/8/2007 Chilton, Jeanie M. Denton Toastmasters
638381 D 42 DTM 11/16/2007 Feltman, Mary L. Hewitt Fastenators 9595 D 45 DTM 11/16/2007 Foster, Dodi D. Toastmasters Anonymous 6017 E 52 DTM 11/13/2007 Gardner, Marcheta Talk Blue Toastmasters 6040 A 12 DTM 11/16/2007 Morgan, Barbara B. Masters of Speaking 4370 F 63 DTM 11/20/2007 O'Neal, Kyle David Flagship Speakers Toastmasters 6040 A 12 DTM 11/16/2007 Sefcik, Betty L. Masters of Speaking 5496 A 11 DTM 11/16/2007 Shephard, Raun B. Cowtown Toastmasters 5537 F 63 DTM 11/19/2007 Swann, James E. Airport Toastmaster
Congratulations to our fellow Distinguished Toastmasters
Congratulations to our fellow Competent Leaders
Congratulations to our fellow Advanced Leaders
Education Completions for November and December 2007
Voices January 2008
Voices Staff
Newsletter Editor Shawn Kornegay, CTM/CL
Publisher Maurice Taitt, DTM
Public Relations Officer Dodi Foster, DTM
Photographer Mark Novak, DTM
Voices is published monthly and is available to the members of District 25 Toastmasters and clubs. Sub-scription available for one year at the price of $36 for those wishing
to receive their newsletter delivered via postal mail. Back issues are
available online at www.d25toastmasters.org/
newsletter.
District 25 Calendar of Events
January 2008 1 Second Round of Area Visits Begin 5 Mid-Year Training for Area/Division Governors and Dist. Staff 15 Letter of intent due for those seeking 2008/2009 District elective office 11 Toastmasters Leadership Summit (light) – Texas Wesleyan, Ft. Worth, TX 12 Toastmasters Leadership Summit – Texas Wesleyan, Ft. Worth, TX 18 Toastmasters Leadership Summit (light) – IBM, Coppell, TX 19 Toastmasters Leadership Summit — IBM, Coppell, TX Marketing Workshop - IBM, Coppell, Texas
February 2008 1-29 Hold Area and Division Council Meetings 1-14 Club Tall Tales and International Speech Contests 9 Toastmasters Leadership Summit – Baylor University - Waco Marketing Workshop - Baylor University, Waco, Texas Area Tall Tales and International Speech Contests begin 11 District Steering Committee Meeting 16 Toastmasters Leadership Summit – Wichita Falls 29 Last Day to have Club Officers trained and receive credit toward 2007-2008 DCP Goal
March 2008 1-31 Hold Area and Division Council Meetings 7 First Day to pay club dues renewals online (minimum 6) 9 Daylight Savings Time Begins 15 District Executive Committee Meeting & District Staff Training District Leadership Open House for 2008-2009 Year Marketing Workshop - Ryan Plaza, Arlington, Texas 31 Last day to submit Semi-Annual Club Dues ONLINE and receive credit towards 2007-2008 DCP Goal
The Mission of Toastmasters International Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality.
Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking—vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding, and
contribute to the betterment of mankind.
It is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually expand its worldwide network of clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from its programs.
Toastmasters International Vision
Toastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. Through our member clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, and find the courage to change.
The Mission of the District
The mission of the District is to enhance the performance and extend the network of clubs, thereby offering greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters educational program by:
• Focusing on the critical success factors as specified by the District educational and membership goals. • Insuring that each club effectively fulfills its responsibilities to its members.
• Providing effective training and leadership opportunities for club and district officers.
The Mission of the Club The mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and
personal growth.
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Voices January 2008
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Area Governor Day Date Briefing/Contest
11 Fisher 3/28 Fri Evening 12 Ditto 2/16 Sat Afternoon 13 Weatherholt 3/27 Thu Evening 14 White 2/29 Fri Evening 15 Leaseburg 3/14 Fri Evening 21 Sparks 3/29 Sat Afternoon 22 Bryant 3/1 Sat Evening 23 Gupta 2/16 Sat Evening 24 Brister 2/23 Sat Morning 25 Samuelson 3/6 Thu Evening 31 Shaw 2/22 Fri Evening 32 Kincaid 3/29 Sat Evening 33 Perry 3/8 Sat Morning 34 Bailey 2/14 Thu Evening 35 Ross 3/8 Sat Afternoon
Spring Contest Dates Announced
Want to serve as a contest Judge or Chief Judge? Members often ask how they can serve as a contest judge or chief judge at a club, area, or division contest. The answer is simple. Attend Judge or Chief Judge training at any of the Winter Toastmaster Leadership Summit Events in January and February. Judging can be quite a challenge, assessing the difference between a series of speakers in quick succession. If you accept the challenge of being a contest judge (and you should as soon as you have some Manual speeches behind you, then you know the basics. The next step is to attend judge training. For more information, contact District Chief Judge Marcheta Gardner, DTM, email: [email protected].
