EVENTS

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Welcome our Newest Members July 2010 - Lauren and Veronica! And, our best to Eric C as he starts law school this fall; we will miss you!

TUESDAY, JULY 20 is our annual recognition/award/end-of-the year party at Olive Garden restaurant
at Southern Avenue and Alma School Road for. Club members dinners (up to $12) will be paid for by the club.
Guests are welcome but pay their own way. Officer and new member induction; join us for a fun night out!

TLI - Toastmasters Leadership Institute: New Club Officer Training.
This training is paid for by the Club ($10 per person) and presented by the District
(BTW, we are now District 10 no longer District 3).
The dates of training are Friday, July 30 from 6pm to 10pm, and Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 8am to 12:30pm.
Both of these will be held at the ASU Memorial Union, 1290 South Normal Avenue, Tempe.
TLI is open to all members, but the Club will only be able to pay for the incoming Club officers.
PLEASE let Olivette know asap what date you prefer.

March 16, 2010-- was our club's 13 anniversary since chartering.


Table Topics Club Contest and International Club Contest Tuesday, March 2, Winners Announced: Andrea and Eric!
Come to the R4 Area Contest on Thursday March 18 at 1500 N. Priest in Tempe to cheer on our club's representatives
Contestant briefing is at 6:00 p.m.:

Table Topics Participants from Left to Right, Jeff H., Lucy D., Eric, C. with R- Area Governor Connie Weiss. And the Winner was: Eric, Congratulations!	In the International Club Contest, Andrea C. took First Place and will represent Down to Earth at the R4 Area Contest.

Talk Up Toastmasters begins now, February 1st- March 31! Time to tell others how Toastmasters can make a difference in their life; a launch pad for new opportunities. Ask a friend to come to the meeting with you.

January 5, 2010 Reset, Get Set, Go! Members bring your manuals to enter a drawing, inspirations from a special guests. Get set for the New Year starting at 6:00 p.m.

September 15, 2009 SPECIAL EVENT: Interviewing Skills Seminar . Come to our regular meeting time at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Office, 4341 East Broadway Rd, Phoenix to learn tips and techniques to improve your interviewing skills. You can practice interviewing and get personal feedback on your interviewing style. Get handouts to take home. Down to Earth Toastmasters will speak on topics to help anyone who may be interviewing become more confident in their responses. Cost is $5.00 for non-Toastmaster and FREE to Toastmaster members. Time will be from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

From L to R above: Carol, Joe, Andrea, R4 Area Governor David Smart and LtGovMarketing Cynthia Kerford at Appreciation Night	President Andrea inducts our newest members, Cathy, Carol, Joyce and (not present) Taras and Charity.	L to R, Past Area Governor Connie Weiss, Jeff, Cathy, Pete, Dorothy, Joyce and Olivette
		Our thanks also to Lucy Durham and her High Performance Leadership Team, Joe Barrier, Olivette Aviso and Lee Ann Aronson who organized our night out on the town.
Andrea and Toastmaster Joe present a certificate of appreciation and a plant to incoming R4 Area Governor David Smart	Wes Ridley played a patriotic medley on his silver horn.

Down to Earth's Annual Appreciation Night, New Member Induction and Officer Installation Dinner
Club members and special guests including outgoing Area Governor, Connie Weiss and current R4 Area Governor David Smart joined our club for a night out to honor member's achievements for the past Toastmaster year, induct new members and to install next year's officers at Iguana Mack's restaurant, 1371 N. Alma School Dr, Chandler, AZ 85224 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Club members enjoyed sharing stories of memorable events from the past year, hearing our Area Governor's advice on sharing a vision and even entertainment by Wes on his silver horn. What a great evening!

Joe Barrier with Ann Gammons at TLI 7-18-09	Our President, Andrea in TLI session

Pat Mitchell, former CEO of PBS said, "Seize every chance you have to learn. It's amazing how many skills we seem to acquire by accident...much of this know how becomes unexpected but indispensable pluses later on." So here's a chance to learn something new at Toastmasters Leadership Institute - July 18, 8:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. at Fiesta Inn, Tempe, 2100 South Priest.All Toastmasters (especially new members) are encouraged to attend Toastmaster Leadership Institute--you don't have to be an officer to benefit. Sign up for leadership training now! More information at: www.AZToastmasters.org

Saturday, June 13 - District 3 Toastmasters Event Discounted Diamondback Baseball Tickets with Houston Astros More information at: Diamonbacks_AZ Toastmasters

Welcome our Newest Member May 2009 - Taras!!!

