February – March 2002www.toastmastersd47.org

Since 1955

Bi-monthly bulletin of District 47 ToastmastersServing Florida and the Bahamas

• Per Caps due to TI

April 10, 2002

• Final DEC Meeting

April 13, 2002

• Division Contests Held

Late April, 2002

• Club Elections Month

Elect those new officers!

May, 2002

• Spring District Conference

May 17-19, 2002

Point - CounterPoint

(An Editorial Feature)

You may have been

anticipating this issue

of The Sunshiner! We

held the presses to

ensure you would

have the updated

Registration Form!

“Why is this so

important”, you may

ask? Because we

want YOU there! The

conference is for you and is made exciting

by you!

The District 47 Spring Conference 2002 is

scheduled for May 17-19 at the Radisson

Riverwalk Hotel in Tampa. The theme is

“Lighting the Path to Success”.

You will find the registration form in this

issue. All you need to do is copy this

registration form, fill it out and mail it in! (If

you insist on mutilating your copy of The

Register for the Spring Conference!We Held the Presses to Bring You the Latest!

Sunshiner, you may

cut the page from

within). You will find

links and phone

numbers here on the

front page. We also

have included a

simple map to the

hotel. More informa-

tion and more detailed

directions will be

made available on the District 47 Website.

Feel free to contact Eileen with any

questions. There is time to advance

register at discount prices and get decent

hotel rooms at disctouned rates. However,

don’t delay!

This Conference features the District Table

Topics Contest as well as the District level

of the International Speech Contest. This

is the same International Speech Contest

1

See “Spring Conference”, Page 2

See “Point - CounterPoint”, Page 3

We all remember those days in school

anxiously awaiting our grades. The angst of

approaching midterms and finals. “Will I

pass”?

While it may seem a panacea to be relieved

of that stress and anxiety, what if there was

no possibility of failing, provided you went

through the motions? Would a diploma

continue to have meaning? Would even a

PhD still hold value?

The same may be asked of our Toastmaster

designations. While we may not wish to

admit it, all too often the Toastmasters

educational system fails its students by not

“failing” its members.

Too often we see members receiving

designations without having really accom-

plished the goals laid out by the manuals.

Too often we see ATMs even DTMs who do

not have the skills becoming of those titles.

We as Toastmasters wish to promote

educational accomplishment but designa-

tions lose their meaning if we forget the

education.

Pursuant to building esteem and fostering

well being and cheer, we lose sight of the

most important goal: to help the Toastmas-

ter improve. Manual assignments are

designed with purpose. To that end,

improvement can only be served if we

The Radisson Riverwalk in Tampa

Conference Links

And Phone Numbers

Registration Form:

www.toastmastersd47.org/

regform.pdf

To request a Registration Form via

phone (sent via mail or fax):

941·923·1881

Proxy Form:

www.toastmastersd47.org/

proxyform.pdf

Hotel Reservations:

800·333·3333

General Questions:

941·923·1881or

egerbin@gateway.net

WHERE DO YOU RANK - SOLDIER???

(Oops - I am not General U.R.

Distinguished!!)

But it is a fair question... How does

your club measure up against the

Distinguished Club Program? Past the

two-thirds point, how many goals do you

have? On average you should be at 6-7

goals achieved. If your club exceeds this

average then CONGRATULATIONS

make sure that you monitor your charter

strength; 5 members net gain status. If

you are below the average, IT IS NOT

TOO LATE. Review where you are and

who is closest to making educational

goals. Follow up with those members

and send in the applications to seal the

deal! Distinguished is within your sights

and you can do it!!!

With the April percap period deadline,

there will be many Toastmasters who will

have paid dues late. Have your club

treasurer “break the bank” and get those

members with their respective member-

ship application. This will help with the

pre-requisite of charter strength with the

DCP!

Every day I anxiously visit my mailbox

looking for proxies! Club presidents, I

need your help to fill my mailbox. We are

on a quest to collect all the proxies in the

District! This proxy is a manila postcard

mailed from T.I. to the Club President.

