| CLUB OFFICERS |
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| Patricia Pines |
| President |
| Stephanie Steckel |
| Vice President Education |
| Gabriel Young |
| Vice President Membership |
| Karen Storey, DTM |
| Vice President of Public Relations |
| Jay Mathur |
| Secretary |
| Moriam Aime |
| Treasurer |
| Tracy T. |
| Sergeant at Arms |
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| Dear Fellow Toastmasters, |
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My greatest accomplishment this
year was transitioning the
Gaveliers to the FreeToastHost
website for easier scheduling,
record-keeping, and member
access to agendas. Learning a
tool is never easy, but
together, we did it.
A second accomplishment was preparing the
Toastmasters
Handbook for each meeting role.
Since making it available to
everyone, I have really noticed
an upturn in members' confidence
and in their willingness to take
on roles.
And finally, it is my
relationship with each member of
the club — I think I have worked
with everyone to some degree —
and these exchanges have been
the highlight of my time in
office! I'd like to thank
everyone for being vulnerable,
learning, and obtaining new
accomplishments together!
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Warm regards,
Patricia Pines
Club President
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Celebrating
Accomplishments
"Mankind's greatest accomplishment is to
produce positive change." Raphael Sabbatini
“Success is the
sum of small efforts, repeated day in and
day out.” —
Robert Collier
“What you get by
achieving your goals is not as important as
what you become by achieving your goals.” —
Zig Ziglar
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Pride in Progress
“If you can
dream it, you can do it.” —
Walt Disney
“It always seems
impossible until it’s done.” —
Nelson Mandela
“The future
depends on what you do today.” —
Mahatma Gandhi
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| In October of 2025,
Toastmasters International enhanced Pathways. |
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| Basically, they added
eighteen meeting roles. They also added |
| the requirements to present |
| a module from the
Better Speaker |
| Series, the
Leadership Excellence |
| Series and the
Successful Club Series. |
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| See my new Pathways website
here: |
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https://my-pathways.info/index.htm |
or view my set of
Pathways Pointers. |
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| NEWSLETTER EDITOR |
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| Karen Storey, DTM |
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| WEBMASTER |
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Frank Storey, DTM
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What Is an Accomplishment?
An
accomplishment is the successful completion of a goal, task,
or project that requires effort, skill, and perseverance. It
typically involves setting a goal, putting in the work,
overcoming challenges, and achieving a meaningful result.
Key Elements of an Accomplishment
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Goal-Oriented:
Starts with a clear objective
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Effort & Skill:
Requires dedication, practice, or talent
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Tangible
Results: Leads to a measurable or visible
outcome
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Significance:
Represents something meaningful or noteworthy
Why Accomplishments Matter
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Build Confidence:
Achieving goals reinforces your abilities
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Encourage
Growth: Challenges help develop new skills and
resilience
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Provide
Recognition: Accomplishments are worth
celebrating and sharing
Reflecting on Your Accomplishments
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Think about goals you’ve achieved this year
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Consider moments that made you proud or happy
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Recall challenges you overcame or skills you developed
Capturing Your Accomplishments
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Keep notes or a simple “brag sheet” throughout the year
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Write down milestones, feedback, or successes
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Take time to celebrate both big and small wins
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ACCOMPLISHMENT vs ACHIEVEMENT |
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The two words are very similar, but there’s a
subtle difference in how they’re usually used:
Achievement
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Refers to reaching
a specific goal or target.
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Often measurable or
clearly defined.
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Usually something
that requires effort and success at a
particular task.
Example:
“Winning the competition was a big achievement.”
Accomplishment
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Refers to something
you have successfully completed, often over
time.
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Can be broader and
may include skills, tasks, or personal
growth.
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Sometimes used for
things that show ability or competence.
Example:
“Learning to play the piano is a great
accomplishment.”
In
short:
They overlap a lot in everyday use, but
“achievement” sounds more goal-focused, while
“accomplishment” feels more about overall
success or capability.
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There once was a speaker quite shy,
Who joined
Toastmasters
International to try.
With each small accomplishment,
Came growth and development—
Now confidence soars to the sky! |
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FTS |
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"Toastmasters is Life - the rest is just
details."
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My greatest
accomplishment this year is getting a
SpeechCraft approved as a class for the fall
semester of Delaware's Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute (OLLI).
