Page 8 - September 2020 Voices

COVER STORY

After joining Portland Toastmasters, three something that I didn’t know before.
of her granddaughters periodically visited the “I was Area Governor in the late 90’s for a
club meetings with her, and one of them joined couple of years. I had what was then Area 81
the club for a couple years. which stretched from Astoria to Vancouver. As
“I found Portland Toastmasters to be a little Area Governor, I drove an hour to meetings in

bit more organized than the other clubs I had Astoria. I also got a lot of club officers interested
visited, and they were very interesting meetings” in coming to the District monthly meetings and
she shared. to get their officer training done. Many of them

Having been a Toastmaster for 26 years were more active after I left.
some might find it odd that she never gained “There were two clubs in Kelso when I started
the Distinguished Toastmaster award. “I didn’t as Area Governor. Two years later, there were
feel like I needed it,” she said. “I was just one four clubs because I got some people interested
step away from it three times, but I was retired in doing the work.”

by then, so I didn’t feel like it would do me that In addition to serving as an Area Governor,
much good.” she served as the District 7 Speechcraft Chair and
Regardless, she still served her clubs and helped to conduct many Speechcraft sessions as

Toastmasters in many roles. “I served as an Area well as Youth Leadership programs. She greatly
Governor, and I visited clubs as a Judge numerous enjoyed a Youth Leadership Program conducted
times for their contests. I went to Civil Tongues with a group of home schooled students in north
for about 10 years or more. I like the speeches Portland ranging in ages from 8 to 18.
that members gave, and I always seemed to learn In 2004 Rose started attending the Rosaria

Rose and the seven “kids”

8 ONE COMMUNITY