Sign it & mail it today!

We are rockin’ and rollin’!! Your hard

work and efforts are what have placed us

in the top percentile in the world!!!

DONT STOP NOW!!!

T.ogether

E.veryone

A.cheives

M.ore

We are a GREAT team!!!

Regards,

Cathy •

District

Governor’s

ReportCathy Epler, DTM

By Margaret Wan, DTM, LGM

New clubs provide more people

the opportunity to participate in the

Toastmasters program. When

more people are part of an

organization, it becomes more

visible in the community, which in

turn attracts attention to its

members’ leadership and professional skills.

You will have more networking opportunities.

Within the club environment, we always

benefit from exchange of ideas with other

clubs. Most Toastmasters who have

belonged to or visited more than a few clubs

agree that each club has its own “personal-

ity.” One club may have particularly dynamic

meetings. Another club may have meticu-

lously prepared speeches. A third club may

have consistently excellent evaluations. As

new clubs develop their personalities, older

clubs can learn from them too. When an

existing club and its members help to build

and mentor a new club, they learn in the

process. It is no different from mentors

learning from new members who are their

“Wan - na Talk”

Spring Conference...

mentees. Many of us have this

experience.

If your club sponsors a new club, it

will receive a Founder’s ribbon. As

an individual sponsor or mentor of a

new club, you will receive a special

certificate recognizing your per-

sonal accomplishment. Above all,

you will have established new

contacts in the community that can reinforce

your self-confidence and benefit your

professional advancement.

Comments about the new position:

When our District Governor asked me if I

would take over the office of Lieutenant

Governor Marketing, the first things that

came to my mind were the four critical

success factors: New Clubs, Per Caps,

CTMs, and ATMs. Wow! New Clubs and Per

Caps - the responsibility of the LGM - have

the highest priority. That’s a challenge. I

accepted the challenge as I knew that with

your support, I can do it. I look forward to

working with you in the months to come.

Together we can achieve! •

2

which culminates

in the Toastmas-

ters Interational

Convention in

San Antonio, TX

this summer,

where the winner

is dubbed “Best

Speaker in the

World”!

On Friday night

will be dinner

and the Table

Topics contest. Saturday will be a full day

with the processional, educational work-

shops, special luncheon, business meeting

and climaxes with the International Speech

Contest.

Rumours are this conference is going to

At the Fall Conference in November, 2001, Margaret Wan was ratified as

District 47’s new LGM after volunteering to fill the position when Larry Hyman

unfortunately had to step down for health reasons. Here, she addresses the

District in her first article for The Sunshiner. Welcome, Margaret!

have a theatrical

flair. Fact: the

conference chair

is going to be

Wendy Proctor.

Need we say

more?

As always, the

conference will

be repleat with

educational

sessions,

business

sessions (where we will elect the next

administration of District Officers), entertain-

ing banquets and a few surprises!

It promises to be another in a long line of

stellar conferences. We hope to see you

there. • S0202A

...Continued from Front Page

Map to the Radisson Riverwalk in Tampa, FL

Margaret Wan,

DTM

Best of Past District Governor Paul

Meunier¹s Roast at the Fall Confer-

ence in Cocoa Beach:

10) As Homer Simpson would say:

“Mmmmm... roast!”

9) Paul claims to be a wine connoissuer

but his favorite “whine” all year was

“More CTMs! More ATMs! More New

Clubs!”

8) Paul’s home town of Gotha recently

presented him with the key to the city;

the city of Cleveland!

7) There is a certain air to Paul Meunier;

just to be near him is to be in the

presence of - hey Paul, is that Hai

Karate after shave you’re wearing?

6) You can always count on Paul to call

at dinner time and start hammering on

us for “More CTMs, more ATMs”

Paul, if you don’t make International

Director, you have a future as a

telemarketer!

