District 33

WESTWORD
The Official Newsletter for District 33 Toastmasters
OUTGOING MESSAGE FROM DISTRICT 33 GOVERNOR
JESSE OAKLEY III, DTM
When I walked through the doors of my first Speechcraft course in 1995, I found my passion. When I walked through the doors of my home club Starmasters in 2002, I rekindled that passion. As the outgoing District 33 Governor in 2013, I continue to enjoy the passion. Jesse Oakley III, DTM 2012-2013 District 33 Governor

People of District 33 Toastmasters, As I write this final message to you as District Governor, I am filled with lots of emotion and heartfelt gratitude. This year has brought challenges, opportunities, and success. Some were good, others were not. Either way, I would not trade this experience for anything because it is beyond priceless. From Las Vegas to Modesto, from Bakersfield to Santa Maria, from Ventura to Fresno, I met amazing Toastmasters during my travels across this District. Whether it is for a District Conference, a DEC meeting, a Division Contest, or a TLI, I can count on meeting friendly faces at any of these events. It is always good to meet fellow Toastmasters in this District, because I am thankful to have a chance to serve them. While it may not be June 30th yet, I do have one final piece of wisdom to share with you Always Keep Growing. Whether it is for you, your club, or your respective community, always find a way to keep growing. When you grow, you go. When you grow, you learn. When you grow, you win Growth is a key factor in any goal you want to succeed. Without it, you can only decay. As Kathy Choate steps into the role or District Governor on July 1st, lets continue to grow not just as club leaders, district leaders, past leaders, or distinguished communicators. Let us all grow as Toastmasters. It will bring us great success as we Embrace Excellence. That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention. INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE WESTWORD Lt. Governor Reports Spring Conference Highlights District 33 Spotlight Division Governor Reports 2013-2014 Officers Guest Commentary 2012-13 District Images Spring Conference Pics Kudos

PLUS A Tribute to the First Lady of Toastmasters Helen Blanchard!!!

Helen Blanchard DTM, PIP

The Passing of a Toastmasters Legend (courtesy of Toastmasters International)
Helen Blanchard, a trailblazing Toastmaster who rose through the ranks of the organization to become Toastmasters Internationals first female president, passed away on Saturday, May 11, at the age of 86. Helen began attending club meetings in 1970a time when Toastmasters was still an all-male organization. That didnt deter her, or the club she chose: Naval R&D Toastmasters in San Diego. (At the time, Blanchard was working at what was then called the U.S. Navy Research and Development Center in San Diego.) When a club leader submitted her membership application, they slyly disguised her gender, turning in the paperwork under the name H. Blanchard. World Headquarters then requested my first name, and the club president asked me what kind of male name Id like to use, Blanchard recalled in a 2008 Toastmaster magazine article. I told him Id never thought about it. So the members decided to name me during Table Topics, and they came up with Homer. By 1973, women were allowed to join Toastmasters, and Homer could go back to being Helen. Blanchard took on one leadership position after another in the organization, and in 1985 she was elected International President. Along with the Naval R&D club, she eventually joined two other San Diego clubs: Undersea Toastmasters and Excelsior Toastmasters, a club she started in the late 70s. Blanchard also achieved distinction in her professional career. She worked in a department of the Navy that tested sonar systems to identify if new torpedoes were hitting their targets, and she eventually oversaw 130 U.S. government employees responsible for providing support to Navy scientists and engineers. In 2008, Blanchard wrote her autobiography, Breaking the Ice. Whether thriving in the workplace or leading fellow Toastmasters, she says she lived by the motto Commit to excellence. Time and again, Blanchard wrote in Breaking the Ice, I accepted challenges that made me reach far beyond my comfort zone. Helen has been a mentor to hundreds of Toastmasters during the past 40 years, and an inspiration to thousands of men and women through her courage, her tenacity and her positivity. She will be greatly missed.

