Three Mercury Members applauded for Leadership in Budapest
On November 17 in the closing ceremony of District 59 conference in Budapest, three members of our club were called to the stage to receive awards of recognition for their distinguished service to the Toastmasters organization. I would like to put this in context:
Our district is made up of over 270 clubs consisting of most of the countries belonging to continental Europe. We have the highest number of Toastmaster members in the world. And from over 5,000 members in the 270 clubs, to my knowledge there wasn’t one other club who had not one, not two, but three members called to the stage for their leadership achievements. This is an incredible feat!
Let yourself be inspired by the leadership that is in our very club and feel that potential of leadership that we all have within us.
I would like to give recognition and thanks, on behalf of our club, to these three members who have influenced and contributed the most at the grassroots level, our club. These three awards are in no particular order.
Khushi Pasquale CC, ALB
This member’s commitment and charisma stretches from our club here at Savignyplatz, Berlin all the way over to Rancho Santa Margarita, California, at Toastmasters International headquarters. She has devoted many hours of her valuable time, her talent, and her thoughts to making our club better. As a board member, we benefit from her precisely-written protocols of our meetings, her wise suggestions for improvements, and her quick initiative to roll up her sleeves and join in the work. She has the magic to make even cleaning up our club closet and organizing our name tags – fun.
As a leader, she has made our recent membership campaign, creative and once again I have to say, “fun” with her colorful charts and cheerleading speeches to rally us up.
She was selected to join 280 Toastmasters from around the world as a Learning Master for the Revitalized Education Program. The challenging task is to give their opinions, canvas clubs for their input, and contribute to clarifying how TMI can serve us better. Those of you who were here can attest to the lively Learning Master session with balloons filled with questions floating over head. Her questions were written with expert care and respect for the members who voiced their opinions.
When she finds time to get in a speech, we have the pleasure to sit back and enjoy her wonderfully high-energized, expressive, and well-written speeches.
Johanna Mählmann ACS, ALB, Immediate Past Division C Governor
This member is known throughout District 59 for her infectious enthusiasm for everything “Mercury.”
What I personally remarkable find about her is her vision, for this club and for the potential of each member here to excel in communication and leadership skills. Because of Johanna’s ceaseless encouragement, members have not only joined in club contests at all levels, but six members have even made it as far as the District 59 finals. She has spotted potential leaders within the club and effectively persuaded them to finally say, “Yes, I’ll do it.” She is relentless.
Since its establishment 15 years ago, in 1998, Mercury Club has never had so many award winners and achievements as it has accumulated in the last three years – and Johanna’s leadership powered a lot of this momentum.
Her leadership roles have included in chronological order: Mercury Club President, then Area Governor, and now past Division C Governor representing all the clubs in the Northeast Germany and at that time Poland.
Usually with a guest in hand, Johanna was one of our club’s winners during last year’s membership campaign. Her most honored guest was our Past District Governor Morag Mathieson, DTM.
She is a member of two English-speaking Toastmaster Clubs in Berlin: Mercury and First Berlin. This last year she obtained her ACS and ALB Awards.
As Past Division C Governor of Northeast Germany, she brought the Toastmaster Leadership Institute to Berlin and arranged for it to take place at Bombardier Headquarters. During the two-day seminar, she initiated a program of self-development workshops by members to share their expertise with our members.
She has been recuperating from those high output years, but I sense she will soon be back in her usual high-energy, sophisticated-style.
Alin Stefaniu ALB, Immediate Past President Mercury Club, Current Division C Governor
This next member gets things done. I will try to list his many accomplishments, and I am sure there are quite a few I will miss because he does most of his magic behind the scenes. And he is modest about his undertakings on our behalf.
Long and Difficult Move to Easy-Speak
With a lot of diplomacy, charm, instruction and many hours of typing, he swung our club’s web administration over to the new Easy-Speak system.
Multitasker Extraordinaire
He arrived at every meeting with energy, warmth, and knowledge. Whatever the moment needed – he either provided it or became it: from warm welcomes, camera & projector savior, enticing members to take on a function, never hesitating to take on several functions himself to save the meeting’s success, offered instruction on Toastmaster organisation, and lent our club a lovely tradition – chocolate chip cookies and orange juice at the break, paying costs out of his own pocket so often when he saw the till was low.
Buddy System
He initiated, implemented, and introduced our members to a short-term mentor program to help new members get started and succeed in their first communication and leadership roles.
Coach, Mentor, Fan
He generously offered his support and coaching to help members compete in speech contests at all levels. With his support, six Mercury members made it to all of the last five District Conferences. And he was there to show his support to members who were competing or giving a workshop at district conferences in Basel, Poznan, Bonn, and Budapest.
President Distinguished Club Award
Under his presidency, Mercury reached this milestone last year.
He achieved his Competent Leader Award and his Competent Communication Award will happen very soon.
He is a member of our board as past president, he offers our team IT support and administration tips and tricks with his in-depth knowledge about the Toastmaster organization. Perhaps unfortunately for him, he has earned the title “I don’t know, go ask Alin” title.