Our 2009-2010 Down to Earth Officers Term: July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010 President Andrea Castañeda, CC and Web Publisher Vice President of Education Joe Barrier, ATM-S Vice President of Membership Cynthia Kerford, DTM Vice President of PR Lee Ann Aronson, DTM and Webmaster Secretary Lucy Durham, ACG Treasurer Olivette Aviso, DTM Sergeant at Arms Jeff Harris

Club Open House - April 21, 2009 Bring a guest to experience a club meeting.

District 3 Spring Conference - April 17-19, 2009 at Fiesta Inn in Tempe. Register to take advantage of educational sessions, Keynote speaker Helen Blanchard, Toastmasters first woman member, Table Topics and International Speech contests and Leadership Breakfast. Go online to www.AZToastmasters.org for more info.

Our Newest Members March 2009 -- Welcome Charity and Cathy!!!

January 17, 2009 - 4H Communication Day
held at the grand opening of the new Queen Creek Horseshoe Park
& Equestrian Centre, 20464 E. Riggs Road in Gilbert

Communication Day is an opportunity for 4-H members, as well as the public, to demonstrate their skills of communication. There will be competitions to win blue, red, and white ribbons in Prepared Speeches, Impromptu Speeches, Demonstrations of 4-H projects, and displays that showcases 4-H. Down to Earth Toastmasters will help judge 4-H members speeches.

A Meeting that Went to the Dogs!!!
	On Tuesday, November 4, Toastmaster, Lucy and her dog, Missy brought a special spirit to our theme on "Dogs." Olivette's speech "In the Arms of the Angels," encouraged us all to support pet adoption and Sam Kelsall's Topics covered the spectrum from "froo, froo dogs to man's best friend. What a doggone good time it was!

Tuesday, October 21-- Join us for a Special Guest Presentation: Powerful PowerPoint Presentations by Chris Barrett

Come learn techniques on how to give better PowerPoint or computer generated presentations. Chris Barrett, President of Signal Speakers and a trainer at Honeywell will give us the benefit of her experience. Chris is a Corporate Trainer at Honeywell and trains employees in the Six Sigma quality program. Please join us from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. 4341 W. Broadway Rd., Phoenix 85040 Close to the Cotton Centre It's free! No Charge for this special presentation.

Nathan K. Wins Humorous Club Contest - Goes on to represent Down to Earth at the Area Contest on Saturday, October 4 at 8:00 a.m. at the University of Phoenix. From left to right, Connie Weiss, Area R4 Governor, Nathan K. First place winner and Toastmaster Nancy Jeter on August 10

 

Your Education Committee members, led by VP of Education, Joe Barrier, hard at work on August 12 planning our next Humorous Speech Contest for August 19th.

Toastmaster Leadership Institute - Officer Training June 20 & 21 (held at Chandler High School), July 12 (in Tucson), and July 19 (at Peoria High School)
All Toastmasters are encouraged to go to Toastmaster Leadership Institute--you don't have to be an officer to benefit.
Click on this link for more information and to register: TLI Training

Spring Conference - Sheraton Crescent Hotel
On May 31, 2008 District 3 Toastmasters celebrated educational awards, elected officers, and enjoyed Evaluation and International speech contests. On hand were Lucy Durham who received her Advanced Communicator Gold award, Cynthia Kerford and Lee Ann Aronson who each received a Distinguished Toastmaster award, Olivette Aviso and newest member Nancy Jeter. Cynthia Kerford ran for the office of Lt. Governor of Marketing and WON a contested battle! Here are some photos from this event!

Cynthia with her latest DTM award and District 3's Lt. Governor Marketing for 2008-2009! Congratulations.	Part of Cynthia's team on hand at the Spring Conference.

 

Congrats! 2008-2009 Down to Earth Officers Elected on May 20, 2008
President	Andrea Castañeda, CC
Vice President of Education	Joe Barrier, ATM-S
Vice President of Membership	Cynthia Kerford, DTM
Vice President of PR	Lee Ann Aronson, DTM
Secretary	Nancy Jeter, DTM
Treasurer	Olivette Aviso, DTM
Sergeant at Arms	Jeff Harris

R4 Area Evaluation and International Contest, April 5, 2008 - Lucy wins Alternate!

