2026 Newsletter Archive

This page holds the full text of every story linked from our monthly newsletter emails. Use the Table of Contents below to jump straight to any article, organized by month with the newest issue at the top.

September 2026

09.26 – Director’s Message

Excellence Together

This month, the District Trio and I attended a two‑day District Leader Training prior to the International Convention in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Thank you for the opportunity to represent District 207 as we exchanged best practices and learned how other Districts are building momentum.  The theme of the training was clear: Back to Basics.

Club Excellence Starts with You

Members don’t join Toastmasters — members join your club. They join because you create an environment where guests feel welcome and members want to stay.  Confidence, connection, and growth happen one meeting at a time, one speech at a time, one role at a time.

Club culture is built when members show up and give the best of themselves, not only for their own development but for one another.

Toastmasters Is a Team Sport

None of us succeed alone.  I became a Toastmaster because someone pointed me toward a meeting.  I became a leader because someone tapped me on the shoulder.  I serve as your District Director today because past leaders invited me to help.

Every member plays a role in someone else’s success. That is why our theme for the year is: Excellence Together

Our District Goal: Become a Distinguished District

To achieve DISTINGUISHED DISTRICT status, District 207 needs:

• 1% net membership payments growth
• 1% net club growth
• 45% of clubs Distinguished or better

We have not reached this milestone since 2018.  We chose this goal not because it is easy, but because it is worth striving for.  Dream boldly for yourself and your club.

Momentum Challenge for September

1. Submit your Club Success Plan in Club Central — required for club Distinguished status.
2. Choose one or more momentum‑building actions this month:

• Renew your membership
• Complete a Pathways level
• Host an Open House
• Invite a guest or ask guest to join your club
• Attend training
• Submit a lead for a new club
• Request or volunteer as a club coach

Small steps, taken together, move our District forward as we achieve Excellence Together.

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09.26 – Thank you

Thank You

To all of the Leaders who have stepped up to serve District 207 this Toastmasters year!

Area Directors who have stepped up to serve to be the link between the District and clubs

Michael Rusnack – Area E53    |    Tatiania Lessaos – Area F63

We couldn’t be successful in our roles without your help!

From the District 207 Leadership:

Courtney Carlovsky, District Director
Dora Marie Abreu, Program Quality Director

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09.26 – Division B Spotlight

David Johnson, DTM

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Division B! Our 21 clubs are in corporations, community colleges, government organizations and prisons in various cities stretching between Salem and Portland, Oregon. However, our membership stretches even further, with members in Arizona, California, Texas, Washington and even the United Kingdom! (shout out to Bedford!)

Club Spotlight

• Capital Toastmasters Club (Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem, OR)
  • One of the few clubs to have achieved Smedley Distinguished last year. They publish a monthly newsletter for members, volunteers and fellow adults in custody “AICs”. Example of their most recent one: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NTjcF06mKIrYlDr0rSarFqTMIlgI9gu3/view?usp=sharing
• Clackamas Stepping Stones (Milwaukie, OR)
  • Hosted an Ice Cream Social and entertained 6 six guests that evening! They also  inducted a new member and recognized 2 members who completed educational levels and 2 others who were starting a new path.  
• Creative Communicators (Salem, OR)
  • After each meeting Club President Tami shares a few photos from their meetings on their Facebook page to get the word out and celebrate their members and guests. View some examples:: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HvemsmSJe/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Marylhurst Toastmasters (West Linn, OR)
  • With “Blackout Bingo,” the club officers awards any and all club members who do every role & give a speech at least once within a six-month period. If they bring a guest to a meeting, or have the guest join, then it can be applied to something they haven’t done yet. Example spreadsheet to track the initiative. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14ixpNWNqgW6rc32uAoMzMtUw8f5ESV7h/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=116939636676470953087&rtpof=true&sd=true
• PMI Portland Toastmasters (Portland, OR)
  • One of several clubs in Division B whose meetings have a Table Topics Evaluator, allowing the General Evaluator to focus on other parts of the meeting, and allow the Table Topics Speaker to get more detailed feedback. It also provides another opportunity to give feedback. 
• Toast of Tualatin, Lam Research (Tualatin, OR & Freemont, CA)
  • The club has two meeting rooms, each with a lectern, one at each campus, connected by online meeting software which also supports remote workers’ attendance. They ensure someone is assigned to monitor the chat and highlight any comments people may have missed. 
• Toastmasters Latinos de Oregon (Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem, OR)
  • Every Monday for several weeks, the club has been doing Speechcraft. Their club member Alcibiades Birruete completed 5 levels thus earning a triple crown award!
• Wallmaster International Club (Portland, OR)
  • Was the first club in our division to submit their Club Success Plan – July 23, 2026! Well begun is half done! They also have the Table Topics Evaluator role.