5) In honor of Paul’s battle cry this year,

“Food Rules”, there will be a new

District Sandwich this year - no bread,

all ham!

4) In order to rack up extra points

towards Distinguished District, Paul

joined 12 Toastmasters Clubs.

Unfortunately, because of his exten-

sive travel schedule, he missed over

600 club meetings in 12 months! It’s

a wonder we won anything with a hit

like that!

3) Paul and I are different. I am a

certified computer consultant sworn to

uphold high standards. Paul is a

lawyer.

Paul’s Best Replies:

2) I came here today expecting a tribute!

1) There was a new club effort in

Dunnellin this year. Unfortunately,

Dunnellin has no restaraunts. I wrote

if off immediately!

Karl Righter, DTM

Eileen on Education

By Eileen Gerbin, DTM, LGET

With three months left in the

Distinguished Club Program, it is

now time to assess how your club

is progressing toward being

“Distinguished”. As of March, 103

clubs in District 47 have met 5 or

more DCP goals and will be a

minimum of “Distinguished” as long as they

end the year with 20 members or a net

increase of 5 members. Congratulations to

the 3 clubs with all 10 goals met: 1066, 1600

and 7178! Many clubs are just one or two

goals away from being “Distinguished”.

Have you received the recognition you

deserve? Have you sent in your application

for CTM, ATM, CL or DTM? Don’t

“save it for next year”. That would

be like cheating yourself out of a

promotion that you have earned.

For a Toastmaster to improve his or

her skills, it takes regular practice.

By speaking at least once a month,

your skills will become polished.

Any less and your skills become tarnished

and rusty. By giving a manual speech each

month, not only will you improve, you will

also earn an educational goal each year!

Chalenge yourself and your club members to

reach for the next level. Let’s make a

collective resolution to have all clubs in

District 47 Distinguished! •

Point-CounterPoint is an editorial which may or

may not reflect the opinions of District Officers. It

is meant to spark discussion of issues and will be

a recurring feature in The Sunshiner. We

welcome submissions of opposing or tangental

points of view •

Point - CounterPoint

3

uphold the standards of each.

It is the obligation of all Toastmasters to

strike a balance between promoting esteem

and ensuring educational goals are met. It’s

not just going through the motions of the

speeches. It’s doing the assignment and

learning and practicing the prescribed skills!

If a Toastmaster fails to meet the educational

goal of a particular assignment, it should be

kindly suggested to him/her to repeat the

assignment, this time focusing on the skills

being honed. There are many tactful ways to

go about this. The VP Education, the

member’s mentor and the evaluator for each

speech all play a role in achieving this

balance. The evaluator must be tactful yet

honest, pointing out the need to repeat skills

in addition to analyzing the speech and

encouraging the speaker. The VP Ed must

be not be too quick to sign off on assign-

ments not met. The mentor must establish a

more personal bond, attending to the

individual goals and sensitivities of the

member, being the liaison to the club et al.

Not often enough do we say, even tactfully,

“this speech did not meet your educational

goals”. We must not be afraid to do so. It is

the method by which we “fail” a “student”

which promotes esteem and retains mem-

bers, not the failure to uphold educational

standards.

We must not fail to realize that the ultimate in

esteem is served when a designation is

earned which means something. If we fail to

say “this project did not meet the educational

goals of the assignment” and offer naught

but praise in evaluations, then we dilute the

meaning and pride in our designations. We

must ask ourselves “wherein lies the value in

evaluation”? Only with the possibility of

failure comes pride in success.

Toastmasters must not forget this. •

District 47 “Stands by its Man”!

District 47 stands by its man; its own

candidate for International Director, IPDG

Paul Meunier, DTM!

Please show your support for Paul Meunier’s

candidacy by returning all International

Proxy Forms (sent to Club Presidents) to

Cathy Epler ASAP! Also, please consider

making a trip to San Antonio, TX this August

to attend the Toastmasters International

Convention where we expect to see Paul

elected!

