Thus, the time has come for another monthly newsletter. Here's what I included in my September edition, which was sent out to all club Presidents and VPEs in the Area.
- Semi-Annual Dues Renewal: To be eligible for DCP and remain in good standing with Toastmasters International, all clubs must get their dues submitted by October 1.
- Club Contests: I shared the dates of each club's contests and encouraged them to contact each other if they need help with supporting roles, such as test speakers.
- Area Contest: I provided the date for the Area contest and a list of the various roles that need to be filled. I requested help finding volunteers and noted how these roles can be used to support educational awards, such as the High-Performance Leadership (HPL) project, manual speeches, and Competent Leadership (CL) projects.
- Division Contest: I provided the date of the Division contest and noted, as with the Area contest, that we would be seeking volunteers to help make the event a success.
- Smedley Award: This annual membership drive occurs from August 1 to September 30. Clubs get special recognition for adding five members during the period.
- DCP: I reminded clubs of the DCP opportunities, recognized the planning that they were already conducting, and invited them to discuss strategies with me. I also gave an example strategy for Pathways, which makes it very easy for any club to achieve the five points required for Distinguished status.
- World Championship of Public Speaking: One of our own District members competed on the world stage at the International Convention this year and took third place. I linked to a highlight video of this members' speech.
- Presenting the Community: My own HPL project, which featured a series of video testimonials from members all over South Florida and The Bahamas, was featured on the District website. I linked to the website, so they could find and enjoy the videos.
Lastly, I thanked everyone for inviting me for formal visits during the month of August and encouraged them to let me know how I can best support their clubs moving forward.