Charter Anniversaries

• August: Clack-Orators Toastmasters – 12 yrs
• Sept: Lake Oswego Toastmasters Club – 74 yrs
• Sept: Newberg Toastmasters Club – 74 yrs
• Oct: Marylhurst Toastmasters – 28 yrs
• Oct: New Horizons Toastmasters Club – 73 yrs

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday, September 15 – Open House Celebrating 40 Years – TopDOTs at Broadway Commons in Salem and Online.
  • Read more here: https://d207tm.org/rsvpmaker/top-dots-open-house-hybrid/

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09.26 – Congratulations – Level Achievers

Members who submitted educational levels with Pathways during August 2026:

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09.26 – Educational Achievements – August 2026

Award	Date	Member	Name	Location
PM3	08/12/2026	Shaun Deja	Lone Peak Toastmasters	Draper
MS2	08/06/2026	Namporn (Nic) Tobchan	Metro Toastmasters Club	Salt Lake City
PM1	08/08/2026	Alcbiades Birruete, PM5	Toastmasters Latinos de Oregon	Salem
PM2	08/08/2026	Alcbiades Birruete, PM5	Toastmasters Latinos de Oregon	Salem
PM3	08/08/2026	Alcbiades Birruete, PM5	Toastmasters Latinos de Oregon	Salem
PM4	08/08/2026	Alcbiades Birruete, PM5	Toastmasters Latinos de Oregon	Salem
PM5	08/08/2026	Alcbiades Birruete, PM5	Toastmasters Latinos de Oregon	Salem
CES3	08/06/2026	Allan B. Edinger, DTM	Will-Sher Club	Salem
CES4	08/06/2026	Allan B. Edinger, DTM	Will-Sher Club	Salem
CES1	08/05/2026	Allan B. Edinger, DTM	Will-Sher Club	Salem
CES2	08/05/2026	Allan B. Edinger, DTM	Will-Sher Club	Salem
PM1	08/19/2026	Ashlyn Ahrendsen, PM1	USANA Toastmasters	West Valley City
PI2	08/16/2026	Ben Tan, PI2	Toast Of Tualatin, Lam Research	Tualatin
PM5	08/19/2026	Beth Pinchot, DTM	West Beaverton Club	Beaverton
EH1	08/12/2026	Bethany L. Ledbetter Blank, EH1	Jack C High Club	Idaho Falls
VC1	08/19/2026	Cheri A. Redgrave, DTM	Communicators Plus	Bend
PI1	08/17/2026	Chris W. Swanson, EH5	Lake Oswego Toastmasters Club	Lake Oswego
DL1	08/19/2026	Christopher Teal, DL1	Chinden Chatterboxes	Boise
PM2	08/19/2026	Crystal Smith, PM2	Tell Me A Story	online only
PM3	08/12/2026	Darci M. Standefer, PM3	Siuslaw Tale Spinners Club	Florence
PI1	08/03/2026	Delani Herb, PI1	Corvallis Evening Group	Corvallis
PI2	08/04/2026	Dorothy Cottingham, DTM, PID	Cedar Hills Club	Portland
PM2	08/12/2026	Elle Hersom, PM2	Utah Valley Club	Spanish Fork
PI1	08/07/2026	Gabriel M. Paul, PI1	Jack C High Club	Idaho Falls
TC5	08/10/2026	Idowu A. Atoloye, TC5	Cache Valley Toastmasters	LOGAN
PI5	08/18/2026	Janelle J. Cervantes, PI5	Lebanon Toastmasters	Lebanon
EC5	08/02/2026	Jennifer Busch, EC5	Marylhurst Toastmasters	West Linn
VC1	08/08/2026	Jonathan Quevedo-Pimentel, VC1	Toastmasters Latinos de Oregon	Salem
PM3	08/07/2026	Judy R. Bankman, PM3	CareOregon	Portland
PM4	08/05/2026	Julie Stoa, PM4	West Beaverton Club	Beaverton
PM5	08/04/2026	Laura R. Hoos, PM5	Early Words Club	Kelso
IP5	08/01/2026	Leela Seeber, IP5	New Horizons Toastmasters Club	Tualatin
EC1	08/11/2026	Lisa Busenbark, DL5	Portlandia Club	Portland
DL1	08/05/2026	Lisa Schupp, DTM	Toast of Corvallis Toastmasters Club	Corvallis
PM1	08/06/2026	Lynn Shelton, PM1	Capitol Mall Toastmasters	Boise
BT2	08/12/2026	Michael R. Rusnack, DTM	Meridian Club	Meridian
EC4	08/12/2026	Pamela Henrie, EC4	Utah Valley Club	Spanish Fork
DL1	08/07/2026	Pasha Galayda, DL1	Image Masters Toastmasters Club	Salt Lake City
LD5	08/08/2026	Penny Jahraus, LD5	New Horizons Toastmasters Club	Tualatin
MS1	08/01/2026	Penny Jahraus, LD5	New Horizons Toastmasters Club	Tualatin
PM3	08/19/2026	Philip Johnson, PM3	Chinden Chatterboxes	Boise
SR5	08/17/2026	Robert Pugh, DTM	Wallmasters International Club	Portland
MS1	08/12/2026	Sean R. Williams, MS1	Downtown Public Speakers Club	Eugene
PM1	08/04/2026	Sherif O. Olasoji, PM1	Cache Valley Toastmasters	LOGAN
PM1	08/07/2026	Stephanie Dees, PM1	Professionally Speaking	Vancouver
MS3	08/06/2026	William R. Scott, MS3	Dynamic Club	Boise