Good luck, Paul! You’re “our man”! •

Eileen Gerbin

...Continued from Front Page

4 5

PHOTO GALLERY(Memories from the Fall Conference

and Planet Toastmasters) By Joel Maurice Verlin

The only truly way that you can be

alone in this world is if you choose to be

alone

Friendships will not knock at your door —

you must go out and (gasp) meet people

You must learn from your Friendships

You should always treasure your

Friendships

You should always rekindle old Friend-

ships and bring new ones to life

And then as you are busy talking to this

friend and then that friend

You will realize that you are not alone.

7/28/98

9:41 PM

Joel

Joel Verlin,

[self-proclaimed] “Certified Punologist”

[Joel is also our Area 6 Governor...] •

“Friendships”-A Poem

Paul Finally Makes it

as a Centerfold!

Humourous Speech Contestants at the Fall Conference hold awards of merit

(people laughed at them when they said they’d make it to the District Humour contest!)

Mike Curren wins the Humorous

Speech Contest!

Evelyn Peyton as Contest Master

Paul’s “Roast Gift”;

the inspiration for

the caricature!

LeCure Lectures...

“Top Two” Together

Barbara Bergstrom & Terry Ingram

Attendees at Planet Toastmasters Orlando

John Mandujano at PTM

Jim Ocque (at

the conference

he co-chaired)

with his wife,

Nancy

Hi D

ave!

6

DISTRICT 47 FALL CONFERENCE: “LIGHTING THE PATH TO SUCCESS”

FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION—POSTMARKED BY MAY 10, 2002 INCLUDES REGISTRATION FEE, MEAL EVENTS, AND WORKSHOPS

TOASTMASTER $90 (AFTER 5/10 $110) NON-TOASTMASTER $85 (AFTER 5/10 $100) $

IF YOU DO NOT PLAN TO ATTEND THE ENTIRE CONFERENCE YOU MUST PAY THE REGISTRATION FEE AND

THE FEE FOR THE EVENTS YOU WISH TO ATTEND. PLEASE COMPLETE A SEPARATE FORM FOR EACH PERSON

REGISTRATION FEE — POSTMARKED BY MAY 10, 2002 BOTH DAYS $25 (AFTER 5/10 $35) NON-TOASTMASTERS $10 (AFTER 5/10 $15) $ ONLY ONE DAY $15 (AFTER 5/10 $25) NON-TOASTMASTERS $10 (AFTER 5/10 $15) $

FRIDAY DINNER BUFFET AND TABLE TOPICS CONTEST $30 (AFTER 5/10 $35) $

SATURDAY CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND OPENING CEREMONIES: INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION (PLEASE BRING YOUR CLUB BANNER)

SATURDAY COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON $19 (AFTER 5/10 $24) $ (PLEASE INDICATE ENTREE CHOICE)

[ ] CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH [ ] TUNA SALAD SANDWICH [ ] CLUB WRAP WITH TURKEY AND BACON

SATURDAY – DISTRICT OFFICER INSTALLATION BANQUET AND INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTEST $32 (AFTER 5/10 $37) $ (PLEASE INDICATE ENTREE CHOICE)

[ ] LONDON BROIL WITH HUNTER SAUCE [ ] MAHI MAHI WITH LEMON BEURRE BLANC [ ] CHICKEN PICCATA

SUNDAY—CLUB LEADERSHIP BREAKFAST (BY INVITATION) NO CHARGE ALL CLUB PRESIDENTS OF DISTINGUISHED CLUBS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND

TOTAL: $

NAME: ADDRESS: CITY/ZIP: TELEPHONE #: CLUB # E-MAIL: FIRST TIME ATTENDING A DISTRICT CONFERENCE? YES NO

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL (CIRCLE) CTM ATM ATMB ATMS ATMG CL AL DTM

CURRENT OFFICE HELD (CIRCLE) CLUB PRES CLUB EVP AG DIVGOV DG/LT GOV PDG (YEAR: _______) PAST INTL OFFICER (YEAR:_______)