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR HELEN BLANCHARD

Celebration of Life service for Helen Blanchard DTM, PIP (The First Lady of Toastmasters) will take place Saturday June 15th 11:00 am at: First United Methodist Church 2111 Camino del Rio South San Diego, California 92108 (near Mission Valley west of Texas Street) To register for this event, please go to the following link: Helen Blanchard Memorial Service

Kathy Choate, DTM District 33 Lt. Governor Education & Training 2012-2013

Congratulations to the gold medal winners of the Spring Reach Relay Race. It was an exciting event and we had 33 clubs cross the finish line as distinguished or better by April 19. We presented more than $900 in incentive awards to those who worked the program and achieved success.
In addition, we already have 48 distinguished clubs! Now is the time to schedule speaking opportunities for your members who are close to achieving new educational goals for the year.

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The COMMUNITY SUPER STAR AWARD raised the bar for sponsorship and membership achievements this year. Here are the recipients: Sandy Aubin, ACS, ALS Gene Dunford, ACB, ALB Mark Hunter ACG, ALB Elisia Meffan ACG, ALB Robert Scoble ACB, ALB We are also proud to have 14 new DTMs added to our Toastmasters elite family. Carol Campbell, DTM Steve Goldstein, DTM Vivian Komori, DTM Brenda OBrien, DTM, PDG Kay Collis, DTM, PDG, PRA George Cormier, DTM

Patrick Hardy, ACG, ALB, AS Ann Hill, DTM Ying-Ming Lee, DTM Michon Loyd, DTM Aurora Salavante, ACG, ALB Cristina Scoble, DTM

Leona O. Byrne
Vivian E. Komori Michon Loyd Gregory F. Seymour

Carol Lynne Campbell Mark A. Lager Lisa K. Mazza Gary L. Watts

George Andrew Cormier Jeff Landau Shannon Miller

Glen A. Herman Carl Andrew Lepper Cristina P. Scoble

Katy Porter, DTM District 33 Lt. Governor Education & Training 2012-2013
Unity in the Community starts with U!
We had an amazing March, with 5 new clubs in one month! In April, we had our second renewal period of the year, and are now over 5,000 membership renewals this year. Encourage alumni members who are on the fence. Maybe they just need an invitation from you to continue with your club. June is a busy Toastmaster month as clubs hold their final Open Houses and Speechcrafts of the year. Remember to ask members and guests about their experience our members are our best advertisement! Post on Facebook, Twitter and Websites. District Updates: Added 1,250 new members so far this year! Just 600 people away from our distinguished goal of 7,022 memberships. Each new club, new member and renewal member contributes, as we grow together. New clubs are up to lucky 7! We are currently at 182 clubs heading for our goal of 195. Each club that renews or charters adds to our supportive community of clubs. Potential club coaches: If you would like to grab an oar and help a smaller club, Jamuna Ramnath can get you trained and coaching in a flash! This will help us meet our distinguished clubs goal. Awards for highest monthly membership growth: Division F February- Chocolates (delivered in April) Division F March Chocolates (coming soon!) Who is next? Thank you to the whole Marketing Team! District 33 Club Members, Club Officers, Area Governors and Division Governors each took an oar and promoted the Toastmasters Program in every corner of our District. This year, in support, we had a strong team of Division Club Coach Chairs, served by our District Chair, Jamuna Ramnath. Jamuna brought her expertise in webinars, and offered training that was timely and complete to this years volunteer coaches. Thank you to the Division Club Coach Chairs: Roxie Patterson, Marianne Bastecki, Diane Ellis, Lorrie Linnert Dunford, Dick Temple, John Rogers, Sara Pomare and Sherrie Parker. Our new team of Division C.R.A.F.T. Chairs, served by Emma Santa, focused on serving our medium sized clubs, as well as helping to find Twinkles of ideas, and start new clubs. Emma populated our District C.R.A.F.T. support page with fun ideas for clubs to use to be successful. She was a resource to the team, to help us all stay grounded and effective. She was also instrumental in preparing the leadership group to hold our first web-based DEC! Thank you to the Division C.R.A.F.T. Chairs: Ann Hill, Cheryl Wronski, Dan Murray, Kay Collis, Curtis Helt, Jenny Brantlee, Debby Baker, Tom Sims and Adella Logan.

