An open letter to all District 53 Toastmasters
from Paul Young, DTM,
Select Distinguished District 53, 2005 - 2006

The GAP has been closed – We have carried the membership torch
across the miles and bridged the distance between our goals and us!

A changed man, a thankful student and most importantly a servant district leader is writing this letter (your past district governor).  Robert K. Greenleaf said, “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."  The leadership path in our great organization begins as a club officer then grows as you venture out of the club to Area, Division and District levels each with their own lessons and rewards for all that choose this road. Every Area and Division Governor and all that wanted to hop on the train did a High Performance Leadership Project this year under the direction of our HPL coordinator, Ute Brinkman.  Those that chose to plan the details of their journey now know what true high performance leadership is.

I encourage you all to start the new Competent Leadership Manual right now.

Bilbo Baggins once said “There is only one road; it is like a great river: its springs are at every doorstep, and every path is its tributary. ‘It’s a dangerous business, going out of your door you step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”  As a toastmaster club guest in 1996 I had no idea that this same road would allow me to lead District 53 toastmasters to number 9 in the world! Who would ever have thought that this brand new toastmaster would some day be thanking his Yankee activator Editor John Osborn for spending two years at improving our newsletter to the point where it was awarded the top five in the world award!!

The GAP team is truly the best group of volunteers that I have ever known, they understood the leadership opportunity, assessed the present situation and their goals then set out to close their GAP and have some fun at the same time. 

When traveling cross-country in 1971 I reached a turning point in my life and rode a freight train across the Rocky Mountains.  While riding in that ice-cold boxcar with snow all around I realized the inspiration that trains and mountains give to those that take the time to listen to the whistle of a westbound headed for the mountains.  District 53 was inspired by trains in all of my letters and meeting materials that kept us all focused on reaching our lofty goals during this record breaking year. 

While traveling this road I have met many people that mentored and encouraged our team to push on toward the top especially my dear wife Doreen, IPDG Rich Couture, LGET John Lynch and LGM Will Ryan.  The District Division Governors and Area Governors, my executive committee and especially all those past district governors that help you to mind the GAP toward club and membership health.

Our Lt Governor Marketing Will Ryan and his club building teams brought us 12 new clubs from all over our district beating our goal of 120 by six new clubs that are listed below, welcome aboard!

• Club 899819, HANYS, Rensselaer, NY
• Club 861300, CFS Orators Club, Norwalk, CT
• Club 898774, The Stanley Works Toastmasters Club, New Britain, CT
• Club 875053, Cartus Magnus Toastmasters Club, Danbury, CT
• Club 877627, GE Schenectady Speakers Club, Schenectady, NY
• Club 869013, Our Legacy Club, Pittsfield, MA
• Club 887048, Statement Makers Club, South Windsor, CT
• Club 660335, Voices of The Mountains , Williamstown, MA
• Club 867930, Rock Climbers Club, Rocky Hill, CT
• Club 842294, Sikorsky & DCMA Toastmasters Club, Stratford, CT
• Club 836174, Galaxy Gabbers Club, Chicopee, MA
• Club 802213, Speechbuilders Club, Troy, NY

District survival means growing membership every year, thanks to the saying “membership is everyone’s business” Will’s team overachieved our membership goal by 107%.

Lt Governor Education John Lynch motivated our members to achieve record levels of educational goals.

• We all welcomed the new DTM’s into our list of members that have been all the way through both communications and Leadership programs and had driven the golden spike to achieve the DTM award. In 2005-2006 we recognized: Ralph Rabasco, Sam Young, Ann Bloch, Sandra Van Hoesen, Christina Van Hoesen, Norm Thibodeau, Michelle DeDominicis, Karen Falk and Ute Brinkmann (DTM #2).
• We overachieved our CTM goal by 127.9%
• Our ATM goal set a new D53 record at 180.9%.

