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Agenda May 6, 2004

We're now sending our agenda via email, so please advise us of your email address if you've not done so. As always, you may visit our calendar page to view the roster for the upcoming meeting and download a printable agenda.

Our annual Chinese Auction raised $230 for the club treasury. Thanks to all of our members who participated. It was a fun evening and provided lots of laughs as well as some funds for our club.
March 18, 2004 Meeting: April 15, 2004
We had a lighter than normal turnout for this meeting, due to a weather forecast of snow. Fortunately, members once again stepped up to fill roles, and we also had several guests, including Scott, Jim, Bob and Michele. Bob and Michele announced their decision to join the club. Awards for the evening went to George McGonagle for Best Speaker and Denise Rykard for Best Table Topics. We sadly must announce that our friend and long-time member, John E. Sansone, DTM, passed away on Thursday, April 15, 2004.
February 2004:
Honors go to new club member
February-March 2004 Fund Raiser Drawings: 

One of our newest members, Michele Leahy, was recently crowned "Miss Wheelchair Pennsylvania." Congratulations, Michele!

Kim Antonacci won the 50/50 drawing at our February 19 meeting. At the March 4 meeting, our Guest Mike took home the prize. Congratulations to Kim and Mike and thank you to all for supporting our club!
February 19, 2004: Spring Club Contest Results
A lot of good presentations and an excellent turnout worked together to make a great evening at our club-level competition. In the Evaluation portion of the event, George McGonagle won First Place. Second Place for that category went to Glenn Laveson and Herb Rheinstrom took Third. For the Speech contest, Joe McQue won First Place for his speech titled, "Man's Inhumanity Towards Man." Maureen Broderick won Second Place and Herb Rheinstrom came in Third. Many thanks to the contestants, Judges, our Model Speaker Rita Smith, Chief Judge Don Suplee, and all who assisted in the support of this event. Special recognition is due Aaron Burns for his hard work as Contest Chair.
January 14, 2004
George Flannery - Charter member, friend

It is with sadness that we report that our friend and fellow Toastmaster, George Flannery, passed away January 14. George was a charter member of Philadelphia's First Toastmasters Club and had been a distinguished member of our Club for over 55 years. He served District 38 in many capacities including District 38 Governor. George was also a past International Director with Toastmasters International. For those of us who had the pleasure of knowing George over the years, he was a constant inspiration, a delightful friend and dedicated Toastmaster. He will be greatly missed.

District 38 Fall Conference - November 21-22, 2003 - Clarks Summit, PA
A half-dozen of our members journeyed to the District 38 Fall Conference to support two of our very own as they represented Division C in competition. George McGonagle competed in Humorous Speech and Maureen Broderick competed in Table Topics. Maureen won Third Place in her event. We're very proud of both!

During the Saturday evening banquet, Toastmasters International President Ted Corcoran stopped by our table to say hello. Mr. Corcoran, who lives in Ireland, has been traveling around the U.S. visiting various Toastmasters Districts. Pictured here from left to right are George, TM President Corcoran, Maureen, Aaron, John, and Don. (Not pictured is Pat, who also attended.)

Recognition For Our Website

Our website was named Pennsylvania Destination of the Day by AboutPennsylvania.com for November 4, 2003. We truly appreciate this recognition.

October 2, 2003: Division Winners! October 2, 2003 meeting: Fall 2003 Club Contest Results


Our club made a great showing at the October 25, 2003 Division Contest. George McGonagle took First Place in the Humorous Speech Contest and Maureen Broderick won the Table Topics Contest! Congratulations to both. Let's support them as they move on to the District Conference.

Our club's Speech contests were held at the October 2 meeting. George McGonagle won the Humorous Speech Contest and Maureen Broderick took First Place in the Table Topics competition. Second Place honors in each contest went to Aaron Burns and Glenn Laveson. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated and assisted in the contests!
Club Officers
for 2003-2004
Club officer to make presentation at 2003 Spring Conference

Our new officers assumed their duties on July 1, 2003 under the leadership of incoming President Maureen Broderick. Click here to see the roster and a list of duties for each office. Many thanks to our outgoing officers.

Rita Smith, club VP-Membership, will address seminar attendees

Rita Smith, ATMB/CL, will present an Educational Session at our upcoming District 38 Spring Conference. Her presentation is titled: Creating the Best Club Climate - Promoting Excellence. This presentation focuses on the important contributions that each member makes towards the success of a Toastmasters Club. Rita will share her insights into what is necessary to maintain an active Club membership and her goal of having a good time at each meeting. Rita’s belief is that having fun is an important part of developing our communication and leadership skills. A portion of this session will include audience participation, so come prepared to share your success stories. The District 38 Conference will be held May 9 & 10 at the Doral Forrestal Conference Center in Princeton, NJ.

February 20, 2003 Contest Results

Our club's annual Speech and Evaluation contests were held at the February 20 meeting. Joe McQue won the International Speech contest and Larry Goldberg won the Evaluation contest. Each will go on to represent our club at the Area level.

January 2, 2003 meeting:
A Special Guest

Mr. Darren LaCroix, professional keynote speaker and comedian, addressed us during the second half of our meeting. Darren is an energetic, uninhibited and highly-expressive speaker. He held us entranced with his stories of how, after failing in small business, he went on to become Toastmasters' 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. Darren's first rule to achieving growth in public speaking is to "never give up stage time." After hearing his amazing presentation, it was obvious to us why Mr. LaCroix is the World Champion.

November 8-9, 2002
Members Attend Fall Toastmasters Conference

Several of our members attended the District 38 Conference, which was held at the beautiful ACE Conference Center in Lafayette Hill, PA the weekend of November 8-9. The Conference included educational sessions, a wonderful lunch, and the awesome Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests. CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS.

November 7, 2002 meeting:
First Night At Our New Venue

MaureenA wonderful new meeting facility and three first-time Guests combined to make a good night. Members found that Philadelphia Protestant Home really provides a great space for our meetings, with an abundance of seating, a lectern, sound system, sufficient lighting, and plenty of room to set up easels and move about when speaking! The building has ample parking and convenient, barrier-free access. Our usual meeting room is just inside the main entrance. Halfway through the evening we broke for coffee and donuts and got to visit with our Guests and each other. Many thanks to George McGonagle,Aaron Maureen Broderick, and all those who helped make arrangements for our move to this new venue. Well done!

Awards for the evening

Best Speaker: Nick DiToro
Best Evaluator: Don Suplee
Best Table Topics: Helen Oxman

October 17, 2002 meeting:

Awards for the evening

Best Speaker: Soumitra Basu
Best Evaluator: Maureen Broderick
Best Table Topics: Ann Martha

October 10, 2002:
Philly's First Sweeps Area Contest!

Our club made a great showing at the Area 2C Speech Contest on October 10th. Patricia Sicila won 1st Place in the Humorous Speech Contest with her speech titled, "My First Apartment." Maureen Broderick took 1st Place in the Table Topics Contest with her humorous and spirited response to the question, "Would you support casino gambling in Pennsylvania if it benefited public schools?" Congratulations to each on a job well done. They will now go on to represent our Club and Area at the Division Contest. The Area contest was hosted by New Covenant Toastmasters at their large and impressive facility in Philadelphia. A contingent of members from our club was there to support Pat and Maureen.

September 5, 2002 meeting:

Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest Results:

WINNERS:
1st Place, Humorous Speech Contest: Patricia Sicilia
     Pat's Speech title: "My First Apartment"
2nd Place, Humorous Speech Contest: Jack Laurilliard
     Jack's Speech title: "The Lady in Red"
1st Place, Table Topics Contest: Maureen Broderick
2nd Place, Table Topics Contest: Joe McQue, Jr.

Congratulations to the winners! We wish them the best at the Area Contest. Thank you to all entrants and those that filled the many vital roles from Timer to Judge.

August 15, 2002 meeting:
Members Stand Up and Show Us What it's all About

Our August 15th meeting presented special challenges as we had some last-minute cancellations. This seems inevitable - especially during the summer - but what made this night great was the way in which six members willingly filled those vacancies. That is the essence of being a Toastmaster: seeing what needs to be done, knowing how to do it, and stepping up to do it.

One highlight of the evening was hearing two new members make their first speeches. We were happy to see Robinson Akiri and Nicholas DiToro make the plunge into their "Icebreaker." (The "Icebreaker" speech is the first presentation made by a new Member and is designed to allow the Member to introduce himself or herself to the club.) Each did very well.

Near the end of the meeting, Club President George McGonagle presented Rita Smith, V.P. Membership, with certificates she's earned for "Competent Leader" and "Advanced Toastmaster-Bronze." This represents a lot of work. Congratulations, Rita!

Awards for the evening

Best Speaker: Joe McQue, Jr.
Best Evaluator: Maureen Broderick
Best Table Topics: George McGonagle

August 1, 2002 meeting:
Guest Makes a Big Showing at Philadelphia's First

August 1st was a unique night for our club. We witnessed a rare occurrence when our Guest, Joe McQue, Jr., claimed the awards for "Best Table Topics" and "Best Evaluator." (Joe is an experienced Toastmaster.) Our very own Rita Smith, a perennial favorite, won "Best Speaker" for her speech titled "White Collar Crimes."
May 16, 2002 meeting: June 6, 2002 meeting: June 20, 2002 meeting:
Fund raiser proves to be a FUN raiser

Our Chinese Auction was a lot of fun and a huge success in raising funds for our club. We saw everything from collectible car models to music CDs to coffee grinders auctioned off to bolster our treasury. A good time and lots of laughs were had by all. Many thanks to our Auctioneers and Bidders!
District 38 Governor visits Philly's First

The club was honored with a visit by Kathryn Pape, DTM, our District Governor. We're especially thankful for her visit because she drove through 3-1/2 hours of pouring rain to be with us. Kathryn participated in Table Topics and later distributed District theme pins to members who achieved their goals for this year. The gold pins feature the P.I.E. -"Projecting Individual Excellence"- logo she created for District 38. Kathryn is ending a very successful year as our District Governor and is an inspiration to every Toastmaster.

Standing room only, almost

June 20th was an exciting night at the club as we scrambled to find seats for our guests. Of course, that's a nice problem to have! We were happy to be visited by Ernie, Jasmine, Michael, Robinson, Bob, and Joan. Joan is actually a member of our club who's been away for some time. Jasmine is another veteran Toastmaster. She belonged to another club several years ago and has already delivered a few speeches. We always enjoy having guests and hope to see them again.

Awards for the evening

Best Speaker: Pat Sicilia
Best Table Topics: Joan Stewart

ELECTION results are in for 2002-03 Club Officers

The May 16th voting proceeded in an orderly fashion and there were no hanging or dimpled chads. It's nice to see that our democratic system still works!

President: George McGonagle
VP/Education:  Maureen Broderick
VP/Membership: Rita Smith
Secretary: Andrea Blau
Treasurer: Don Suplee
Sergeant-at-arms: Joe Wilkinson