September 9, 2024
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Patriot Day-Themed Toastmasters Meeting: Building Relationships, Unity, and Awareness
Our recent Toastmasters meeting, centered around the theme of Patriot Day, was a powerful reminder of the importance of commemorating significant moments that unite us. The Word of the Day, "commemorate," perfectly captured the essence of the meeting as we reflected on the impact of September 11 and its lessons on unity and peace.
Best Speaker: Greg Allen
Greg Allen, a financial advisor, delivered an inspiring speech titled Pinto Beans and Cornbread, earning him the Best Speaker award. Greg shared how his journey as a financial advisor started and emphasized the importance of building strong client relationships. He recalled a memorable experience where a client, deeply appreciative of his services, offered him a home-cooked meal. Greg used this heartfelt story to highlight how strong connections can lead to unexpected, sweet rewards in both personal and professional life.
Best Table Topics: Adib Kapasi
The Best Table Topics award went to Adib Kapasi, who reflected on his childhood memory of 9/11. At just 4-5 years old, he noticed how the media labeled the attack as an "Islamic Attack" rather than a "Terrorist Attack." This early lesson made him aware of how headlines can spread misleading or harmful messages, and he spoke about the importance of understanding that Islam is a religion of peace, not violence.
Best Evaluator: Randy Riddie
Randy Riddie was named Best Evaluator for his detailed and insightful feedback on Greg Allen’s speech. Randy’s evaluation not only recognized Greg’s strengths but also offered constructive areas for improvement, showcasing Randy’s keen observation skills and dedication to helping others grow.
Special Awareness Speech: Rebecca Taylor
We were also moved by a special awareness speech from Rebecca Taylor, who spoke on the importance of empathy and understanding for those dealing with dementia. Rebecca shared her personal story and gave practical tips on supporting individuals with dementia, raising crucial awareness about this misunderstood condition.
Conclusion
This Patriot Day-themed meeting not only honored the memory of 9/11 but also focused on the values of unity, peace, and compassion. From Greg Allen’s inspiring story of relationship-building to Adib Kapasi’s thought-provoking reflections on media bias and Rebecca Taylor’s heartfelt awareness speech on dementia, the meeting was a testament to the power of community, awareness, and personal growth.

August 26, 2024
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Spartanburg Toastmasters
Toastmaster of the Day: Brandy Leroy
Meeting theme: HOPE
Guest: Jan Swinton
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Meeting Awards
Best Speaker: Burnnie Holliday
Best Evaluator: Chloe Jones
Best Table Topics Speaker: Greg Allen
August 19, 2024
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TMOD Lee Holliday chose the Spartanburg Toastmasters meeting theme to be GOOGLE for this week. We welcomed guest Manu from India by way of Dubai as a guest visiting Spartanburg this week.
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Spartanburg Toastmasters Meeting Awards
Best Speaker: Jennifer Cropper
Best Evaluator: Greg Allen
Best Table Topics Speaker: Randy Riddle
SPARTANBURG TOASTMASTERS
August 12, 2024
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The meeting theme of Lessons Learned from a Great Leader and Speech was featured by TMOD, Rick Thompson.
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Our meetings are every Monday at 6:45pm.
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Meeting Awards
Ice Breaker Speaker: Courtney Cancer & Brandy LeRoy
Best Speaker: Autumn Lamb
Best Evaluator: Burnnie Holliday
Best Table Topics Speaker: Jennifer Cropper
August 5, 2024 - SPARTANBURG TOASTMASTERS
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Our TMOD, Robert Murgado, led us in a meeting themed THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE. We were so excited to induct Rebecca Taylor and Nikki Rogers as new members at Spartanburg Toastmasters.
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Our meetings are every Monday at 6:45pm.
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Meeting Awards
Ice Breaker Speaker: Jennifer Cropper
Best Speaker: Randy Riddle
Best Evaluator: Rebecca Taylor
Best Table Topics Speaker: Harshil Patel
July 29, 2024
We held our club Table Topics and Humorous Speech Contests on July 29, 2024. The 5 Table Topics Contestants, Rick Thompson, Jennifer Cropper, Autumn Lamb, Harshil Patel, and Burnnie Holliday each responded to the question, "If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people, what would your message be?"
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Our three Humorous Speech Contestants and their speech titles were Rick Thompson (Regrets, I've Had A Few), Burnnie Holliday (Falling Flat), and Adib Kapasi (Travel Misadventures).
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A big shout of appreciation to club members who served in various contest official roles: John McKinney, Brandy LeRoy, Cindy Freeman, Courtney Cancer, Randy Riddle, LaShanne Goins, Patrick Nugent, Greg Allen, and Lee Holliday.
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Table Topics Contest Winners
1st Place: Autumn Lamb
2nd Place: Burnnie Holliday
3rd Place: Rick Thompson
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Humorous Speech Contest Winners
1st Place: Burnnie Holliday
2nd Place: Adib Kapasi
3rd Place: Rick Thompson
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July 22, 2024
TECHNOLOGY was the meeting theme chosen by TMOD, Harshil Patel. We welcomed 4 guests to our meeting - Rebecca Taylor, Vince Williams, Katrina Howard, and Kate Barnwell! We continue to have meetings every Monday at 6:45pm.
Meeting Awards
Best Speaker: Burnnie Holliday
Best Evaluator: John McKinney
Best Table Topics Speaker: Jennifer Cropper
July 15, 2024
Our TMOD, Adib Kapasi, chose BEING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF as our meeting theme. We inducted our newest member - Jennifer Cropper - at the beginning of the meeting! We continue to have meetings every Monday at 6:45pm. Our club-level Table Topics and Humorous Speech Contests are scheduled for Monday, July 29 at 6:30pm.
Meeting Awards
Best Speaker: Chloe Jones
Best Evaluator: Harshil Patel
Best Table Topics Speaker: John McKinney
July 8, 2024

We had a full house again at Spartanburg Toastmasters for a meeting themed IGNITE YOUR PASSION and led by Club Sergeant-at-Arms and TMOD,
Autumn Lamb. It was a treat to welcome 3 guests -
Jacob Nix,
Shaneka Rogers, and
Vince Williams to the meeting! We continue to have meetings every Monday at 6:45pm but please make note that our club-level Table Topics and Humorous Speech Contests are scheduled for Monday, July 29 at 6:30pm.
Meeting Awards
Best Speaker: John McKinney
Best Evaluator: Lee Holliday
Best Table Topics Speaker: Burnnie Holliday
July 1, 2024

We had a full house at Spartanburg Toastmasters for a very engaging meeting led by our TMOD,
Karen Hines with the meeting theme of HOME OF THE FREE. It was a pleasure to welcome our Area 45 Director,
Debra Grant to the meeting.
In addition, we formally inducted 4 members - Rick Thompson, Brandy LeRoy, Courtney Cancer, and Cindy Freeman! (Note that Rick is not really a new member but is now returning to active participation in the club having been a member for over 20 years!) We continue to have meetings every Monday at 6:45pm but please make note that our club-level Table Topics and Humorous Speech Contests are scheduled for Monday, July 29 at 6:30pm.
Meeting Awards
Ice Breaker Speaker: Rick Thompson
Best Speaker: Rick Thompson
Best Evaluator: Autumn Lamb
Best Table Topics Speaker: Brandy LeRoy
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