Page 35 - March 2021 Voices

FIELD NOTES

Fellow Toastmasters —

Greetings, I hope the new year finds us all healthy and ready to give some
great speeches, we sure do have a year to talk about!
Looking over our calendar of events for 2021, Capital Toastmasters

can finally see the light that 2021 brings. We have battled COVID, then the
wildfires and now the future of Capital Toastmasters is back on its path.
Looking forward, it is good to realize we made it through probably one of

the darkest times in our Club’s history.
A prison club has many hurdles as club members know well, but
having to deal with all the issues of 2020 was one for the record books.
But we did it! Our club has a history of great accomplishments, and we
were able to pivot and lean in bringing in new members, holding speeches

on the prison yard, and accomplishing our Pathway objectives. With
vaccinations underway, we will soon be back to holding regular club
meetings. The resiliency of our members has made our club hopeful for

2021. As we all sat helpless thinking about our families and friends, with
limited communication and on/off again email capabilities, we had to rely
on a smile or encouraging word of support from one another. In difficult
times it is important for a community to come together. We could see it
happening all over Oregon and even inside our prison community.

As Toastmasters it was imperative to set an example of good will and
good speech. I saw many of our club members stepping up and helping
out where needed. Being a part of Toastmasters, we are told to always

be prepared to give a speech or assist in completing our Pathway. It was
during our darkest moments that the light of our Toastmasters shined
through.

Sincerely,

Kyle Hedquist, EC1
V. President, Public Relations - Capital Toastmasters

VOICES! | MARCH 2021 35