MINDING THE GAP toward Healthy Clubs was our focus with an eye on the distinguished club plan goals that make a distinguished club and thus a successful Area, Division and District. I delivered a personal promise one year ago at our spring conference high in the Berkshires that I would assist every club to get to the Distinguished Club Status of at least distinguished. We finished our year with a record setting 57 clubs at distinguished or better. We had a new record of 16 president’s distinguished clubs, tied last year’s record of 18 select distinguished clubs and set a new record of 23 distinguished clubs.  I had hoped to get us past the 50% of clubs distinguished mark;  I am committed to working with the Lead with Vision team to get to that mark this year.

Our Club Rescue team of club coaches headed up by Marilyn Jess saved many struggling clubs and we only wound up losing 3 clubs.  There is an old saying that you have to stop the leak in the tub in order to fill it up.  Our Club coach training team was simply awesome in blazing a new trail as we recorded the conference call training sessions for all to review at a later time. 

The membership growth can be attributed in part to our getting the word out by creating and managing a groundbreaking “Web Site for every club program” that was functional and effective staffed by Rich Couture and Karin Von Kaenel.  Awesome job!

Speaking of websites our very own Roger Brown brought our website from just ok to excellent status to rave reviews from all over the world, we even had an audio welcome from myself on the front page thanks to Doug Comstock’s help.  Roger even had the sound bite of a train coming to a stop in London and MIND THE GAP could be heard warning passengers to watch their step. Watch our step is something that Roger did as he took an active part in reminding people of important deadlines as he tirelessly updated the D53 site with a constant flow of new information.  Thank you Roger!!

When our District Public Relations Officer got sick, we formed a committee to handle the District PRO duties and get the word out, thanks to the leadership of Dennis Kunkler we created current, past member surveys to find out who we area and what the word is that we want to get out.  There was a ground breaking VPPR training conference call that was recorded for future training use and is posted on our website.  Thank you Dennis and team!

District 53 said thank you to its membership this year by hosting a world champion’s night in December with Darren LaCroix and Mark Brooks.  This major event was sponsored by Th e Hartford Insurance clubs and run by a special committee including Val Albert, Frank Kane and Joe Zafian, food was provided by the CCAT advanced club.

How about our Division and Area Governors?  Wow!

• All 6 Division Governors finished at Select Distinguished or better!
  • Divisions B and C finished Select Distinguished.
  • Divisions A, D, E and F achieved Presidents Distinguished Status
• 19 of our 28 Area Governors finished Distinguished or better!
  • Area A1, A4, A5, B2, C5, C6, D1, D2, E1, and E2 (10 Areas) finished at the Distinguished Level;
  • Area A2, B1, B4, and C3 (4 Areas) finished at the Select Distinguished Area Level; and
  • Area C1, D5, F1, F2, and F3 (5 Areas) finished at the Presidents Distinguished level.
    

The monthly Area Governor reporting process turned the communications tide for good!

It just doesn’t get better than this. Thank you to the entire Executive Council, they served without question for the ultimate goal of member personal and professional growth.   Special guests Ann Bloch, Don Logie and Rosanne D’Ausilio have boosted our meetings this year to the stratosphere!! Thanks to the 3 Clubs that I belong to, One State Street, Central CT Advanced and Voices of the Mountains. Thanks to my High Performance Leadership guidance committee 1980 World Champion of Public Speaking Jeff Young and professional speakers Ann and Bob Bloch, you were all there for me when I needed you,

Thanks so much for boosting this district train to the top of the mountain for the first time in three years, thank you for elevating us to Select Distinguished (ninth in the world) for the first time in ten years.  I love you all and will never forget this experience of a lifetime.

Excuse me I hear a lonely whistle blowing; I have a train to catch,

  July, 1, 2006

Select Distinguished District #9 out of 80 districts.

Per Capitas (Memberships) = 5181   Goal = 4810
Active and Paid Clubs =126   Goal = 120
CTMs Earned = 211   Goal = 165
ATMs Earned = 85    Goal = 47