Launching a successful Toastmasters club does not happen

by accident. Only through the investment of mentors who

have donated their time to teach us the ropes has Toastmas-

ters@SDCC thrived as a very young club. We owe much of

our success to Larry Pawl, 15 year Toastmasters veteran. He

invested much energy and experience in our club leadership,

meetings, and members.

Last Monday, April 25th, Larry bid farewell to our club with a

passionate and emotional speech, urging us to “leave a lega-

cy.” In an economy like today’s, he reminded us, many people

are looking for jobs and need the skills Toastmasters can pro-

vide. Larry, we are going to miss your humor, enthusiasm,

and passion. Thank you for your investment in us! We

hope you visit us often!

Thank you, Dr. Larry Pawl!

alk of the Club dedicates this issue to our

beloved member, Amanda Graham, who will be

graduating from San Diego Christian College with

a degree in Musical Performance on May 7th. Amanda has

added so much joy and class to Toastmasters@SDCC. Alt-

hough she is the youngest member of our club, her extensive

stage experience (performing in musical theatre and as a fea-

tured soloist), her poise and confidence, as well as her maturi-

ty and love for the Lord have elevated the caliber of our

meetings. Not only is she a great speaker, but her input dur-

ing speech evaluations always gives her fellow Toastmasters

encouragement and valuable for improvement.

Amanda’s immediate plans after graduation includes

her mission’s trip to Israel with SDCC’s Vision music and dra-

ma team. Amanda is still raising her support; if you want to

contribute, mail your check to Vision Israel 2011, Dept. of

Music, San Diego Christian College, 2100 Greenfield Dr.,

El Cajon, CA 92011.

oftheClub Talk From the President

4

...Continued from page 1

Kent Gerhan is the club’s mentor and a big

reason why our young club is doing so well. He is also a seasoned Toastmaster and an evaluator extraordinaire! Not only has he won almost every “Best Evaluator” ribbon, but his evaluations always move us to the next level of speaking excellence.

In his honor, we include these words by his favor-ite writer— as we reserve a regular spot on “Talk of the Club” for his upcoming contributions. Kent, we want to learn more from you!

“Has this world been so kind to you that you

should leave with regret? There are better things

ahead than any we leave behind.”

“I gave in, and admitted that God was God.”

~ C.S. Lewis

Join Amanda's Celebration!

Mentor Spotlight

Amanda We Are So Proud of You!

May the Lord continue to rule in your heart and bless

your steps. We can’t wait to see how He will grow you

and use you for His Glory even more! (John 15:5).

I imagine that it must be hard to

visit or join a club full of

strangers, but new visitors will

not find a friendlier club than

Toastmasters@SDCC. It offers a

warm and friendly atmosphere

week after week. We pray be-

fore the meeting and greet

newcomers with excitement

and enthusiasm. By the time

they leave, guest will feel

blessed by our uniquely Chris-

tian club and an amazing group

of Toastmasters who are here

to grow and help others do the

same.

But our Toastmasters are also

fierce competitors—they speak

with passion to win a “Best

Speaker,” “Best Table Topic,” or

“Best Evaluator” ribbon for the

evening. Yet there are no sore

losers here, only men and wom-

en who want to improve even

more. Come join us!

Sam Keckler

a bimonthly look at Toastmasters@SDCC

Join us Mondays

5:30 – 7:00 PM

San Diego Christian College

Room 12

2100 Greenfield Drive

El Cajon, CA 92019

SDCC.edu/Toastmasters

Contact Us

Toastmasters@SDCC.edu

619-590-2175

April-May

2011

Sam Keckler’s speech, “We Have to Fight,”

convinced us to be prepared to “Fight” for God! He was a regular David against Goliath!

Diane Szuch challenged us to ponder about

Our Whisper In Time and what we will do with the short time we have on earth.

Linda Blackburn presented an edge-of-your-

seat, dramatic speech, illustrating the story of an abused woman in “Sands of Time.”

Ann Williams challenged us to “Live in the

present with the great I AM.” Wow!

Diane won the “Best Speaker” in a close race!

She represented Toastmastersers@SDCC beauti-fully at the Area 15 Speech Contest on April 9th on the campus of San Diego Christian College.

We recently held a club speech contest to select the best speaker to represent us at Area 15

Speech Contest. Our four contestants delivered four impressive and passionate speeches:

Passion >>>

Calendar Special Focus >>>

Meet Maria Keckler

Peggy Leslie...

This funny lady was the Table Topics Master one evening. She had us finish the lines she doled out to help get ideas for her new mystery novel! Maybe she’ll share the book royalties with her club when it becomes a bestseller.

Ann Williams...

Reminded us that for Christians, Heaven is spelled H-O-M-E.

KUDOS, Dave Jones!

David Jones organized and led our club’s

speech and Table Topics contest. He did

an amazing job, putting together and

hosting a first class contest that gave the

club the “authentic” Toastmasters compe-

tition experience. A huge “Thank You,”

David, form all of us!

Did you know? >>>

Pat Johnson, Toastmasters International President,

said that strong evaluations are the gift we give

each other as Toastmasters. “As we listen intently,

we develop critical thinking skills.”

