- Division Contests: I recognized the members and clubs of our Area, which took first place in both the Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests at the Division level! These members will go on to compete in the District-level contests at the spring conference.
- Membership Growth: I recognized two clubs that recently added an amazing 10 members to their rosters. I also noted that they made specific efforts to grow membership, such as by organizing open house events. Moreover, I recognized the remaining clubs for their membership growth (all other clubs added two to five members).
- Pathways Training Event: I informed the club Presidents of a special Pathways training event I was coordinating along with a fellow Area Director in the Division. I asked them to save the date and look for details as the event approached.
- Pathways Resources: I provided a number of useful Pathways resources, including path and project descriptions, a video tutorial on how to enroll, and the Base Camp Manager duties guide. This was to support Pathways adoption and educational progress, which has become of increasing interest to clubs lately. I also outlined how Level 1 works in Pathways, since it is the same for all members, regardless of which path they choose.
- Nominations for Elected Positions: I provided a link to the District nomination instructions and forms, noting the deadline of December 15. This is the nomination period for elected positions, including District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, and Division Director. I also asked the club leaders to keep an eye out for potential Area Directors, which would be nominated in April 2019.
- Presenting the Community: I announced that my year-long series of video testimonials from members all over South Florida and The Bahamas officially came to an end. I sent everyone a link to the final video, as well as the entire series, so they could enjoy.
- Upcoming Events: As with the previous newsletter, I provided a simple list of events on the horizon for 2019 to keep everyone focused on what is ahead.
- Special Events and Requests: Lastly, I announced some special events and requests made by individual members and different officials in the Toastmasters hierarchy over the past month, thereby making club leaders aware and encouraging their participation.
The December Area Newsletter
With almost half of the year complete, just under half of the work has been done for the term of the Area Director. There was a lot of information to share, although the items are much less urgent during this time of the year. I highlighted these items in my December newsletter: