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The Ohana of District 49 On May 2, 2009, Aloha District 49 Toastmasters celebrated and honored the accomplishments of the clubs and members throughout the state of Hawaii at our Spring Conference, “Courage to Achieve.” Dynamic speakers and the exciting Table Topics and International Speech Contests were outstanding! Congratulations to all the contestants and to the top 3 winners of each contest! As we continue to persevere (ho’omanu) and achieve (ho’oko) our personal, club and district goals for the 2008-2009 year, our spirit of ohana (family) and unity (lokahi) continues to grow strong. The enthusiasm shared among our District 49 ohana is uplifting and inspiring as clubs and members are recognized for their hard work and achievements. Two new clubs were added to our Toastmasters family: Atlas ‘Olelo Hui Club, chartered in December 2008, and House Speakers Toastmasters Club, chartered in February 2009. On March 31, 2009, thirteen clubs achieved the District Governor’s Challenge by becoming Distinguished Clubs. More clubs are currently seeking distinguished status by focusing on membership and educational goals. Club members continue to achieve their educational and leadership goals by actively speaking and leading. As of date, District 49 has achieved 3 out of 4 Critical Success Factor goals, and we are currently working on meeting our Competent Communicator (CC) goal soon! The 2008-2009 Toastmasters year ends on June 30, 2009. Let us be steadfast (kupa’a) as we continue to navigate our canoe forward (imua!), paddling together in unity and with the spirit of ohana. Let us continue to build stronger clubs and a stronger district. With deepest appreciation, I want to acknowledge and thank each of you for being part of this amazing team of aloha! It has been a wonderful and amazing experience serving as your District Governor. May you continue to achieve and succeed in your Toastmasters’ journey to reach your fullest potential as a communicator and leader. Together, we can achieve! Aloha Nui Loa, |
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The Courage to Achieve! Fellow Toastmasters, What do you get when you mix a dose of adrenaline, fear and determination? The result is a feeling of Exhilaration! The thrill…the rush…the charge that comes from overcoming one’s fear, or achieving one’s goal! At the November 2008 District 49 Conference, Toastmasters International President, Jana Barnhill, challenged the “Key Three” (Cat Sawai, Anne Meyers and me) to skydive! President Jana had a fear of flying after a being involved in a 1985 small plane crash on the way to a convention. As a result, she was paralyzed with the fear of flying. To conquer her fear, Jana did her first skydive jump from a small plane. She shared her story and video at the 2008 International Convention in Calgary. Sitting in the audience, the three of us were so inspired and motivated by her story that we decided to take our first parachute jump. Edean Kitamura from Hawaiian Dredging joined us on Sunday, March 29, 2009. We jumped! In Toastmasters, we find ourselves in similar situations of gaining the confidence and courage to speak and lead. The best way to gain confidence is to take “the plunge” and just do it! It’s not easy, because fear can be paralyzing, destroying one’s confidence and inner strength. Yet each step towards earning ones CCs, ACs or CLs is a great accomplishment in itself. We are all winners if we endure and persevere. By achieving the Critical Success Factors of membership payments, educational and membership growth, we are building stronger clubs and a stronger district. At the beginning of the 2008-09 Toastmaster year, Jana Barnhill stated, “my challenge to us all this year is to come to the edge of our fears. Allow our fellow members to push us. With that push we will fly, giving us the Courage to Conquer!” We are at the last quarter of the Toastmaster year, if we push forward, we can fly toward becoming Distinguished! Lisa Foster |
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Fellow Toastmasters, Determination! 1. Every Member is DETERMINED to become a Competent Communicator (CC) We are in the home stretch with nearly 65% of the year gone by. With courage and determination we can achieve our Membership, CCs and CL goals!
Lisa Foster, District Governor 2008-2009 |
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Happy New Year Fellow Toastmasters! I would like to wish you a prosperous new year filled with hope, optimism, happiness and good health! The New Year brings opportunities for achievement, success and personal growth. Similar to blank pages in an unwritten book, each one of us has the opportunity to write our own stories, to fill the pages with experiences of our journey toward reaching our personal or professional goals, or to reach out to someone else who needs a lending hand. I call this the “Book of Opportunity”.
We are half-way through our Toastmaster year, and through the efforts of our club members, officers and the district leadership team, we have the ability to reach or exceed our goals for the year. The Distinguished Club Program (DCP) is the key to success! Through the DCP, each club has the opportunity to succeed in reaching their membership, educational and training goals.
It was with great excitement that newest club in the District, Atlas ‘Olelo Hui Toastmasters Club was chartered on December 1, 2008! However, the challenge we continue to face is membership growth and retention. We must not forget our own clubs. What are we doing to promote Toastmasters within our clubs, to bring in new members and to retain our current members?
Our mission is to enhance the performance and extend the network of clubs, thereby offering greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the TM educational programs.
It is truly remarkable that Toastmasters empowers us to reach our fullest potential, improves our communication and leadership skills, and gives us the courage to achieve! Together, let’s make 2009 a year to remember! Lisa Foster, District Governor 2008-2009 |
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Aloha! I am much honored to serve as your District Governor for the 2008-09 year. I want to welcome all of you to our Distinguished District 49! This year, District 49’s theme is “Courage to Achieve.” Courage is an inner state, a quality of mind or spirit that enables us to persevere, to achieve and to face our challenges. Courage allows us to venture forth with determination and resolution. More importantly, through team work, District 49 can continue to do more and be more as we work together to achieve our goals in communication and leadership development. We are excited to be a Distinguished District for the second year in a row! We can continue to be a Distinguished District through teamwork. We have an excellent team of Area and Division Governors, and resource people who will lead and assist members and clubs to meet their goals for the 2008-09 year. Let’s show the world how District 49 Hawaii has the Courage to Achieve! Let’s rock the rock! Yours in Toastmasters, Lisa Foster, District Governor 2008-2009 |
