Page 22 - 2018 January Voices
P. 22
Where is the Benefit?
by Andrew Chappell, CC, ALB
Article reprinted from the Capital News by permission
If you are like me, questions may cross hugely rewarding. During all of this time I was
your mind, from time to time, about the fighting—A battle for my life—my appeal. I won
real, applicable benefits of what you learn in my appeal. Woohoo! Right?
Toastmasters. Questions like: Will I ever use these I quickly found out, after being transported
skills in any real world application? Do others back to Lane County, that the judge wasn’t
see my work as a positive? Can the work that I bound by the appellate courts ruling to do
put in have a positive effect on my life? And: Is anything to change my sentence. I can’t begin to
there any point to all of this? tell you how, for lack of a better term, strained
I can tell you that all of these questions have the relationship between the judge, and myself
crossed my mind from time to time. The fact is had up to this point been. Upon my arrival at
that there have been times that I have felt like Lane County jail, my lawyer came to meet with
quitting Toastmasters, just because of stresses me, and told me that he had met with the judge
& frustrations. When I start to think like that, I and she was completely and categorically clear
remember that from the very beginning I have in telling him that there would be no reductions
known that, with Toastmasters, I have become to my sentence. Needless to say that was a rough
involved in something that can be hugely day. He told me to give him some time. Months
rewarding. I can’t pin down any one thing that went by with no real hope in sight. We had sent
makes it so, because there are so many things numerous awards, certificates, job reports, DOC
that play into each individuals Toastmasters records, and letters from members of this club,
experience. college Deans, former club members, friends,
As I reflect on my own Toastmasters journey, and family to the court. Even with all of that,
it has been a series of events that range from, it seemed chances were slim that this judge
good to great, from great to awesome and from would budge from her position.
awesome to borderline miraculous. Let me When my day in court finally came, I was,
explain. to say the least, nervous. The judge came in to
First I came to this club as a new member, and the courtroom, turned off the court recording
learned really quickly that my communication and sat down directly across from me and said,
skills were sorely lacking, but I found common “I’m not giving you a day off of your sentence,
ground with other members, and received tons unless you can communicate to me reasons
of support and encouragement. With that, I why I should”. I used the skills that I learned
started to become more interested in the clubs’ in this club to explain myself to the judge.
activities and began learning new skills. I became After I had finished, the judge turned the court
a member of the executive body, serving as recording system back on and stated for the
Secretary, then VP Public Relations, and now record that after talking with me she stood
as VP Education. Things were going great! As convinced that I am a different person than I
many of you know, I gave a speech about my was 10 years ago. She then proceeded to knock
Mother at a special meeting, when we hosted 145 months off my sentence. That day for me
Balraj Arunasalam DTM, who was at that time was positive affirmation that the work that I
Toastmaster Internationals first VP and is now have put into trying to change my life has real
the International President. I got to send a DVD life payoff. Much of that is directly due to my
of that speech to my son, who never got to meet involvement in Capital Toastmasters. So I’d
my mother. That is when things went from like to thank each of you for helping me in
great to awesome. I was giving speeches, doing my journey, and for helping me to get a huge
leadership projects; I got my CC, CL, and ALB portion of my life back.
(AWESOME!). Things continued to click along, Andrew Chappell joined Toastmasters in 2014,
and I found that being of service to others was and is currently serving the club as the VP Education.
22 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 7 JANUARY, 2018