Lucy Durham in the International contest, pictured left and Olivette Aviso in the Evaluation Contest represented Down to Earth at the R4 Area Contest in Mesa on Saturday, April 5. Lucy won Alternate place in the International contest for her speech entitled "Clay Balls".

April 15, 2008 - OPEN HOUSE - Guests Invited to Attend
Bring a guest, or two, to our next meeting on April 15 to enjoy an Open House invitation to see how
Toastmasters can make a difference in their life! Meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.

April 29 - Speech-A-Thon
All club members are invited to participate in the 5th Tuesday of the month Speech-A-Thon. Prepare a speech, you'll be evaluated, but no Table Topics, Ah Countering nor Grammarian that night. This is your chance to squeeze in an extra night to speak! Let Raul know you are interested, or consider volunteering to be the Toastmaster that night. What a great evening to hear LOTS of speeches.

President, Cynthia K., DTM Defends Thesis November 28, 2007

At Western International University on Wednesday November 28, 2007, Cynthia presented her thesis for an MBA on "Questionable Practices in the Gift Basket Industry." Cynthia reported on her research for over one hour, including in her overview in Powerpoint a review of related literature, her research design and methods, data analysis and conclusions and recommendations. She compiled a survey and sent it out to 3,300 gift basket entrepreneurs designed to determine if ethical standards should be raised in the industry. She found found ten characteristics entrepreneurs should have include: passion, curiosity, work ethic, energy, flexibility, balance, mental toughness, ego, greed (in small does) and integrity.
Here are just a few Toastmaster skills Cynthia used in presenting her thesis: 1) A super organized outline with introduction, main body, conclusion with supporting points 2)Critical thinking 3) Working with Powerpoint, got set up before starting presentation 4) Arrived very early to be ready, not rushed 5) Facilitating questions with the audience 6) Used demonstration materials effectively
CYNTHIA, DOWN TO EARTH WISHES TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON COMPLETING YOUR THESIS PRESENTATION!

Speaking as a Critical Skill Workshop presented November 6-27, 2007
Four participants joined us for the seminar. Jeff Harris and Deb Sparrow finished up Week 4 and will receive certificates. Our Vice President of Education, Raul M. was instrumental in organizing this special event and has also thanked the Educational team for their service: Lucy, Olivette, Joe and Lee Ann.

Fall Garden Festival, Metro Tech High School, Saturday, October 20, 2007
Come for the fun and help our Toastmasters club at the Master Gardener Fall Garden Festival at 15th Avenue and Thomas. Our club will have a booth to sell plants, seeds and other items along with garden clubs like the Arizona Rose Society, Arizona Herb Association, a farmer's market stand and the Master Gardeners Annual Perennial Divide. In addition to plants, there will be lots of garden art items for sale and Metro Tech students will have food to sell. There is no entry fee and free parking too. We need club members to staff the booth, so bring a hat, your sunglasses and enjoy the day! Olivette has the sign-up sheet and is chair for the event.

Speaking as a Critical Skill: THIS WORKSHOP WILL BE PRESENTED: November 6-27, 2007 In less than 30 days, enhance your ability to: • Present with CONFIDENCE • Speak with AUTHORITY • Respond with POISE & IMPACT • Relate to your audience & BUILD TRUST • Improve your INTERPERSONAL SKILLS We are always communicating. So be more effective at what you do at work, at home and in your community. Make a difference in your life; use this 4 week seminar to get you where you want to go. Speaking as a Critical Skill seminar includes information on these topics: Preparing to Speak, Know your Audience, Organizing Your Speech, Effective Evaluations and Leadership Skills. Learn skills you can use everyday, every time you speak! This workshop runs from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. -- Tuesdays the month of November, 2007 and is presented at the University of Arizona Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Office 4343 E. Broadway Road Phoenix, AZ 85040 Registration Cost - $20 for materials. Open to everyone 18 years and older.

Comments from Participants: --This was an exciting opportunity to begin a tune-up of my speaking skills. Thanks for all the information and wonderful support!  Maxine B. --"I gave a 15-20 minute Powerpoint post-luncheon talk today to 70 of our customers and employees - a normal part of my job, training on new products and product changes. I was no better prepared than my usual last minute scramble as the boss changes the topic and talk length the night before. BUT I got a lot more positive feedback and commentary than usual with even the boss telling other employees that my talk seemed 'much more focused'...What's changed? HEY - I took those 4 educational sessions with the DTE-TM group in January, what else could it be??!!! "   Mike Hills --"Toastmaster's really helped me organize my thoughts and made it easier to give presentations."  Sharon Dewey, Master Gardener

R4 Area Humorous and Table Topics Contest - Congratulations to Sam Kelsall who placed as Alternate in BOTH contests! The winner moves on to the Rio Division contest on Friday, October 5 at 6:00 p.m. for contestant briefing, contest starts at 6:30 p.m. at Rio Salado Conference Center at 2323 W. 14th St Tempe AZ 85281, between University and Broadway, just east of Hwy 143. The cost for the contest is $4.00, there is free parking.