Contest Judge and Chief Judge Training will be offered at the following TLS:
January 11 - Texas Wesleyan, Ft. Worth January 12 - Texas Wesleyan, Ft. Worth
January 18 - IBM, Coppell January 19 - IBM, Coppell
February 9 - Baylor University, Waco February 16 - Wayland College, Wichita Falls
2008 Speech Contest Rulebook Now Available! Hot off the press! Toastmasters International has released the 2008 Speech Contest Rulebook. If you are a Club President, a copy has been sent to you in the U.S. Mail. Others that would like to download your own copy of the 2008 Contest Rulebook, visit this link online:
http://www.toastmasters.org/rules2008.aspx
41 Mikeska 2/9 Sat Afternoon 42 Cross 2/9 Sat Afternoon 43 Vickers 2/9 Sat Afternoon 44 Stokes 2/23 Sat Afternoon 45 Hrovat 2/23 Sat Afternoon 51 Schenk 3/7 Fri Evening 52 Covey 3/29 Sat Morning 53 Bayes 2/21 Thu Evening 54 Randle 2/15 Fri Evening 55 Barrett 2/28 Thu Evening 61 Stevens 2/23 Sat Evening 62 Misquez 3/1 Sat Morning 63 Fox 3/13 Thu Evening 64 Quigley 3/8 Sat Evening 65 Misquez 3/1 Sat Afternoon
Area Governor Day Date Briefing/Contest
JUDGES STAY ON THE LIST! In the effort to stay committed to excellence in District 25, those members wanting to remain on the Spring 2008 Judge and Chief Judge list must attend a session of the Judge or Chief Judge training in December, January, or February and select contest dates in which you would like to participate during the Spring 2008 contest season. Those who do not sign up to serve as a judge or chief judge during the Spring 2008 Contest season will not be on the list distributed in January 2008 and ineligible to judge or chief judge during the Spring 08 contest season.
For more information, contact: District 25 Chief Judge Marcheta Gardner, DTM email:[email protected].
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It’s that time of year again – time to Talk Up Toastmasters! During this membership building contest, encourage your club’s members to invite as many guests as possible to your club’s meetings. Consider conducting a special guest meeting – where during a regular meeting, you could also specifically discuss the benefits Toastmasters members receive as they participate. Perhaps invite and include other members’ testimonials.
Add five new, dual or reinstated members to your club between February 1 and March 31 and receive a special Talk Up Toastmasters ribbon to display on your club’s banner. In addition, your club will be eligible to select one item from The Successful Club Series, The Better Speaker Series, or The Leadership Excellence Series, free of charge. Start thinking today of who will benefit from the Toastmasters experience and invite them to your meeting. You never know: you could help change their lives!
READY...SET...GROW...AGAIN!!!!
The CLUB adding the MOST new, dual, and reinstated members* from February 1 through March 31, 2008
will receive their own set of electronic timing lights! and. . .
Each club with five or more new members will receive: exclusive recognition at the 2008 Spring Conference
a prestigious TALK UP TOASTMASTERS! Ribbon for their club banner a personal club visit from a Top 3 District Officer of their choice
plus… Each individual that sponsors five or more new members will receive:
a prestigious Governors Award Ribbon a “Committed to Excellence” lapel pin
a gift certificate good for $25 at the Toastmasters Store
*Clubs must add a minimum of five to qualify for this promotion.
For more information visit www.d25toastmasters.org/readysetgrow
District 25 Toastmasters Membership Contest Sponsor new members - Win Free Airline Tickets!
Third Quarter runs Jan 1 - Mar 31, 2008 for details, visit www.d25toastmasters.org/skyisthelimit
District 25 Marketing Presents...
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Pinpalooza is Here! Free Membership Pins! District 25 Marketing has gone crazy! We are giving away new member pins … FREE!!! For every new, dual, or reinstated member added to any Toastmasters Club in District 25 from January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2008, we will provide the new member pin.
So if your club adds 3 members, we will send you 3 new member pins. Add 6 members, we will send you 6 new member pins. Add 20 members, we will send you 20 new member pins.
Committed To Excellence Award Members earning a Competent Communicator Award (CC) AND Any Leadership Award (OCL, CL, ALB, ALS, or DTM) AND Sponsor 3 New, Dual, or Reinstated Members From January 1, 2008 - April 30, 2008
RECEIVE: - A Gold Committed to Excellence Lapel Pin - A $20 Gift Certificate to the Toastmasters Store - Individual Recognition during the Awards Lunch at the Spring 2008 Conference - Recognition during the Awards Dinner and program in August 2008 - Recognition In the May 2008 District Newsletter - Recognition In the Hall of Fame on the District 25 Website
To be eligible for this award, all Education Awards and members sponsored
must be processed from January 1, 2008 through April 30, 2008.
Governors Star of Excellence Awards How close is your club to achieving Distinguished Status or better? Clubs achieving Distinguished or better by April 30, 2008 will: be recognized during the Awards Luncheon at the District Spring Conference be recognized during the banner parade at the District Spring Conference. be published in the May 2008 Newsletter Clubs achieving Select Distinguished by April 30, 2008 will: Receive all of the above plus a $20 Gift Certificate to the Toastmasters Store Clubs achieving Presidents Distinguished by April 30, 2008 will: Receive all of the above plus one ticket for the Awards Dinner in August 2008
