Click here to learn about the Talk Up Toastmasters program, from February 1 to March 31!

5 January 2023

Greetings Toastmasters of District 53,

My family and I wish you the very best, YOUR very best life in 2023!

I find myself amazed that half of the 2022-2023 program year is written in the past. Immediate Past District Director Ishii told me that this year as District Director would occur as passing quickly. 

John J. Hogan, District Director

He was spot on!

Nevertheless, there is much to come in the next six months! Your Club Speech Contests are in full swing. Area and Division Speech Contests will follow, culminating with District Speech Contests, conducted at the Spring Conference in May. Club Officer Training events are happening too, throughout January and February. FebFest 2023 planning for February 4 is in the works, and it will be online. Program Quality Director Walter is busy with her conference (“SPRINGBoard Into Action!”) and contest committees, putting together the high quality programs that District 53 Toastmasters cherish. Club Growth Director Peck is making great strides with placing Club Coaches, and supporting new clubs through the chartering process. 

And finally, fellow Toastmaster, what is YOUR personal goal that will be realized through your participation in one of our 11 Pathways educational opportunities? I’ll share mine in my next newsletter. 

All for now!

In service,

John J. Hogan
District Director, 2022-2023

Fellow Toastmasters,

Can you believe that it is already November?  In less than 2 short months we will be into 2023.  Where did the time go?

Patti Walter, Program Quality Director

I wanted to share what is happening with Program Quality.

Officer Training: (open to all) Thanks to the help of Chad Babcock. Stephanie Roy and Mohan Padamati, officer training dates will be rolled out shortly.  The winter sessions will be 2.5 hours long.  We will be offering shorter lunchtime sessions for those of us that find it easier to meet during the day and not at night or weekends. We will also be including different electives this time around for our longer termed officers.

Conference:  SAVE the Date:  May 6th.  David Freedman, Janice Dimock and their team is busy getting our conference planned out. Be on the lookout for more information regularly, including our great keynote speaker, location, pricing and list of presenters.  This promises to be a great networking and fun-filled program for all Toastmasters in the District.

Contests:  The contest season is upon us. We will be hosting the International Speech Contest as always, and the Tall Tales Contest will be our secondary contest..  Area contests will be held on line between Jan 16h and March 15th and Division Contests will be hybrid between March 16th and April 16th.  Area and Divisions Directors will be sharing dates as they are finalized.  We will also include them on the Contest Page and District Calendar.  Keep coming back to find out more. Division contests will be held during our Conference. 

Also remember we have other monthly events going on such as MMEP and Officer Forums.  Dates and details can be found in our monthly newsletter and on this website calendar. (Note: if you are not receiving our monthly newsletter, please let me know so we can add you to the list. pqd@d53tm.org.

To close all these events are here to help our members and our district.  It takes a village.  Please be a villager and help us grow our district.  There are many volunteer opportunities open and we will work around the time commitment you have to offer.

Sincerely,
Patti Walter
D53 Program Quality Director, 2022-2023

16 January 2023

Greetings fellow Toastmasters!

Bettyann Peck, Club Growth Director

We all know Toastmasters love to connect, so take advantage of it — Let’s Talk Up Toastmasters! This exciting membership program starting February 1, 2023, is the chance to encourage your members to invite guests to a special meeting where prospective members can learn about Toastmasters’ many benefits.

Here’s how it works for your club:

  • When you add five new, dual, or reinstated members with a join date between February 1 and March 31, you’ll receive a special Talk up Toastmasters ribbon to display on your club’s banner.
  • Qualifying clubs can also earn a special discount code for 10% off their next club order.

The discount code expires six months from the date of issue and is not valid with other offers
Applications and payments for members with a join date between February 1 and March 31
must be received at World Headquarters or online no later than March 31. The addition of
transfer and charter members does not count towards Talk Up Toastmasters credit.

I look forward to seeing the remarkable results of your efforts that will benefit you and your
clubs!


Yours in Toastmasters Service,

Bettyann Peck
Club Growth Director, 2022-23

2023 Conference
6 May 2022 — Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place —
Springfield, Massachusetts

Conference Registration Is Live!

Get the SuperSaver discounted rate for a limited time!  Rate ends January 31, 2023.

Register here.

The Call for Presenters is open!

Each year, District 53 hosts a conference for Toastmasters — we hold our spring business meeting, attend the District-level round of the International Speech Contest and other contests, and attend workshops and training events. We’d like you to apply to be a presenter! Read more here.

Recent District News

Click HERE to see All District News

Congratulations: New Clubs!

We are excited to welcome two new clubs…

  • Big Y Toastmasters of Springfield, MA!
  • Voya Toastmasters of Windsor, CT!

We congratulate and welcome the charter members of these clubs to District 53, and we look forward to seeing them at upcoming events like Club Officer Forums, Monthly Member Education, and Club Officer Training days!

Sincerely,
Bettyann Peck, DTM
Club Growth Director, 2022-23

Upcoming District Events

District 53 Podcast

Club Officer
Forums

Read about our new offering, the Club Officer Forums, where club officers can meet and connect with other officers in the same role from across the district from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. You’ll have a chance to share your best practices, work through your concerns and obstacles, and develop new ideas into action plans. Read more about them here.

Monthly Member Education Program

MMEP is a members monthly educational program. Join using the link on our District Calendar for the specific date! Or put it on your calendar, and use the Zoom Link provided here:  https://tinyurl.com/D53-1st-Wed

1st Wednesday. of each month — next on February 1st at 7:00 pm! (December’s Topic: How and When to Use our Social Media Sites)

March topic: March 1st at 7 pm! Navigating Pathways, come with any questions you have. We promise to either answer them or get answers to them.

Need more information or want to suggest a topic? Contact PQD Patti Walter at pqd@d53tm.org

Volunteer Opportunities

The Volunteer Opportunities page has been updated – 18 August 2022.

If you have additional volunteer opportunities to post, let us know!

Our District Mission…
We build new clubs and support all clubs in achieving excellence.

Coronavirus Update – Revised November 21, 2021 – Review New Information

As vaccinations proceed apace across New York State, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, there is hope for a return to in-person meetings in the future. Public health agencies and officials are starting to loosen mask restrictions and travel limits, and more facilities are opening to semi public meetings.

Since each Toastmasters club is an independent entity, each club may decide to return to in-person meetings by a majority vote at a regularly scheduled and announced business meeting. The District suggests that a committee of club members develop a procedure that meets local public health guidelines and satisfies any requirements imposed by the host venue. Please include processes for members and guests to attend virtually wherever possible in your club guidelines. Know also that your club and its officers have insurance to protect you against physical damage to your host facilities, but that this protection may not extend to claims arising from a member or guest’s health care.

District 53 Toastmasters has a more complex route back to in-person meetings than individual clubs. Many of our historic venues for TLIs, Club Officer Training, and District meetings are still closed to outsiders, and are choosing to remain so until later this year.

For a complete update with important new information, go to the District 53 Coronavirus Update.