Smile Taiwan--319 Towns

What does 319 have to do with Smile Taiwan? I didn't know what 319 meant until I signed up the Smile Taiwan--Spare the Spirit Beach Concert in Fulong Saturday, the 18th of August. I thought 319 meant March the 19th, but it meant 319 towns in Taiwan.

"Make Taiwan Beautiful" movement was initiated by the CommonWealth Magazine in 2001 to encourage people to return and rebuild 319 hometowns. In 2005, CommonWealth Magazine cooperated with 2000 shops to form "Smile Alliance" to welcome people to visit 319 towns with a Smile Taiwan Passport. In the past six years, more than one thousand people have completed their visit of 319 towns.

Golden ladies Toastmasters will not be absent to take part in the "Make Taiwan beautiful" movement. We shall get our Smile Taiwan passports in Fulong, the first stop of our visit of 319 towns in the years to come. We will bring Toastmaster magazines with us to meet with people. Just imagine, if there is a Toastmaster magazine reading group in each town, there will be 319 potential Toastmasters clubs on this beautiful island. Taiwan will be full of Smiling Toastmasters!

Of course, there is no way for golden ladies to bring smile to 319 towns, but we can mobilize our fellow members in the existing 100 Toastmasters clubs to help. If one Toastmaster club can visit a town every four months, District 67 should be able to cover 319 towns in a year. Together we can spread the good news about the Toastmasters International, the biggest non-profit educational organization in the world. Together we can help 319 towns build a friendly and supportive learning environment for local residents as well as smiling visitors.

We have a reason to smile, when 319 towns in Taiwan are friendly, clean, of taste, and of characters. We have a reason to smile, when 319 towns provide Toastmasters arena for people to practice communication and leadership skills. We have a reason to smile, when Taiwan becomes a beautiful island--Formosa for all. Sherry