Check out the April Toastmaster Magazine to un-

derstand how to manage your speaking anxiety!

Club Officers Sam Keckler, President

Marguerite Whitten, VP of Public Relations

Linda Blackburn, Treasurer

David Jones, Secretary

Lynn Bleyle, Sergeant of Arms

Kent Gerhan, Club Mentor

Learn about these and other leadership po-

sitions in your Competent Leadership Manu-

al. We are looking for more leaders!

Welcome to the Club! Rob Rowsell

Join the Editorial Staff Marguerite Whitten

Maria Keckler

Sam Keckler

The Editor’s Lens

2 3

May 7

Amanda Graham’s graduation. Worship

Center of Shadow Mountain Church.

10:00 AM

June 13

Toastmasters@SDCC

Fundraising auction

(see back page for details)

August 17-20

Toastmasters International Convention

Bally’s Las Vegas

Las Vegas Nevada

August 30

Eastern Division Contest

Hubbs-Sea World Research Insti-

tute; 2995 Ingraham Street, San Diego

Quick Thinking & Table Topics

Diane Szuch, Laurie Jones, Sam Keckler and

Amanda Graham all participated in our “in

club” table topics contest. Everyone re-

ceived the same “secret” question: “What is

your favorite Reality Show and why?”

Thinking on your feet is not as easy as you

may think, especially when you have only

75 seconds or less to answer a question

you’ve never heard before.

Laurie Jones walked away as the winner

with a mixture of “cooking show” fodder

and the passion she has for cooking “boiled

over.” Laurie represented our club beauti-

fully, achieving “Runner Up” ranking at the

Area 15 contest.

Where are you from? I was born in Mexico City. I moved to California

when I was sixteen, so the Mexican girl is most definitely Californian.

Tell us about your family: I’ve been married to my best friend, Sam, for

23 years. Our only daughter is a freshman at Biola University. Both of

them are the love of my life.

What are some of your life goals? As new empty nesters, Sam and I are embarking on a new chapter

of our lives, pursuing some of the dreams the Lord has placed in our hearts. One of them is launching

Vineworks Publishers, a non-profit Christian publishing house. Although it’s a huge undertaking, I’m

excited about the first project: “Stories from the Vine (StoriesFromTheVine.com),” a line of story

tracts that will allow many of God’s people to share their story in 850 words or less. I’m so excited to

help many Christians bear fruit for Christ, sharing the stories that God has entrusted with them.

Why did you become a Toastmaster? As the Director of the Ezra Center for Excellence, I’m always

looking for professional and personal development opportunities for the constituents of Christian

Unified Schools, San Diego Christian College, Southern California Seminary, Shadow Mountain

Church, and the local community. Toastmasters was a perfect fit, so when Kent Gerhan offered to

mentor a new club, SDCC jumped at the opportunity to sponsor it. I joined to get the club going and

to inspire my husband to join. Since then, I have already seen my speaking skills grow significantly.

What do you do? I’m the director of instructional technology and the Ezra Center, serving the organ-

izations I mentioned. In short, I teach teachers and help make professional development accessible.

What do you do for fun? Reading, writing, and learning new things are my brain candy. Teaching

(without grading) fires me up, so I do it as often as I can. Family time is the best fun of all!

Famous Quotes from Our Very Own Toastmasters@SDCC

“It’s wiser to be quiet some-times.” and “Everything you want to know about brakes without dying.” Jack delighting us again.

“I’m more of a Tango guy! I like reading straight ahead.” Larry on reading old books.

“I was on the road to hell for 33 years and was loving it … until I met Jesus!” Sam on living for self and changing course.

“I almost passed out when giving my Master’s Thesis, but I am thankful for that opportunity be-cause I got to meet you!” Debra

on inspiration for joining Toastmasters.

”Say things in a fresh new way, Dazzle us!” Maria, on being creative, responding to Table Topics questions.

“We need to take a leap of faith, and we need to find our own zip lines! Sharon, telling her leap of faith story.

“I love to cook… and feeding peo-

ple!” Laurie, on what she loves to

do.

“The best invention, in my opinion, is

Ms. Clairol.” Evie, with Table Topics

wit.

Member News & Nods Passionate Speakers Among Us By Marg Whitten

Many Toastmasters, including myself, have strug-

gled with confidence issues. They come up when

speaking in public, being in crowds, or interacting

with others. We may feel like we cannot do any-

thing right! Moses had these feeling too, but he

begged the Lord, “O Lord, I am just not a good

speaker…I am clumsy with words.” Exodus 4:10-

12. God wanted to use him anyway and in a

mighty way. Moses example matters because we

have a unique Christian Club. We work to devel-

op in ways that will glorify God! How exciting is

that? My prayer is that God will use our little club

here in San Diego Christian College and El Cajon

in a mighty way as we encourage one another

and bless our community…and the world. “May

the words of my mouth and the meditation of my

heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord my Rock

and my Redeemer.” Ps 19:14

We’re looking for submissions

for the June-July “Talk of the

Club.” Email them to

Toastmasters@SDCC.edu

Visit our Facebook Page to view and

congratulate weekly winners: Best

Speaker. Best Table Topics. Best Eval-

uator. Most Improved.