Page 18 - Voices! - September 2015

SUCCESSFUL CLUB

The Little Club That Could

by: Lynne Foster, ACB, ALB
President, Downtown Lunchbunch

Downtown Lunchbunch Toastmasters was formed by Judith Shortt after connecting with District 7 Chamber Liaison,
Chris Reichen at “Wake Up Hillsboro.” The Lt. Governor of Marketing at the time, Phyllis Harmon, was our sponsor and
mentor. She helped us start gaining traction, and the club began meeting in the winter of 2012. Meetings were held at
Summa Realty Downtown in Hillsboro with Bob Rollinger as the first Club President. The club chartered in June 2013.
Having Phyllis as our first VP Education was a godsend as we were trained early on how to navigate the Toastmasters
International program. We’ve achieved President’s Distinguished every year since chartering. As lives ebb and flow, Bob
Rollinger is the only remaining member of the founders. His knowledge and wit are favorite components of our meetings.
Naturally, there are growing pains with any novice club. The summer of 2014 was particularly challenging, with our
attendance dropping low during the summer months. We often had to double, and sometimes, triple up on roles. Of
course, this isn’t a unique situation, and other clubs experience low attendance during vacation time. However, we sailed
through year’s summer with High Colors. In fact, we’ve added new members.
Charter member, Denese Brown, says “As a club, I am proud to say that the level of encouragement is high, the level of
volunteering to take a role is high, and attendance is good. I enjoy Toastmasters for the connections with other people
who are proactive in taking charge of their lives to better themselves.”
One of our newest members, Cheryl McFadden adds, “Toastmasters has boosted my confidence when I speak to my
church congregation about our Christian Education Program. Before joining Toastmasters, this was a daunting task as the
Elder of Christian Education. I think our club does especially well at encouraging one another, being well prepared for our
speaking and leadership roles and, of course, managing time so we fit it all within one hour.”
Our club location on Main Street in Hillsboro has given the club excellent visibility. Hillsboro is a bustling place these days.
There is a lot of energy in the area as the downtown community is on a trajectory to raise its profile in the Portland Metro
with a burgeoning restaurant, music and arts scene. There is a true community feeling to it. Downtown Hillsboro is the
home of the City of Hillsboro, Washington County and other important business including the headquarters for Virginia
Garcia Memorial Health Center where I work in the executive team. Both the City and the County have sent employees
to us to hone leadership skills. For the most part, we are a club of professionals with goals. And we are having fun as we
learn and grow.
Fun is something we excel at Downtown Lunchbunch. We are a friendly, engaging bunch and are eager for the stream
of visitors who come to us on Fridays at noon. Often they are signing up on the spot. We are proud to note that three
of our newest members are speaking English as a Second Language. (They are French, Russian, and Indian). In fact,
we are getting to be quite an international club. Our VP Education, Paul Fanning, is an Englishman who is a seasoned
Toastmaster working on his Advanced Communication Gold recognition. Organized and well-versed about Toastmasters
International, he posts our goals and Distinguished Club Program progress weekly on a white board so we can see where
we are in our goals. I have no doubt that we would all say Paul is our MVP with his kindness and eye for detail. We are
inspired to move forward with three of our five club officers on target to earn Triple Crowns this year. (Paul, myself and
Secretary/Treasurer, Katie Suppan.)
Come out to Hillsboro for a lunch meeting with Downtown Lunchbunch -- The Little Club That Could. Except now, we
don’t think we can, we know we can!

18 Volume 2 Issue 3 - SEPT 2015