ATTIRE FOR SATURDAY NIGHT IS SEMI-FORMAL OR FORMAL. ALL OTHER EVENTS ARE CASUAL

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO “DISTRICT 47 TOASTMASTERS” MAIL TO: DAN KYBURZ, DISTRICT 47 SECRETARY 784 WINDING WILLOW DR. PALM HARBOR, FL 34683-5870 E-MAIL: DKYBURZ@GTE.NET

ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY MAY 10, 2002 IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THE ADVANCED REGISTRATION.

Copy &

Mail Today!

Publisher

Cathy Epler, DTM9831 Alvernon Dr.

New Port Richey, FL 34655

e-mail: cepler@gte.net

Editor

Jerome R. Kalisz, ATM·G424 E Central, Box 352

Orlando, FL 32801

e-mail: webmaster@tm1066.org

Since 1955

By Paul Meunier, DTM, IPDG

District 47 District Officer elections will

take place at the District Council meeting on

Saturday, May 18, 2002, at or about 2 PM, at

the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel, 200 North

Ashley Drive, Tampa, FL 33602, or such

other time and place as the District Governor

shall designate. Names to be considered for

nomination are being accepted for the

following offices:

DISTRICT GOVERNOR;

LT. GOVERNOR EDUCATION & TRAINING;

LT. GOVERNOR MARKETING;

DIVISION GOVERNOR FOR EACH OF

DIVISIONS A THROUGH I.

Nominations are NOT considered for non-

elective offices such as Area Governor.

If you would like to be nominated for office or

if you want to enter another person’s name

for nomination, please contact the Chairper-

son of the Nominating Committee. Nomina-

tion proposed names must be received by

the Chairperson of the Committee or the

District Governor no later than 5 PM on April

27, 2002. Address proposed names by mail

or e-mail to:

Paul Meunier, DTM, IPDG

Chairperson, D47 Nominating Committee

P. O. Box 136

Gotha, FL 34734

E-mail: pdmeunier@hotmail.com

Please furnish a mailing address.

Call For Candidates for District Offices

DESCRIPTION OF ELECTIVE OFFICES

(MISSION & QUALIFICATIONS)

It is the responsibility of all of the officers

listed below to attend District Executive

Committee (DEC) meetings as called by the

District Governor as well as the Fall and

Spring District Council Meetings held at the

District Conferences. Officers must also

attend training on June 29, 2002.

DISTRICT GOVERNOR

Chief Executive Officer of the District. Directs

the District in fostering strong Clubs, produc-

ing maximum growth in educational comple-

tions, membership and Clubs. Motivates the

District to achieve Distinguished District.

Promotes the standard of excellence in all

District Activities. At the time of taking office,

the District Governor shall have served at

least six consecutive months as a Club

President and at least twelve consecutive

months as a Lieutenant Governor or Division

Governor or a combination thereof.

LT. GOV. EDUCATION & TRAINING (LGET)

Under the guidance of the District Governor,

strives to ensure that every Club and member

benefits from the Toastmasters educational

program and that every Club is a Distin-

guished Club. Responsible for ensuring that

the District goals for CTMs, ATMs, and

Distinguished Clubs are met. Provides

education and guidance for Division and Area

Governors and Club officers. Responsible for

the conduct of District training programs,

conferences, and contests. The LGET shall

have served at least six consecutive months

as a Club President and at least 12 consecu-

tive months as a Lt. Governor, Division

Governor, or Area Governor, or combination

thereof.

LT. GOV. MARKETING (LGM)

Under guidance of the District Governor,

strives to bring the benefits of Toastmasters

to greater numbers of people by increasing

Club membership and extending the network

of Clubs in the District. Plans, develops and

implements District marketing programs and

initiatives, ensuring that the District meets its

objectives in membership (per caps) and total

paid clubs. Directs programs for membership

retention, club rescue, and new member

campaigns. The LGM shall have served for

at least six consecutive months as a Club

President and at least 12 consecutive months

as a Lt. Governor, Division Governor, or Area

Governor, or a combination thereof.

