Simply Speaking Minutes
May 31 2012

Theme: Finish the Race
Word of the day was persevere – to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.  

What a great meeting we had Thursday night! We were a little late at the starting gate, but Toastmaster Tom Marrs kept the meeting moving at a steady pace. Dale Jenkel called the meeting to order, reminded us to turn off our wireless appendages, and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Inspirator Felecia Arambula inspired us by getting us up on our feet and moving and getting our blood flowing. What a great way to start a meeting!

Speaker #1, Lois Kamga introduced us to Angels and Doves Foundation, a non-profit organization he is vice president, of that works to bring fresh water, provide education, and eliminates gender disparities in poor and rural areas of Cameroon. Fresh, clean water is not available in the rural areas, education is lacking, and women have little or no education. Check them out at www.angelsanddoves.org.

Speaker #2, Marcy Brack kept us laughing with stories of her mother’s favorite tools – a shoe and a butter knife. The shoe came in very handy driving a nail to hang pictures or crack open nuts. The butter knife was great as a substitute for a screwdriver. 

Speaker #3, Kathy Fortune told us of her weekend in Chicago several years ago when she met a celebrity her friend Gloria described as a great “hunk of dark chocolate” , who turned out to be Mohammed Ali. She shared some of her pictures with him, including one of the last ones he autographed.

Table Topics Masters Connie Akins brought several of us up to participate in Table Topics. We had a list of words we had to use, including the word of the day – persevere. Participants included guests Ricardo, Vibi, and Davorka, as well as members Mauricio, Diane, David, and Pete. We weaved quite a story to entertain the audience.

General Evaluator Darryle Brown introduced the evaluators, as well as evaluated the meeting. He evaluated the evaluators, noting how they all skillfully used the sandwich approach in their own personal styles. 

Timekeeper Anne Tacznosky, (in her first role as timekeeper) reported that all speakers and table topics participants were in time. Great job as a first-time timer!

Evaluator #1, Cybele Antenow provided feedback for Lois. His illustrations using bullet points and pictures of Cameroon supported his message of the work his organization does.

Evaluator #2, Joel Weismann gave great feedback to Marcy on her speech. This was his first time as an evaluator and he now has an idea for new tools for around the house.

David Bounds was evaluator #3 for Kathy Fortune. In his own comical way he provided feedback and noted her terms “great hunk of dark chocolate” and “Dark Gable”

Ah Counter Kreg Lyles and Grammarian Deborah Frauenfelder did a great job of counting our filler words and language usage. Quizmaster Sherry Thomas tested our listening skills, and our memory.

Tom Marrs presented the awards before making a few announcements.

Best Table Topics: Davorka

Best Evaluator: Joel Weismann (not bad for a rookie!)

Best Speaker: Kathy Fortune

Simply Speaking also received the Talk up Toastmasters ribbon for adding five members in February and March!!

Guests include Ricardo, Vibi (who is re-joining), Davorka, and Zelimir.

Members present included Kathy Fortune, Anne Tacznowsky, Cybele Antenow, Tom Marrs, Connie Akins, Alan Swartz, Joel Weismann, Margaret Seyer, Darryle Brown, Maura Thompson, Diane Nuss, David Bounds, Marcy Brack, Felicia Arambula, Deborah Frauenfelder, George Maestas Pete Hazlet, Sherry Londo-Thomas, Lois Kamga, Mauricio, and Kreg Lyles.








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