A-T.E.A.M.
Albert Nelson ACS, ALB 2012 - 2013 Division A Governor
Servant Leadership
What a privilege it has been to be an integral part of this communication and leadership organizationwhere leaders are made. In serving in my leadership position, I have become more convinced than ever that to lead is to serve. This truth is born out by our own HPL literature which identifies the following six dimensions of Service Leadership: Vision & Values Direction Persuasion Support Development Appreciation My previous Westword article focused on appreciation. Psychologist William James once said, The deepest craving in human beings is the need to be appreciated. Respect and recognition are keys in the celebration of successes. I appreciate the opportunity to serve the same people I have been grateful to lead. Service leaders are willing to place empowerment above personal power; contribution above their own ego satisfaction; and the needs of the team above their own needs for credit and acclaimHPL Manual In Service, Albert L. Nelson Division A Governor

Achieving Personal Success! Gloria Davidson, DTM 2012 - 2013 Division B Governor
Special thank you to our eight Area Governors: B1-Raul Gamino, B2-Paul Leveille, B3-Phil Cleaver, B4-Edith Pham, B5-Liz Brenner, B6-Kathy Weiner, B7-Raquel Svennebjer, and B8-Dean Menes. They were effective and lead by example! Congratulations to new DTMs: Greg Seymour, DTM, Jeff Landau, DTM, Carl Lepper, DTM and Mark Lager, DTM! Educational count reported is as follows: 70 CC - 17 ACB - 6 ACS - 3 ACG 27 CL - 12 ALB - 5 ALS & 4 DTMs. High Performance Leadership awards were earned by Elsje Chun, Mark Lager, Carl Lepper, Elisia Meffan, Greg Seymour, Fern Vacca, and Kathy Weiner. Thank you: Kathy Weiner and Jamuna Ramnath, Contest Chairs, and Elsje Chun and Carl Lepper, TLI Chairs. Contest Winners: Spring, 2013: Rachel Velez, International, and Wendee Smith, Tall Tales. Fall, 2012: Scott Taylor, Evaluation, and Fern Vacca, Humorous. The BIG DIVIDE! Effective July 1, 2013, Ventura County will have Division B, West Ventura County, with Dan Murray, DTM as Division B Governor-elect, and Division J, East Ventura County, lead by Jamuna Ramnath, DTM as Division J Governor-elect. Congratulations to all who achieved personal success! It has been a privilege to serve you, Gloria

Blossom and Grow!

Carol Campbell, DTM 2012 2013 Division C Governor
To district 33, I want to say Thank You for all that you have done to help Division C to grow and blossom this year. We are 1 distinguished club away from being a Presidents distinguished Division. This feat would not have been possible without the fabulous team of area governors; Brian Soucy, Linda Evans, Michele Shafe and Philip Dahlheimer and Chief Judge Tema Burnett. There are many others out there that have been working their Toastmaster Magic to keep things together and moving forward. That list is too long to mention but you know who you are. Thank you! I have also enjoyed being part of the Las Vegas Pride, which is working with my sister Division governors from Las Vegas who are also Leos. For some details, Division C has 26 competent communicators, 20 competent leaders, 9 advanced communicator Bronzes, 8 advanced leader bronzes, 6 advanced communicator silvers, 3 advanced leader silvers, 5 advanced communicator golds, 2 high performance leaderships and 3 Distinguished Toastmasters. We also have 5 clubs that are within reach of distinguished and as our fearless leader would say It aint June 30th yet. Please keep up the great work and that unwavering Toastmaster spirit!