DIVISION GOVERNOR

The Division Governor leads the Division to

achieve the Mission of the District within the

Division, including District goals in member-

ship, new clubs, educational goals, and

Distinguished Clubs. Ensures that the goals

of the Distinguished Division plan are met.

Acts as a resource for the Area Governors

within the Division. A Division Governor shall

have served at least six consecutive months

as a member of the District Council (e.g.,

Club President, VP-Education, Area Gover-

nor, District Governor, Lt. Governor, District

Secretary, District Treasurer or District Public

Relations Officer).

Direct any questions about the nominating

procedure to: Paul Meunier, Nominating

Committee Chairperson, at 407.342.0987 or

e-mail: pdmeunier@hotmail.com •

7

District 47 Toastmasters - District Council Proxy May 18, 2002

This form must be presented to the Credentials Committee if the Club President or Vice President Education designates another Club member as voting delegate for the District Council Meeting.

Club Name: Club #

I, , Club President or Club VP Education hereby designate

, a Club member in good standing, as the Club's voting delegate for the

Spring 2002 District Council meeting

Signed Date Club President

Signed Date Club Vice President Education

District 47 Toastmasters

302 Baltimore Blvd. E

Orange Park, FL 32073-4321

Jerome R. Kalisz, Editor

Orlando, FLwebmaster@tm1066.org

TOASTMASTER CHATTER

Since 1955

Spring Conference, “Lighting the Path to Success”, comes to Tampa this May

• Eileen Engaged!

Excellent!

Eileen Gerbin, educational officer

extrodinare, is engaged. The engagement

took place 7 December 2001 to John Sarris

(“not yet” a Toastmaster). Everyone extends

their enthusiastic epithets for this exquisite

event. •

• A Note of Thanks...

Thanks to Conference Co-Chairs Terry

Ingram and Jim Ocque for their outstanding

efforts and hundreds of hours spent planning

and coordinating the Fall Conference.

Lynda Hammond did an superb job as our

Chief Judge. Also thank you to Paul

Greenberg for use of the great timing lights

(that he makes). •

• New DTMs

Congratulations to all our DTMs this

Toastmaster year! Our March total currently

The Sunshiner is printed by Michael Rubin, CTM of AOS, Altamonte Springs, FL

stands at 14, with 13 achieving DTM before

the end of the year! Our new DTMs are:

Helen A. Joseph Club 1066

Dorothy Day Otis Club 1066

Keith L. Major Club 1600

Abby L. Ross Club 2463

Evelyn Benson Club 2798

John A. Mandujano Club 3087

Paul V. Greenberg Club 3659

Sharlot G. Snyder Club 4454

Marsha Ellen Hostetler Club 4541

Victoria Iozzia Club 5807

James P. Ocque Club 6861

Jim Sanders Club 6861

Tom Moss Club 7612

Margaret Wan Club 9491 •

• TM Shares Letter

to Lady America

Some know Thane W. Cornell as a 30 year

Toastmaster from Club 4698 in St. Peters-

burg, FL. What many don’t know is that he

is the grandson of Wilson Gideon Cornell,

one of the largest building contractors in

New Yok City in his day. Thane has penned

a “letter” that he wishes to share with our

readers. Please find the entire text of this

letter on the Sunshiner Web, referencing

article S0202B.

We encourage Toastmasters to share

submissions such as this, as the marriage of

the printed Sunshiner and the Sunshiner

Web allows us to bring you many such

works from the District 47 Community, both

large and small •

• It’s Still Your Chatter!

We’ve mentioned this before but we’ll

mention it again!

Don’t see your club, area or event men-

tioned in The Sunshiner? Then write us!

Any chatter which won’t fit in print will be

featured on the Sunshiner Web! •

8

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