Sam Kelsall seen with his medals, won Alternate Place for both contests.

Toastmasters International Convention - August 15 - 18, 2007 Phoenix, AZ
JW Marriott at Desert Ridge Resort - Simply Amazing!

District 3 Toastmasters on stage at Hall of Fame August 17 at Int'l Convention

Tuesday July 17, 2007 annual year-end banquet. We celebrated the club's 2006-2007 achievements.
This special event was held at Contempo Tempe Community Club House decorated with lights, paper kites and flowers.. Andrea organized this special event. We enjoyed a speech by immediate past Rio Division Governor, Roy Schott and Margarita Hernandez our Area Governor inducted our officers. It was a special evening indeed.

WELCOME NEW MEMBER Melisa T.! Melisa joined us in June 2007, participated in our Speaking as a Critical Skills seminar and has already given her Icebreaker speech which included a timeline of her life. Active in government, she has many interests she wishes to pursue. We are glad she's joined our team!


CHECK OUT TIPS FOR POWERPOINT
John Minett sent this tip he read about in Britain's Daily Telegraph. In the article, Chris Rothwell, of Microsoft, said: "We believe that PowerPoint remains a very powerful tool that can add impact and variety, but it is no substitute for being a good communicator." Professor John Sweller said it is not effective to speak the same words that are written, because it is putting too much load on the mind and decreases your ability to understand what is being presented. "PowerPoint can backfire if the information on the screen is the same as that which is verbalised because the audience's attention will be split." Check out this April 19, 2007 newsletter article on How NOT to PowerPoint

CONGRATULATIONS, SAM KELSALL WINS ALTERNATE AT AREA R4 TALL TALES CONTEST!
Our club's representative, Sam Kelsall placed as the Alternate at the Area contest at Rio Copa Conference Center with his speech, "The Coyote and the Chickens" on Tuesday, March 27, 2007. The Rio Division contest is Saturday, April 21 at 8:00 a.m. at Arizona Public Service, 400 East Van Buren, Phoenix in the Arizona Center. Go see winners from Rio Division compete for a chance to go to District 3's Conference contest in May.

WELCOME NEW MEMBER, JOE BARRIER, ACS/CL
Joe Barrier visited Down to Earth months ago, then again for our 10th Anniversary party and decided to join us. He was formerly with Signal Peak Toastmasters a closed club at Honeywell. Joe is an experienced Toastmaster having just completed his Advanced Communicator Silver award with that club. In addition, Joe served as their Vice President of Education for a few years, too. Be sure to say hello to Joe at our next meeting.

Happy 10th Birthday Down to Earth! - March 20 we celebrated ten years of success in helping people realize their dreams. Our founder, Dixie Humphryes, Past President Susan Ashcraft and mentor Ron Sampson enjoyed the party along with many other guests (good to see Copper Bittner and Steve Long again, too!

Club Tall Tales and International Contestants held on February 20, 2007 What an exciting night as Down to Earth club members entertained us with eight speeches! We'll see you next at the R4 Area Contest on Tuesday, March 27 at Rio Copa Conference Center in Tempe. Visit www.aztoastmasters.org , click on Events, then Area Contests for more details.
Five club members competed in Tall Tales. Winner: Sam, his speech The "Coyote and the Chickens" and 2nd Place Lucy with "The Bear Facts.". Congratulations to all!	Our three contestants in the International contest are shown above with Toastmaster, Veronica. Lucy, won 2nd place with her speech on "Fears, " John spoke on "Placemaking" and Cynthia won with her speech, "The Game before You."

Walk Across Arizona - January 28 - May 19, 2007 Down to Earth Toastmasters are taking advantage of a program at the Extension office to get fit. They have formed the Down to Earth team of ten members and friends, who for the next 16 weeks, will log their mileage to see how far they can get in the quest to be healthy by walking. If you want more information, talk to the team captain, Sam Kelsall.