Linda Sims, DTM 2012 - 2013 Division G Governor

As this Toastmaster year comes to an end, I would like to give thanks to my Division G team for making this an amazing year: JanMarie Crabbe (G-1), Jas Singh (G-2), Dale Mell (G-3), and Diana Hallare (G-4). Without this team, the year would not become successful. Knowing that it AINT JUNE 30TH YET (to quote an outgoing strawberry-loving District Governor), Division G still have a shot at becoming Distinguished on all levels. We are working on a new club in Visalia and have leads at Fresno State University, Ruiz Foods, Citibank, and University of Phoenix. With all these leads turning to potential new clubs, you can say that growth begins with G. As of right now, we have 5 Distinguished Clubs in our Division (Sierra Club, TLC, Atomic, Visalia, and Fresno City Toastmasters) and more on target. By the end of this year, there is no doubt that we will go beyond Distinguished. It has been a great pleasure and an honor serving as Division G Governor for the 2012-2013 Toastmaster year. I look forward for more success and great stories from this Division for many years to come. Thank you very much.

Unleash Your Finest Moments! Michon Loyd ACS, ALB 2012 - 2013 Division H Governor
As the sun sets in Division H for this Toastmaster year, Ralph Smedley said it best: The destination determines the direction. The Division H team set off on an adventure to bring Unity to the Division H Community by nurturing and supporting all twenty-one Division H clubs with a positive spirit and great energy. We hosted ten encouraging contests bringing club pride and fun filled camaraderie to all. We are so proud to have successfully administered TPR (Toastmasters Pulmonary Resuscitation) to clubs who needed an extra breath to make it through the year - we all need a little help sometimes. This synergy and dedication multiplied creating an upbeat force which led to the birth of a new Division H club, Cheers Toastmasters. Division H is proud of the twenty-four communication and twenty leadership educational awards that boost our clubs DCP status and help our Toastmasters continue their educational journey. Throughout this year, new friendships were formed, old friendships were renewed, and so many Division H Toastmasters accomplished much more than they thought they ever could. It has been an outstanding voyage with an exceptional team. Thank you, Janice, Ania, Stany, and Aurora for being a strong, unified, passionate group of Area Governors. Thank you, fellow district officers and mentors for your wisdom and encouragement. I could not think of a better way to spend the year than to serve with you. After all, a successful journey is measured by friends not miles.

TOASTMASTERS 1+1 CAMPAIGN

On December 1, 2012, Toastmasters International announced a brand new membership campaign!! Refer a friend to a Toastmasters club and you will get an awesome reward!! For more information, go to the following link below!! http://www.toastmasters.org/1plus1

DISTRICT 33 TOASTMASTERS SPRING CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS THE SPRING CLASSIC

District 33 International Speech Contest Results 1st place Carolyn Pelletier (Division H) 2nd place Kathy Hamilton (Division D) 3rd place Rachel Velez (Division B) Carolyn will represent District 33 at the semifinals of the World Champion of Public Speaking this August in Cincinnati, Ohio!!

District 33 Tall Tales Speech Contest Results 1st place Jean Williams (Division H) 2nd place Scott Hopkins (Division E) 3rd place Sandra Griffin (Division F)

DISTRICT 33 TOASTMASTERS SPECIAL AWARDS

2012-2013 District 33 Toastmaster of the Year Emma Santa, DTM

2012-2013 District 33 Spark Plug of the Year Sara Pomare, DTM Milo Graham Award winner Division F Janet Riley ACB, ALB (left) Special Thanks goes to Conference Chair Debbie Baker ACB, ALB (right)

2012-2013 District 33 Difference Maker of the Year Philip Dahlheimer ACG, ALB

2013-2014 DISTRICT 33 TOASTMASTERS CHIEF OFFICERS

Congratulations go out to the following people that were elected to serve as the chief leaders of District 33 Toastmasters
(Their terms will officially start on July 1, 2013)

IMAGES FROM THE DISTRICT 33 TOASTMASTERS SPRING CONFERENCE THE SPRING CLASSIC
At the DoubleTree Hilton Modesto, California (Photos courtesy of Philip Dahlheimer ACG, ALB)

DISTRICT 33 TOASTMASTERS SPOLIGHT

Simi Valley Street Fair
Every year in April, Simi Valley, California (Area B6), has a fantastic event called the Simi Valley Street Fair. Every year it gets better and better. This year one lucky winner won $75.00 worth of gift certificates and we got a lot of interest in starting a Youth Leadership this summer in Simi Valley. We had about 20 or so people interested in starting a youth leadership for their children. Here are some photos from the street fair below. There are a lot more photos too If anyone wants to see all of them, please email dancingangel42@sbcglobal.net and ask.

