Area A2 Governor Honors Star Search

To members and guests of Star Search Toastmasters Club, # 5067 in Area A2 of District 57

For the 7/1/2007 - 6/30/2008 Toastmaster year, Star Search once again showed that it is among the very best clubs in our district for helping members achieve their communications and leadership goals!

Toastmasters International has a way of rating the strength and effectiveness of its clubs, called the Distinguished Club Program, using a 10 point system. The DCP measures several key factors, combining such factors as how well the club helps members achieve their speaking and leadership goals, how inviting the club is to members, and how well the officers manage the club.

Star Search Toastmasters Club did very well this year. Here are some of the ways it was rated:

Star Search was rated as a “President’s Distinguished Club”, the highest honor awarded, with the maximum of 10 DCP points, a rare distinction.

Total Clubs in our district: 140

Number of clubs achieving President’s Distinguished level with 10 points: 6 out of 140, a very high honor, and a testament to how well Star Search works for its members.

New members are key to the success of any club. New members bring fresh perspective and energy. A club that regularly attracts and retains new members is showing that it is valued by its members. Looking more closely at the membership numbers, Star Search also did well:

Membership net gain: 15 more than at start of term (20-35), highest in the district.

Total new members: 26, second highest in the district

Number of members at the end of the year: 35, in the top ten.

Member loss over the year: in the lowest (best) third of the district.

There are many ways to evaluate a club, although some cannot be readily measured, such as a friendly environment, and an atmosphere of mutual support. In these ways too, any observer would say the members of Star Search truly help each other achieve the goals that led them to join Toastmasters.

In this, the eighth consecutive year in which Star Search earned the President’s Distinguished Club award. I congratulate the 2007-2008 officers for serving their fellow members so well, even as they gained valuable skills through the experience, and I congratulate all members for helping others in the best traditions of a Toastmaster club.

Respectfully submitted,