From the PQD – 12 February 2023

We are 2 months into 2023 and there is so much that has happened — and so much to come.

Here is what is going on with Program Quality, which deals with our education, training, and contest programs.

Patti Walter, Program Quality Director

Officer Training: Officer training is completed. My thanks for the help of Chad Babcock. Stephanie Roy and Mohan Padamati, who put the program together. Also, thanks to the number of facilitators that stepped up to present at one of our sessions. Missed training? Don’t worry! If you missed training you can find other Districts’ trainings on our website.

Conference: COME ONE COME ALL!!!! TICKETS ARE ON SALE!!! Come join us at our 2023 spring conference. “SPRINGboard to Success.” The committee has planned a jammed pack day. Make a weekend of it and spend Sunday at the Basketball of Fame or MGM studios. Accredited Speaker Joe Grondin DTM will be doing our keynote along with other sessions. Come see old friends and make new ones. Looking forward to seeing you all.

Contests: The contest season is upon us. Area contests are under way and Division Contest will follow shortly afterwards. Consider volunteering for a functionary position or a judge if you are qualified. Send me an email at pqd@d53tm.org and I will get your name to our Chief Judge Andrew B. Watt DTM. A list of the scheduled contests is on our d53tm website. Come enjoy some great speakers.

Also remember we have other monthly events going on such as MMEP and Officer Forums. MMEP is open to all members and is held the first Wednesday of the month. This is a great place for members to get their questions answered and learn more about Toastmasters. It is held the first Wed of the month. The Officer Forum was created to give officers a chance to network. With elections coming up soon this is a great place to introduce potential officers to the role. So bring a guest or two…Dates and details can be found in our monthly newsletter and on this District calendar. (Note: if you are not receiving our monthly newsletter, please let me know so we can add you to the list at pqd@d53tm.org.

Remember, we are a village. I am asking you to step up to the plate and help us. The District has many volunteer positions open. Many will fit nicely into your Level 4 and Level 5 projects. Even if you only have 1 or 2 hours a week or 2 hours total, we can find something for you to do to build your confidence as a public speaker, and develop your leadership skills!

Patti Walter
District 53 Program Quality Director

From the PQD’s Desk

November 7, 2022

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?

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 6thDavid 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

REVITALIZING DISTRICT 53 – OUR MEMBERS MATTER!!!!