Page 18 - Voices-2022-04
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FROM THE WINGS
Volunteers Make It All Happen
PJ Kleffner, DTM - Immediate Past District Director
I have attended and helped with three Club, our culture in Toastmasters. Of course, there’s
seventeen Area, and three Division contests, also the reciprocity thing—“I’ll help with your
and 12 separate pre-contest briefings so far. Am contest if you help with mine.”
I complaining? No, because I do enjoy hearing Speaking of volunteers, do you have any
the speakers give it their all at contests, but I idea how many people it takes to run this
am looking forward to a break at the end of District? It all starts at the Annual Business
this year’s contest season. Meeting in May when we elect the new Trio
Holding contests on Zoom is both a blessing (District Director, Program Quality Director
and a curse. Among the blessings, we can and Club Growth Director) and eight Division
attend contests in parts of the District that Directors. This is just the beginning, because
previously required many hours of driving, the incoming District Director then appoints
and we can recruit impartial judges outside our the District staff positions of Administrative
Area or Division (and even different countries). Manager, Finance Manager, Public Relations
On the down side, there are so many contests Manager and Parliamentarian, plus 35 Area
that it’s a full-time job to attend all of them. Directors. We’re up to 50 people so far, in case
Also, it takes a lot more people to hold a speech you weren’t counting.
contest on Zoom than it did in person. But wait, there’s more! Nothing happens
In addition to all the usual contest without a lot of planning and preparation,
roles—judges, ballot counters, timers and which means teams of people and chairs or
Sergeant-at-Arms—we have a group of “Zoom coordinators to lead them. For example, the
Masters” working behind the scenes to make District Leadership Committee, the Club
sure there are no technical glitches. This adds Realignment Committee, and the Pathways
to the challenge of recruiting volunteers. Committee each have a chairperson and
Fortunately, volunteering is a large part of eight members to represent each of our eight
18 ONE COMMUNITY
