Toastmasters Service to the Community

A neighbor that is near is better than a brother far off.

Having being a full-time housewife for more than five years, I have lots of free time at home. After my husband goes to work every morning, I have at least 10 hours at my disposable. I get engaged in community affairs and I feel good greeting familiar faces and strangers in the neighborhood.

I like my community and I wish I could do something for my community to make it a better place for the residents. It is not hard to imagine how great it would be if there were a toastmasters club in my community! When friendly neighbors become supportive Toastmasters brothers and vice versa.

This morning, Mike Yang, DTM, D67LGM 08-09, came to Hsin-tien to help me realize the dream to charter a Toastmasters club in the neighborhood. Giving birth to an idea of chartering a Toastmasters Club is one thing, having it realized is another. I am grateful to Mike for spending two and half hours exploring all possibilities to make it happen—the first community toastmasters club in Hsin-tien.

Mike and I met with each other at 10, shared a big cup of latte at Starbucks Cafe to begin our investigation of the possible meeting location for the new club. Starbucks cafe offers the best convenient place, right next to Dapingling MRT Station Exit 1, but the space is less formal, and it could accommodate at most 20 people. After coffee, Mike and I continued to examine another three restaurants with the ambience and cost, then we walked to Hsin-tien Cultural Center and Ta-fong Social Welfare Center to explore the availability of public venues to give birth to a new club.

After the grand walking tour of big Dapingling area, Mike was excited to announce his moving to his new house in Hsin-tien after it is completed before the end of 2009. Mike was enthusiastic about his term as Lieutenant Governor Marketing of District 67 to charter new clubs on the island. After a light lunch, he moved on to continue his passion about toastmasters.

With the spread of the good news of a new club in Hsin-tien, more and more toastmasters in Hsin-tien area are offering their helping hands to support the new club. I say thank you to all of you. If there is anything I could to do to reciprocate what I learned from the Toastmasters International in the past two decades, is by paying forward to whose who shall grow and develop themselves like you and me in Toastmasters.