For the City Times

Sentry Toastmasters Club met with a business meeting opened by our Vice President of Education, Debbie Carcy. During the business meeting Helen Roman was awarded the 2014 Rookie of the Year.

The slate of officers was submitted, and elections held with unanimous decision given to the slate. Installation of officers will take place next month. Carcy is also our SpeechCraft Coordinator which is appropriate as this meeting was the SpeechCraft participant graduation. Carcy then introduced Terri Ballenger who served as Toastmaster for the evening.

SpeechCraft graduates (L-R) Debbie Carcy, SpeechCraft coordinator; Frank Simonis; Darko Milovanovic; Travis Skavhaug; and Joni Lodzinski, president. (Contributed photo)

Ballenger introduced the 4 speakers for the evening – all working from the Competent Communicator manual. Frank Simonis compelled us all to be prepared in every aspect to protect yourself in his speech titled, “Zombie Apocalypse, are you prepared?” Travis Skavhaug made sure we were aware that Green Bay Packer tickets can be purchased if you want them in his speech titled “You must go to Lambeau!” Darko Milovanovic contrasted the differences between food and the cultures around food between Serbia, Iceland and the United States with his speech titled, “Good Food”. Luke Arneson, tickled our brains with various idioms and the background on each with his speech titled, “A Way with Words”.

In support of the theme for the evening – Cloud 9, our Topic Master, Dick Hawley called upon a few of our members for their impromptu speeches.

Toastmaster Ballenger also introduced the General Evaluator for the meeting, Carcy.  Carcy led her team of evaluators, Roman; Brian Cychosz; Jen Steuck and Joni Lodzinski who evaluated each of the speakers. The next group of his team, included the Ah Counter (Deborah Ginsburg); Grammarian (Ciana Rose) and the Timer (Tom Treder).

After giving an overall evaluation for the meeting, he turned the lectern back to Lodzinski who thanked all of the SpeechCraft participants and acknowledged the strong leadership their Coordinator Carcy exhibited throughout the session. Lodzinski reminded us all of the benefits Toastmasters gives us all – to learn, teach and lead. She then closed the meeting.

Sentry Toastmaster Club meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, at Sentry Home Office from 4:30-6 PM. For further information about SpeechCraft or Toastmasters, please contact Dick Hawley at [email protected] or 715-341-6488.