New club recognized

Sweetwater County joined more than 345,000 members in 142 countries in late April when a Toastmasters International club, Rock Springs Raconteurs, was formally recognized as a new club. Interest in forming a club began in the Fall of 2016 when inquiries from two separate people within the community were made to the district office in Denver. Dana Morgan-Barnes, Northern Division Director, began the process of working with community members to charter a club.

A Charter Party took place June 1 to recognize this accomplishment. During the party, Morgan-Barnes expressed her appreciation to members and presented a value coin to each member to reinforce the Core Values for Toastmaster’s International - integrity, respect, service and excellence. These values support the club’s mission to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.

During the party, Marcia Wood, Club Growth Director for District 26 serving Colorado, Wyoming and western Nebraska recognized the club and presented each member with a certificate as a Charter Member. Phil Etier, vice president of education for the local chapter led the group in Table Topics. The purpose of this portion was to demonstrate how members practice “thinking and speaking on their feet” by responding extemporaneously for a minute or two on a topic chosen by the leader of Table Topics. Volunteers from the audience, which included guests, enlightened the group with their responses.

Rock Springs Raconteurs meets each Thursday from 6-7 p.m. on the third floor of the Rocky Mountain Bank Building in Rock Springs. Membership is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Please feel free to join a meeting any Thursday.

For more information, contact Rock Springs Raconteurs Club President, Jason Armstrong, at wyojason@gmail.com, vice president of membership, Ryan Fotheringham, at ryan.fotheringham@platt.com, or go to https://toastmasters.org and click on Find a Club.