Overview of Chula Vista Club Spring Open House 2019

Here's what really happened...

And what you missed at our club's 

Spring Open House!

On Thursday, March 21, 2019, Chula Vista Club had its second Open House! I had the opportunity to be the event chair for this club once again. This was the club's second opportunity to showcase everything that Toastmasters has to offer to all club members. It was a night full of exuberance and everyone, including our Toastmaster, Table Topics Master, and speakers made sure that our members and guests were fully engaged from beginning to end of meeting session. 

Toastmaster Alex Rivera and Timer Marco Trevejo managed to lead an excellent and smooth meeting, and Lourdes Araiza as the night's Table Topics Master engaged members and guests with self-reflective questions about their own personal journeys. She asked questions like "Who are you?" Talk about deep! We had three superstars as our speakers! Well, superstars and professional speakers! They were Philip Abraham, DTM... Lex Gillette, professional speaker and paralympic athlete... David Carroll, DTM, PDG. 

Philip Abraham, DTM was the keynote speaker for the Spring's Open House night. Philip has been a member of Chula Vista Club since April 2004. He served as Area 22 Governor. In this speech, he begins by asking us to reflect on our personal mission 

He continues to share his life-changing story after joining Toastmasters International and Chula Vista Club. He gives credit to his lifelong friend and mentor (David Carroll) for his support in helping him earn the DTM award, one of his greatest accomplishments as a Toastmaster.

Lex Gillette is a professional speaker and a paralympic athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. Lex is delivering his icebreaker speech for the Leadership Development path in Pathways program. In this speech, Lex shares his story about how his mother encouraged him for years to join a Toastmasters club and is thankful to David Brown, his friend and also paralympic athlete, who invited him to visit and join "The Great 108." Lex has experienced the positive benefits that Toastmasters has to offer, and has learned much from the club members at "The Great 108."

"I joined Toastmasters, so that I could learn and fly and see farther that I could ever imagine possible. Each of you are amazing and have something special to offer, something different to me as a speaker... I want to be able to use all of that to excel higher, to be better that I was the day before..." -Lex Gillette

David Carroll, DTM, PDG, a 30-year veteran Toastmaster who has accomplished much and has been the club's Great Mentor. David is a professional speaker who joined Toastmasters ultimately to receive feedback in order to improve his communication and public speaking. David went beyond and was a dual member of two Toastmasters clubs - Chula Vista Club and one club in Malaysia. He traveled back and forth between Malaysia and the US and all to get feedback to grow as a speaker. He claims if you want to travel the world, "Join Toastmasters!" Toastmasters is an international organization, there are Toastmasters clubs around the world! Additionally, David went beyond and applied everything he had learned about Toastmasters, and how he implement numerous strategies for club growth back when he was club president of "The Great 108," which he states is one of the leading clubs in District 5.

It definitely was an exuberant evening full of knowledge and enthusiasm. Everyone had the excellent opportunity to learn much more about everything that Toastmasters International has to provide to all club members and how every single member has utilized the Toastmasters lessons to cultivate and develop a growth mindset. By joining Toastmasters, you are taking charge of your own education and professional development.

 

Are you still struggling to decide if this Toastmasters club is the right place for you? Well, come visit us and check out our weekly Thursday Toastmasters meetings. Every Thursday, from 7 p.m. to  8:30 p.m. at 84 East J Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910. Bring a friend! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and subscribe to the club's YouTube channel!