District 33 Toastmasters thanks District 33 WestWord newsletter editor Linda Martins-Mann for her amazing work with the newsletter for the 2012-2013 Toastmaster year. Her tireless dedication in bringing the message to the District 33 Community is beyond amazing. Thank you for the amazing work, Linda!!!

DISTRICT 33 KUDOS
Congratulations again to all Toastmasters who met the One Educational per Year challenge! Special recognition to these 45 members who earned THREE or more educational awards AND, we encourage EVERYONE to make it happen!!

Byrne, Leona O. 6 CC, CC, CC, ALS, DTM, CL Campbell, Carol Lynne 5 DTM, ALS, ACG, CC, CL Hammer, Torkil I. 5 CL, ACS, CL, ACB, CC Hardy, Patrick William 5 LDREXC, CL, ACB, AS, CC Loyd, Michon 5 DTM, ALS, ACG, CL, LDREXC O'Brien, Brenda 5 CC, CL, CC, CL, ACB Salavante, Aurora R. 5 CL, CC, CC, ALB, CL Byrne, David E. 4 CL, CC, CL, CC Collis, Kay 4 ACG, CL, ALB, ACG Cormier, George Andrew 4 CL, LDREXC, ALS, DTM Goldstein, Steven 4 CL, CC, CL, ACB Komori, Vivian E. 4 ALS, DTM, LDREXC, CC Lager, Mark A. 4 ACG, DTM, ALS, LDREXC Lewison, Karen D. 4 ALB, CL, LDREXC, CL Meffan, Elisia 4 LDREXC, ACG, CL, CC Miller, Shannon 4 LDREXC, ALS, DTM, CC Sanchez, Patricia Elizabeth 4 ACS, ALB, ACB, LDREXC Scoble, Cristina P. 4 ACG, LDREXC, ALS, DTM Vacca, Fern 4 CL, ACG, CC, LDREXC Welsh, Bradford A 4 CC, CL, ALB, ACB Aubin, Sandy 3 CC, ACS, ALS Chun, Elsje 3 ALB, LDREXC, ACB Dahlheimer, Philip J. 3 ACG, CC, CC Dunford, Gene R 3 ALB, ACB, CL Dunning, Phillip 3 ACB, ALB, CL Harper, Valerie Ann 3 CC, CL, ACS Helt, Curtis R 3 CL, ACB, CC Herman, Glen A. 3 DTM, ALS, LDREXC Hill, Ann 3 CC, CC, CC Landau, Jeff 3 ALS, DTM, CC Lee, Ying-Ming 3 ACB, CL, CC Lepper, Carl Andrew 3 LDREXC, ALS, DTM Linnert-Dunford, Lorraine 3 ALB, CC, CL Mazza, Lisa K. 3 ALS, DTM, LDREXC McBay, Kenneth 3 ACB, CL, ALB Perone, Anthony A 3 ACB, CL, ALB Porter, Katy D. 3 CL, ACS, CC Priddy, Margaret Louise 3 CL, ACB, CC Riddle, Eric M 3 CL, CC, CL Scoble, Robert J. 3 ALB, CL, ACB Seymour, Gregory F. 3 LDREXC, ALS, DTM Shank, Rebecca Green 3 ACB, CL, ALB Soucy, Brian R. 3 ALB, ACB, ACS Turner, Flora R. 3 LDREXC, ACG, CC Watts, Gary L. 3 LDREXC, ALS, DTM Weinapple, Michael P. 3 ACS, ALS, LDREXC Zakowska, Anna Justyna 3 ACG, ACB, ACS