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09.26 – Current Club Incentives Available for Clubs

7 of 7 Officers Trained
All your club officers trained by August 31^st and receive $10 District Dollars

Horizon Award
Submit Club Success Plan by August 31^st and receive $25 District Dollars for Early Submission

Early Dues Renewal – Must be a club in Good Standing and an active club receive
Club has 8 members renew by August 31^st and receive $10 District Dollar

Smedley Membership Campaign – GOAL: Build your club by adding 5 new/reinstated members by September 30

Club Incentives: Open House: Hold an Open House between August 1^st and September 30^th and the club is eligible to be reimbursed for refreshments up to $30 District Dollars.

Convert an Open House Guest to a Member or reinstate members: Clubs can receive $25 District Dollars per added member, up to 5 members or $125 District Dollars

***Clubs must request this incentive in the Incentive Tracker and submit the information to receive the District Dollars***

Strong Start Educational Award – Complete and reflected in DCP by September 30 w/club member numbers based on a club’s base member count
    a. Clubs with 20+ members: must complete three Pathways levels to receive $20 District Dollars
    b. Clubs with 12 members and below: must complete one Pathways level to receive $10 District Dollars
    c. Clubs with 13–19 members: must complete two Pathways levels to receive $15 District Dollars

Triple Threat – Fall Campaign: Complete by September 30 and receive $30 District Dollars
     a. Club Success Plan Submitted to TI AND
     b. All Members signed up for a Path in Pathways AND
     c. At least one club member completes the process to become a club Coach (for clubs w/more than 12 members) OR
     d. Club signs up for a club coach w/signed application submitted to TI (for clubs w/12 or less members)

Eight is Great – Member dues must be submitted and paid to Toastmasters International by no later than September 15^th 
     a. Get 8 club members to submit and pay their membership dues – Receive $10 District Dollars
     b. Get 20 club members to submit and pay their membership dues – Receive $20 District Dollars

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09.26 – Club Incentives

As part of establishing District 207, the District Leader team is trying to find ways to be more efficient as well as find tools to help make club officer service less stressful and more impactful for each of your clubs.

One way we are doing this is by revamping our District Incentive program.  Previously, our old District provided gift certificates as incentives that could only be used at the Toastmasters store but left those clubs that didn’t have those needs with something they couldn’t use.  Additionally, the submission process to redeem incentives left our clubs asking a lot of questions.

In an answer to these pain points, District 207 will be using a tool call Incentive Tracker to help smooth and ease the incentive submission process for your club officers.  For more information, go to this link  District Incentives / District Dollars FAQ – District 207 Toastmasters

The good news is most of the incentives your club earns, your officers won’t have to submit any documents or information.  Most incentives will be submitted on your club’s behalf based on information gathered from the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) dashboard.

