Pets!

On Monday June 1^st, we had another fun meeting with Pets being the theme. The meeting lasted 2 ½ hours, which is 17 ½ dog hours! This is why we’ve had trouble attracting canine members. The lack of opposable thumbs that prevents them from being timers is another reason.

Joseph Oddie showed us his skills as our Toastmaster by keeping the meeting moving and providing interesting commentary between speakers.

Ruchi Pandey was our Quotemaster, kicking our meeting off with an inspiring quote. For those that have never done this before, it is a great opportunity to share your wisdom with others.

Sandy Centorino provided us a Values Moment about an organization that serves people, young an old, with pets. The organization is called Pet Partners -http://www.petpartners.org/

Sandy was also our Topics Master with pet related topics. Harry Thurow, our newest member, gave not one but two Table Topics……before his check even cleared! We also learned about Allie’s glass gold fish and Cassie’s uninvited pet turtles.

Jon Weinberger “broke the ice” and shared his interesting background with us. If Jon felt uncomfortable speaking in public, he certainly fooled us! It was an auspicious debut indeed! (Kate, do I get credit for using the word of the day?)

Robin Corrigan completed her 9^th speech, speaking about her dragon and her trip to Tibet.

Allie Centorino researched her topic for her second speech, inspiring us with her story about overcoming a personal challenge.

And then there was Elaine Piazza……..Elaine completed her Advanced Communication Silver with her 10 minute speech, providing pointers about public speaking.  Elaine had told us early this year that she was going to complete her ACS this year and she did it! She also pushed Eagle over the top…..We are now President’s Distinguished for the 14^th year in a row!

At the end of the meeting, Ian Brooks shared an opportunity to help another organization with a “Speechcraft” event. Ian is working with a Manufacturing Company in North Haven that is looking to improve their speaking skills. He is seeking volunteers at Eagle to provide a couple of hours of time on either a Wednesday or Thursday TBD.

As exciting as it is to grow at an Eagles meeting, I learned that helping others learn our craft is incredibly energizing! The bonus is that Eagle’s treasury will get a nice boost as this is a paid gig! Please reach out to Ian if you are interested and able to help. Several of us told Ian we can do it if provided enough notice. If you think you can find time to help (even if you’re not sure) just let Ian know. He will do his best to make it work.

I look forward to seeing you at our final meeting of the Toastmaster year on 6/15 (don’t worry, “next year” begins on 7/6). After our meeting, we will celebrate at Jake’s Tavern. I hope you will join us!

There are openings for our 6/15 meeting…..Please log onto http://www.eagletoastmasters.com/ and sign up for something!

Tony