Saturday, October 21, 2006 Master Gardener Fall Festival, 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Come out for the fun, tend the booth, be an emcee or help the club raise funds for our next year end recognition night. At the Fall Festival you can pick up plants for fall, get fresh vegetables from the farmers market, learn and be entertained. Its a great event for the whole family. There is no charge to stroll under the shade trees at Metro Tech High school at 19th Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix to find greeting cards, art, herbs, garden items and of course lots of plants. In the meantime, save your garage sale items to donate to the club for sale at the Festival. Contact Lee Ann to sign up to help sell items at our booth. Its a great day to enjoy the fall weather. Come be a part of it. See photos from last year's Fall Festival below.

Taking Toastmasters to the Next Level and Rio Division Contest Saturday, October 14 at APS
Club members have been busy using their Toastmaster skills and are taking them to the next level. Raul Montoya and Lucy Durham each participated as Model speakers in Area Evaluation Contests in September. Raul Montoya spoke on "Job Corp: A Pathway to Success" at the Area R3/R4 contest September 26 at Rio Copa Conference Center and Lucy Durham spoke on, "The Wisdom of Sharing" at the C5 Area Contest at Unity Church on September 23. Cynthia Kerford competed in both the R4 Area Humorous and Evaluation contest and won the R4 Evaluation contest! She will move on to the Rio Division contest on October 14 at APS Arizona Center downtown location 5th Street and Van Buren at 9:00 a.m. Congratulations to Down to Earth members taking on the next level!

Raul Montoya, Model Speaker at theR3/R4 Area Contest, Tuesday, September 26, 2006.	Area C5 Governor, Mil Pettis, and Lucy Durham, Model Speaker, Saturday, September 23, 2006.

Down to Earth Sponsors Stagecoach Speakers - Chandler and The Schaller Anderson Gabbers - Phoenix

Wednesday, August 9, 2006 the fledgling club we sponsored enjoyed their Charter party with founding members, special guests and District 3 dignitaries. Cynthia Kerford, DTM presented the banner which Down to Earth purchased for Stagecoach Speakers. Down to Earth is also sponsoring The Schaller Anderson Gabbers who meet next to us in the Cotton Center. They chartered 6/24/06.

Toastmaster's Leadership Institute July 21-22, 2006 - ASU
Officer's Dorothy, Andrea, Lucy, Brenda and Lee Ann joined Cynthia, "The Admiral" at Toastmaster's Leadership Institute at ASU for training. Cynthia presented the new District 3 membership campaign, "AmAZing Treasures of the Caribbean." In the photo on the right, she displays some of the amazing "loot" to be awarded to the best mate to bring in new members by July 25.

What an Evening at Down to Earth's Recognition Night on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 6:00 p.m. at Iguana Mack's restaurant, our Communication and Leadership Award was presented to Kathryn Johnson, Master Gardener for her work in Urban Renewal with kids in downtown Phoenix, our officers were installed by Division Governor Roy Schott, three new members were voted in (Diana Durham, Raul Montoya,and Sue Robinette) and members enjoyed a great evening out together celebrating their educational achievements and leadership awards for the 2005-2006 year. The club made President's Distinguished designation from Toastmasters International by completing 9 out of 10 goals in the past year and District 3 (the state of Arizona) is recognized as No. 6 in the world. Here are some photos:

Kathryn Johnson, above left, our 2005 Communication and Leadership Award winner.	Above from left to right, Steve Long, Brenda Smith, Lee Ann Aronson, Andrea Castaneda, Dorothy Wiggall, Lucy Durham, and Cynthia Kerford are installed as officers for 2006-2006 by Division Governor Roy Schott.
Above, John Minett enjoys the evening. Below, Olivette Aviso, Edie and Sam Kelsall, Darin Sicurello and Char and Bob Chamberlin look on as officers are "pinned".	Above, members, Diana Durham and Raul Montoya.

District 3 Spring Conference was held at the San Marcos Hotel on May 19-20th.
Our club won 2nd Place in the District 3 Newsletter contest for our "Fresh Scoop" newsletter.
Here are some photos:

Cynthia K. stands with International Director Ralph Wallace.	Lucy D. received two awards, her ATM-B and CL award!