MORE DISTRICT 33 KUDOS

Fifty-four members sponsored THREE or more new members this year. They deserve special recognition for their efforts: Member name
Cristina P. Scoble, DTM George Andrew Cormier, ACG, ALB Gloria I. Davidson, DTM Carol L. Sauceda, DTM Grace Rachow, ATMS, CL Jesse Oakley III, DTM Aurora R. Salavante, ACG, ALB Gregg Wilkerson, ACG, ALB Michael Ford, CC, CL Patricia Jepsen, DTM Carl J. Dieter, ACS, ALB Frank Nolimal, ATM Janice L. Weisenberger, ATM Kay Collis, DTM Steven Goldstein, DTM Al Brown, DTM Cynthia A. Dondero, CC, CL Donald N. Williams, DTM Michon Loyd, DTM Viji Sundar, ACS, CL Vivian E. Komori, DTM Ann Marie Barton Brenda O'Brien, DTM Corky Cornell, CC, CL Donna M. Castricone, CC, ALB Hergit Coco Llenas, CC JanMarie Crabbe, CC, ALB Janice Louise Wallace, ACG, ALB Susil Sivaraman Ying-Ming Lee, DTM Ann Hill, DTM Cheri A. Hickman, ACG, CL D. George Lund, DTM Edith L Byrd Elisia Meffan, ACG, ALB Francisco Arias, CC Gene R Dunford, ACB, ALB Gordon Pickett, DTM John Stuart Rogers, DTM Joy I. Gaylord, ATMS, CL Linda J. Sims, DTM Mark Lawrence Hunter, ACS, ALB Midori Tani, ACB Nora A. Lonnquist, ACG, CL Patrick William Hardy, ACG, ALB, AS Phyllis Ann Tribby, DTM Robert J. Scoble, ACB, ALB Robert W. Francome Rodney W. Baldwin, CC, CL Sandy Aubin, ACS, ALS Sherrie V. Parker, DTM Twila R. Stout, DTM William Everett Starr, ACB, CL Yuka Seltzer, ACS, ALB

# mem sponsored
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DISTRICT 33 GUEST COMMENTARY GOAL SETTING AFTER 50 By George Cormier, DTM It is said the older we get the wiser we become. Some say its because of the amount of long term memory we have stored. Whether this statement is true or not, we surely have developed our modus operandi toward life. For many our journey through life has included many twist and turns. When we are younger, time seems to drag by and we were always in a hurry to conquer all of lifes challenges. As we have reached our prime, time now flies by and we approach these same challenges at a much slower pace, sometimes not at all. Could it be because of the lessons we learned? Who knows? Today I will share some advice with you on how to keep it real. Goal setting is still important! Especially, now as we face lifes little surprises. When you look in the mirror are you happy with the image you see? Have you evolved into the person you visualized when you were a child? If not, there is still time. The secret to this transition is up to YOU! It starts with a vision and setting both long and short term Goals. (Keep in mind you had to crawl before you walked). Another important step in this process is to set milestones, check points along the way to keep you on track. Celebrations are equally as important, I guess that why birthdays are a major part of life. Remember change is good, but it aint easy! To better oneself often requires us to reprogram our though processes. Thinking positive, even changing our vocabulary. Terms like Tenacity should replace words like Compliancy. Are you getting the idea? In the last three years I have set several goals. One was to improve my health. Another was to improve my confidence. Today I am happy to report my health has improved. I have lost 65 pound and maintained the loss for over 2 years. This has helped me to keep my diabetes under control. In the area of confidence I recently attained my Distinguish Toastmaster status (DTM). I have been looking forward to this accomplishment since 1985. I am celebrating my recent success not by gloating but providing you with a formula that I believe can help you as well.

IMAGES OF 2012-2013 DISTRICT 33 TOASTMASTERS

Unity in the Community

MORE IMAGES OF 2012-2013 DISTRICT 33 TOASTMASTERS

Unity in the Community

It has been an amazing journey. Thank you for allowing me to serve an awesome community as your District Governor for the 2012-2013 Toastmaster year. Thank you for bringing Unity in the Community to life. Thank you for your time and attention.

The Door is Always Open..