Busy Time of Year!

Hello Fellow Toastmasters and Friends:

Happy Spring? Happy Summer? Whatever the weather is outside I hope you are able to enjoy it!

It’s a busy time of year for Toastmasters:

• District 6 recently finished Speech Contest season. Congratulations to Eric Schurr who won the International contest and Martha Voytovich who won the Tall Tales contest. Congratulations to all, starting at the club level who participated in speech contests this year, stretching yourself to grow as a speaker!
• We held our Spring Conference at Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel. A great time was had by all. Some of the events were a great keynote address by International Director Region 4 Harold Osmundson, DTM; induction of District Leaders for 2022-2023, great education sessions, great food, silent auction, and line dancing led by Past International Director Region 4 Larry Marek, DTM. It was fantastic to see everyone in person. Thank you to all who attended, donated items to the silent auction, and presented education sessions. Special thank you to our conference co-chairs, Nancy Hobbs, DTM and Sharon Rollefson, DTM PDG. Finally, thank you, thank you, thank you Program Quality Director Linda Dorn, DTM who dared to go where no one had been for the past two years, for having a vision to put on a hybrid conference and spending countless hours planning.
• The Spring District Council meeting was held on April 23. We elected our District 6 leaders for 2022-2023 and voted on realignment for the District (which was long overdue). Congratulations to our new leaders for next year! The future looks bright for District 6.

As I write this article there is only 40 days left in this Toastmaster year! Where did the time go?  We are all busy trying to finish the year strong. How can I help you as a member or your club finish strong?  Some of the items that may be on your list:

Club officer elections: Please do step up to serve your club as a club officer. This is the first line of leadership in Toastmasters. It is a great place to start. It’s just for one year! I guarantee that you will grow your leadership and communication skills. Don’t forget to update club officers in club central before June 30.

Finish those Pathways projects you have been trying to do. Please work with your VPE to get those scheduled and completed.

Celebrate! Celebrate all of your achievements of the year. Have a year end party! Whether you do it virtually or in person, recognize and appreciate all members. You can be creative with different awards voted on or earned. Some awards can be based on number of meetings attended, speeches given, or roles taken. Others can be more subjective. One award that is a must is Toastmaster of the Year. The main purpose of this award is to recognize a member who has gone above and beyond all year. Please complete the form that can be found Here. This Toastmaster will then be eligible to be the Area Toastmaster of the Year, the Division Toastmaster of the Year and finally the District 6 Toastmaster of the Year. The timeline is: Clubs choose a TMOY and send the form to Area Director by June 10; the Area Director picks a TMOY from their area by June 20 and sends that form to the Division Director; Division Director picks a TMOY from their Division by June 25 and sends the form to the TMOY committee. The Division and District TMOYs will be announced at the TLI (Toastmasters Leadership Institute) on August 6.

District 6 needs you! Are you thinking of where your Toastmasters journey will take you next year? I have the perfect opportunity for you! Area Director is the best role outside of your club. You will learn and grow as a leader and communicator. You will receive training and support for this role. Please let me know if you are interested. Say Yes! From my own experience this is indeed the best role in the District! You can also go to the District 6 website Here and apply.

While it remains a challenging environment, there are some encouraging and positive things happening. District 6 members have submitted over 500 education awards this year! District 6 clubs are getting new members and transitioning over to hybrid meetings. The need for Toastmasters hasn’t changed. The pandemic forced other priorities. The world has changed but people still need to be able to communicate and lead effectively. People from across the world want to join District 6 Toastmaster clubs. Embrace them into your club. Learn about the beauty of their culture through their speeches. The future is truly bright for District 6 Toastmasters!

Finally, thank you for letting me serve District 6 this year. It has been a tremendous honor and pleasure. Thank you to the other members of the Trio: Program Quality Director DTM Linda Dorn who upleveled the training for club officers, Area Directors and Division Directors. She made it so much more engaging and easier to learn; and Club Growth Director DTM Colleen Marie Kelly who upleveled all things Club Growth especially strategizing with low member clubs and putting a plan in place for them to grow their membership, as well as assigning many club coaches to struggling clubs. She also saved a number of clubs that were ready to shut down. Thank you to the fantastic Division Directors for everything you have done for the members of District 6: DTM Charles Brunnette, DTM Dave Schaal, DTM Paul Lubinski, DTM Emily Hanson, Yer Xiong and Kelly Leibold. I have watched you all blossom into great leaders and communicators. Shout out to DTM Jamie Richter, Finance Manager and Trainer, and to DTM Linda Brown, Administration Manager, for all of your support this year. I couldn’t have done my role without the two of you! You were working in the back ground, hidden from the rest! Thank you so much for your service this year. Monica Radtke, thank you for stepping up mid-year to serve as the District 6 Public Relations Manager. You contributed in between finishing your degree and working full time. Thank you! Thank you to our front-line leaders – the Area Directors! You did an amazing job and served your clubs well.  

A BIG thank you to 3 outstanding leaders who worked “behind the scenes” making it all come together, regardless of the time of day: Webmaster DTM Julie Bane, Newsletter Editor DTM Cathi Droz and DLC Chair/advisor DTM PDD Ravi Rai. Finally, thank you so much for you, the members of District 6 for hanging in there and continuing on with your Toastmasters Journey. I am forever grateful. 

Until we meet again, with gratitude,

Deb Luu