february 28, 2017 minutes

he February 28, 2018 meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was called to order promptly at 6:00 by Sergeant at Arms Rob.  In attendance were 19 members and 1 first time guest, Senden.
Toastmaster of the Day Tiffini centered the meeting around the theme of Black History Month.  Tiffini provided a trivia game and supplied lots of interesting facts for the crowd, including:

•       Black History Month was made official in 1970 by President Gerald Ford.
•       The first African-American to appear on a U.S. postage stamp was Booker T. Washington
•       In 1989, Virginia was the first state to elect a black governor.
•       Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but not the Freedom Award.

General Evaluator Greg then introduced his team including Grammarian Rob, Ah Counter Beverly, Timer Christian, and Ballot Counter George.  Rob’s Word of the Day was “Invigorating” which means “to make one feel strong, healthy, and full of energy”.

Taking a turn at the lectern were three prepared speakers.  First up was Ken with “You Can Run on Empty”, project 1 from the Advanced Manual Humorously Speaking.  Ken’s project asked him to warm up the audience, which he did with a story about a midnight battle that took place during his days with the U.S. Marines. “You can muster to the strength to get back up and run again,” Ken told the audience.  Jim served as Ken’s Evaluator.  He felt the speech was motivational, inspirational and had a strong call to action.  Jim complimented Ken’s riveting storytelling style, excellent tone and vocal variety.

Lori was up next with her first project from the advanced manual The Entertaining Speaker.  Lori’s speech was titled “The Dirty Dozen: 12 Secrets About Parenting that Nobody Tells You… But Should”.  Lori’s objectives included sharing a personal story to entertain the crowd which she did via a Power Point presentation featuring her two sons, and a list of 12 potential pitfalls parents face including the gross factor that kids bring to the table, the embarrassing moments  and the lack of both sleep and money.  Best Evaluator Andrea gave her thoughts on Lori’s presentation.  She enjoyed her liberal use of one –liners, the photos featured in the slide show and Lori’s writing style.

Matt was the final speaker of the evening.  With project 2 from the advanced manual Special Occasion Speeches, Matt gave a moving speech entitled “A Tribute to Herevery Ross”.  Herevery was a dear friend to Matt and a former T-Toaster.  Matt shared that he was a very ambitious man who served in Germany, had a successful career in the insurance industry, and a gifted orator who spent 50 years as a Toastmaster.  Herevery’s ambition was second only to his generous philanthropic nature. Through his generosity, many benefited from his founding of Toastmasters clubs.  Chad served as Matt’s Evaluator.  He complimented Matt’s preparation, smooth flow, completion of the project’s objectives and genuine and impactful words.

There was no vote for Best Speaker as only two of the participants had qualifying times.

During the Table Topics portion of the meeting, Topicsmaster Anne shared some beautiful and moving tales of African American heroes which she used to introduce her thought-provoking questions.  Anne began with the story of William Harvey Corney who was awarded the Medal of Honor.  She then asked Marcus, “Share with us someone who should receive the medal of honor.”  Marcus spoke about his friend, new member James, and the influence he has had on his life.  Anne spoke of Robert Blake next.  She asked James to tell us about a time he’d had to sacrifice and do a job that he didn’t want to do to get something he really wanted. James spoke about demolishing a house in Tuscaloosa, AL in the middle of summer.  Anne then spoke of Robert Sweeny who twice saved men’s lives, then asked Devin to share a frustrating experience on the road.  Devin spoke of a terrifying spin out experience on a winter day many years back.  Anne asked Kristina to name the greatest challenge she’d faced as a second generation African American college graduate.  Kristina found attending her father’s alma matter to be a challenge and often felt all eyes were on her.  Anne closed out this portion of the meeting by speaking a few words about Herevery Ross who’d once told her, “If you’re going to sing, sing as loud as you can!”  Senden then shared that his wife was someone who made a big difference in his life.

General Evaluator Greg then called on his team for their reports.  Rob told us that several members had used the Word of the Day and noted some of his favorite phrases of the evening.  Ken used “muster strength” and “wind knocked out of you”.  Lori used “misery loves company” and “pulling back the curtain”.  Matt used “the only person you’re competing with is yourself”.  Marcus used “jump the broom”.  Andrea used “hit the nail on the head.”
Greg suggested that Toastmasters of the Day remember to call out the evaluators for each speech and that we remove the flag after the pledge.  He also commented on the great speeches and reminded us that dues are due no later than March 31st.   Dues are $60 and can be paid via Paypal, checks made out to T-Toasters of Vinings or cash.  Our club receives incentives if we have enough members renew by the 15th, so please pay asap!

President Jim then took the lectern for announcements:
•       We formally welcomed our newest members: James, Severin, and Marquisa.
•       Please remember to come out to cheer on Jatika and Suzanne at the Division D Table Topics and International Speech contests
Saturday, March 3 promptly at 10 AM.
Location: Cobb County Water System, Water Quality Laboratory,  662 South Cobb Drive, Marietta GA 30060
MAPQUEST - Directions:  https://www.mapquest.com/us/ga/marietta/30060-3105/662-s-cobb-dr-33.935849,-84.54034
•       VPE George reminded us that Toastmaster of the Day and GE roles have been assigned to members for the next several months.  Please check with him if you need to have your date reassigned.
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