Page 32 - 2022-11

PLUGGED IN

Thankful for Toastmasters

Jennifer Schmidt, EH2

Thanksgiving is a time when many people elves, everything looked professionally
slow down and reflect on what they are most organized when we were finished.
thankful for in their lives. This can include Not long after that day, Becky and her
family, friends, and civic organizations like husband decided to retire to Florida. Our second

our Toastmasters Clubs. in command, Mark, the VP of Education, also
Seventeen years ago, when I visited my moved to California. Everyone was sad that
first Toastmasters meeting, I showed up on a both Becky and Mark left. It wasn’t until they
Tuesday evening with no idea what to expect. I were gone that the Club became defunct.

do remember that everyone was super friendly, Why? Just like a precarious game of Jenga,
and tons of applause was a big part of the Club success was dependent on two key people
meeting. Becky, the Club President, stood out instead of the entire Club. On top of that, we
the most because she was running everything, lost our meeting room, and virtual meeting

which was well-organized and on time. platforms like Zoom didn’t exist then. It was
I admired Becky’s enthusiasm. She was the sad, but a great lesson I have never forgotten.
heart of our Club and our biggest cheerleader. The rest of us took Becky and Mark for
When she wasn’t working at her full-time job, granted. After all, we were a well-established

she spent most of her free time working on Club, had a great meeting space, and it all
Toastmasters. She especially loved attending seemed effortless. When we arrived at the
the Toastmasters conferences and seemed to meetings, everything would go well, so easy
know everyone in attendance. peasy. We assumed (never a good idea) that

One day, Becky asked me if I could help her nothing would change, we could rely on our
organize the Toastmaster supply locker at our Tuesday night meeting and that it would always
meeting location. She told me how much she be there. A welcoming place of clapping and
appreciated my help as we filed everything that laughter.

was in disarray. It seemed no one else had the I didn't realize the details involved until I
time to help her. The hours flew by as we sorted, was physically organizing paperwork. Becky
labeled, and chatted about Toastmasters, and didn’t seem to need much help, and if she did,
life in general. Like two happy Toastmasters Mark would pick up the slack, with the rest of us

32 ONE COMMUNITY