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In the
Fall, I will be introducing OLLI
members, 55+ in age, the
joy of public speaking. |
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I have three favorite memories - |
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Karen Storey as
Table Topics Master, creates enthusiasm for
Table Topics like a game show host. She
showed me the power of high energy and how
contagious enthusiasm is.
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Seeing Amit
Neupane's beautifully crafted slides for his
ice-breaker. They were works of ART,
showing how dangerous Nepali mountain roads
are. Top Skills.
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Enjoying Jay
Mathur's delivery of his humorous "A Crazy
Day in the Life of a Sys Admin".
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A memorable moment.
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In one club I'm in, we
have an Improv Master and we began the meeting
with members complimenting each other (for 1
minute) in order. A complimented B, then B
complimented C, all the way back to A. We didn't
realize that the compliments would be so
heartfelt that the person being complimented
would have to take a moment to gather his/her
emotions before complimenting the next person.
It was extraordinarily heart warming!!
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In Gaveliers, it was in a phone call with Karen,
when she highlighted successes I had overlooked,
to tell me I was doing a good job as President.
It was truly a confidence-builder.
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Patricia Pines
Toastmasters International
2025-2026 President, Northrup Grumman
Gaveliers Toastmasters
2025-2026 Sgt @ Arms, Something New
Toastmasters
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From Positive Dreams to Positive Realities
As I reflect on this Toastmasters year, I can’t help but smile with a
sense of amazement. The year truly flew by—and what a journey it has
been.
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I am just one project away from completing my first path,
Motivational Strategies. Along the way, I led a panel
discussion, planned and hosted an end-of-year holiday party,
and even began my second path with a new Ice Breaker.
Serving as Sergeant at Arms, I attended officer training
twice—and in my other club, all seven officers did the same,
earning us a Golden Toaster Award.
Perhaps most surprising has been the confidence I’ve gained.
I found myself giving an impromptu evaluation to a senior
manager on the spot—with only a moment’s
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—and receiving genuinely positive feedback. That experience made
something very clear: growth in Toastmasters doesn’t stay in the meeting
room. It ripples outward into every part of life.
The accomplishments may seem small in the moment, but together they
create meaningful, lasting change.
Looking ahead, I hope to continue that growth by serving as Club
President in the coming year.
All in all, it has been an incredible year. Without Toastmasters, my
life might still be filled with positive dreams. Because of
Toastmasters—and this club—those dreams are becoming positive
realities, along with something just as valuable: lasting friendships.
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Tracy L. Tienken, MS4
Club Sergeant at Arms |
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wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |
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Helping Members Find Their Confidence |
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One of my greatest accomplishments this year was helping members
feel
more comfortable and confident
with Pathways while continuing to grow in
my own communication and
leadership journey.
I am proud of the many opportunities I had this
year to mentor, teach,
and encourage fellow
Toastmasters as we worked together to strengthen
our clubs and our skills.
Toastmasters continues to help me grow not only as
a speaker but as a
leader, mentor, and lifelong learner.
This year reminded me that every speech, meeting
role, and evaluation is
another step forward in personal
growth and confidence
Karen Storey, DTM, VPPR
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Still Moving Forward
Accomplishments look different to different people. Mine are
significant to me, even though I wish they could have been more
memorable.
I’m
a longtime member of Toastmasters and the Gaveliers Toastmaster
Club, but I've been unable to attend for a while.
Over the past two years, I have had COVID for over a month, a
stroke, two surgeries to deal with a twisted colon, and two
rehab sessions. Recovering from these is an accomplishment, but
not the kind you want on your resume.
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Although I have been absent from
Gaveliers, I have not been completely absent from Toastmasters.
I managed to attend a joint meeting between Gaveliers and
Kritikos Toastmasters clubs. I also attended a meeting of the
Winchester Toastmasters Club in Winchester, VA, and attended a
funeral for a Toastmasters friend's mother. In addition, I
designed and developed three new Pathways websites:
My-Pathways.info,
Pathways Pointers, and the Northrop Grumman
Club Newsletter. And my newest effort,
Pathways Pocket Guides,
is online. I also attended a few Gaveliers meetings, both online
and in person, and I’m one meeting and one speech away from
completing my
HPL on Pathways.
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Frank Storey, DTM, PDG |
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Newsletter Editors:
Send comments, suggestions, or questions to:
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Karen Storey, DTM :
karen@karenstorey.com
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Frank Storey, DTM :
fstorey1943@gmail.com
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