Last year Down to Earth Toastmasters joined in the fun, participating in the Grand Canyon Sweet Onion Festival. This year it will be held in Gilbert on May 20th. Check out the pictures from last year's event: the day included a parade, quilt show, blacksmith demonstration, piano jazz, blue grass and western music, Miss Teen Arizona, Alaina Crabtree, the Worm Drive musical and much, much more! Members from the club helped announce the festivities and run the onion bowling game.

	TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2006 - Down to Earth Toastmaster's 9th Birthday Bash Celebration. We invited charter members, our founder, Toastmaster officers, former club members and guests to join us for a very special meeting. We wanted to share our appreciation for those who came before us, who had started the club . Guests were treated to a toast, cake, and took home commemorative bookmarks. We celebrated with nine charter members as well as Toastmasters from District 3: Jodie Kay and Stefan Petra, Rose Beeson and our R-4 Governor, Paul Pastore.
Charter Members pictured above from right to left, Alice Bimrose, Mike Enriquez, Dixie Humphryes, Nate Holsome, Carolyn Chard, Lucy Bradley, Sam Kelsall, Marlene Hooper and Cynthia Kerford.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2006 - Master Gardener Recognition and Awards - Chuck King emceed this annual recognition ceremony at Encanto Park Clubhouse in Phoenix for our sponsor, the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. He was joined by over 65 Master Gardeners for an afternoon of awards, recognition and prizes. Great job, Chuck! Down to Earth presented a Communication and Leadership award for Kathryn Johnson, a master gardener involved in urban renewal efforts in downtown Phoenix who placed in a national Gardener's World competition, and was featured in an article in the Arizona Republic on April 7, 2005. Kathryn says, "A seed can turn despair into beauty."

DECEMBER 7, 2005 - Channel 8, KAET TV Winter Fund Drive Event
Our very own PRO (Public Relations Officer) for District 3, and club President, Cynthia Kerford, arranged another TV experience for local Toastmasters. Lucy D. from our club was able to participate that night, answering telephones on live television for Channel 8 raising money for the public broadcasting channel.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2005 - Sonoran Living, Channel 15 Live TV Event
We joined other Toastmasters from around the District as a live audience for the Sonoran Living morning program on Channel 15. Our President, Cynthia, DTM, and Nancy Starr-Cassidy, DTM, International Director, were each featured on the 'Things to Do' segment. As the District 3 Public Relations Officer (PRO), Cynthia was instrumental in organizing the event. If you'd like to know more about what we learned from live TV that day, check with Cynthia, Lucy or Lee Ann. It was fascinating to be involved in a live TV broadcast--its a lot harder to pull off than it looks on TV! But just imagine how much easier Table Topics might be if you had a teleprompter from which to read and a program director talking in your ear by wireless microphone!

Toastmasters were featured on a segment of Sonoran Living, Channel 15's morning show thanks to Cynthia, our club's President and District 3's Public Relations Officer.

Olivette and Lee Ann served as emcees for the Master Gardener Fall Festival on October 22, 2005

JULY 5, 2005 - Recognition Night Out at Iguana Mack's Restaurant
We installed new officers, inducted new members and recognized the achievements of club
members for the 2004-2005 year. Best Speaker of the Year awards went to: Dorothy W.,
Ruben Q., Mike E. and Richard M. Chuck K. won Best Evaluator of the Year and Lee Ann A. won Best Table Topics. Congratulations! Our thanks to Ron Schott, Rio-1 Area Governor for attending and installing our new officers.

Above left, Chuck K. and Terry M. preside at the Master Gardener Awards ceremony at Encanto Park Clubhouse on Saturday, February 19, 2005. Above right, Chuck hand-crafted Down to Earth's award from zebra wood. Right, Dottie T., DTE's 2003 Communication and Leadership Award Winner, stands in for Carolyn H. who won the 2004 Award.

GUEST, PAT MACK WITH KIND WORDS FOR DOWN TO EARTH:
On August 19, 2004, we received an email from Pat Mack, a Toastmaster from Garrulous Grocers in Phoenix. She had visited during our Club Contest night with Larry Smith and had this to say about Down to Earth:

"I really enjoyed your club meeting. And I will tell you again how impressed I was with your newest members participating in the Table Topics Contest. Bravo!!!! I was extremely energized by observing your club and its camaraderie."

OTHER EVENTS:

The club holds annual speech contests and celebrates year-long achievements for each of its members at the annual Recognition Night banquet held in July. Guests are always welcome to attend our meetings but are not required to speak. You are cordially invited to join us!

This page was last revised on 7/25/10.