There will be a few instances where this is not the case such as during membership drive campaigns (Smedley, Talk up Toastmasters, and Beat the Clock).  If you have any Incentive questions, please reach out to Dora Marie Abreu at pqd@d207tm.org

Your club can earn Incentives by completing important club tasks that help establish a quality club environment.  Incentivized tasks revolve around Club Officer Training, dues renewals, Club Success Plan, educational goals, etc.  We call the incentives that your club earns District Dollars.  These dollars earned can then be used by your club for reimbursement of expenses such as Toastmasters store purchases (ballots, ribbons, etc.), zoom licenses, room rental expenses, etc. up to the amount your club has earned.  

We hope the newly revamped Incentive program changes will allow your clubs to enhance your meeting and member experience as you build momentum to club excellence.

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August 2026

08.26 -Director’s Message

District 207: Building Momentum Together

As we begin our first year as District 207, I’ve been reflecting on rowing—a sport that looks calm from a distance but is full of coordinated effort up close.  Toastmasters is much the same.  Every role matters, and when we move in unison, we gain speed, stability, and purpose.

Our Crew

• Coxswain (District Leadership Team): Sets the course and strategy.
• Stern Pair (District Leaders): Sets the pace and keeps us aligned.
• Bow Pair (Division & Area Directors): Stabilizes the boat and smooths out challenges.
• Engine Room (Clubs & Members): Provides the power, energy, and momentum that drives our District forward.

Where We Are

District 207 begins the year with 140 clubs:

• 50% eligible for a club coach (4–12 members)
• 25% with 13–19 members
• 25% at charter strength (20+ members)

Many clubs have strong cores but struggle with retention and recruitment, leading to burnout and limited momentum.

Where We’re Going

Our goal is to flip the inverted triangle:

• 50% of clubs at charter strength (20+ members)
• 30–40% with 13–19 members
• 10–20% needing a coach (4-12 members)

This won’t happen overnight, but it is achievable—and essential for a thriving District where members find value, community, and growth.

How We Get There

Creating One District Through Unity

• Engage members beyond their clubs
• Use WhatsApp to strengthen communication and community

Member Growth & Retention

• Incentives that drive action
• Training beyond officer roles
• Coaching support for struggling clubs

Member Engagement

• Invite members to participate
• Communicate clearly and consistently

Let’s Build Momentum

Every speech, every training, every success plan, and every guest invited adds power to our District 207 shell. Together, we can move forward with strength, unity, and purpose.

08.26 – Thank You

Thank You

To all the Leaders who stepped up to serve District 207 this Toastmasters year!

Area Directors who stepped up to serve to be the link between the District and clubs

District Leaders who help to keep our District running behind the scenes

We couldn’t be successful in our roles without your help!

                                         From the District 207 Trio:

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08.26 – Wanted!

The following roles need someone like you to serve this year:

Area Directors: serve as the conduit between the District and clubs; provide valuable feedback and guidance to clubs

Interested in serving?  Contact Courtney Carlovsky,dd@d207tm.org or one of the Division Directors to find out more

Public Relations Committee members: help get the word out about District 207 as well as keep members informed on what is happening around the District across various platforms

Interested in serving on the Committee?  Contact Leela Seeber, prm@d207tm.org to find out more and how you can help get the word out about D207

Club Growth Committee members: help grow District 207 in a variety of ways

• Extension Committee: identify and launch new clubs across the District
• Club Coach: Support clubs with 3-12 members as they rebuild and grow
• Demo Meeting Team: helps run demo/info meetings
• Outreach Lead: build relationship with companies and community groups
• New Club Research: Identify markets and prospects for new clubs
• Corporate & Community Liaisons: connects with chambers, Rotary, and similar organizations

Interested in learning more?  Have a short window you can contribute?  Contact Maureen Farrell at cgd@d207tm.org to find the perfect spot to contribute to the growth of District 207

Program Quality Committee members: help educate and train District 207 leaders and members

Are you knowledgeable in the following areas?

• Youth Leadership
• Speechcraft
• Distinguished Toastmaster process
• Pathways
• Conducting Contests
• Free Toast Host/EasySpeak
• Training

The Program Quality Team needs you!  Contact Michael Hachigian at pqd@d207tm.org to be a part of the team that helps better educate District 207 Toastmasters and builds quality clubs 

Many hands make light work!  Be a part of building the foundation of District 207!

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08.26 – D207 Incentives Program

District 207 is now ready to roll out its Incentives Program.  We have the latest incentives loaded in the Incentive Tracker.

In this 60 minute meetings, we will discuss:

• What is an Incentive?
• What Incentives are available?
• How do I log in to the Incentive Tracker?
• How do I claim an Incentive?
• What are District Dollars?
• What can I spend them on?
• How do I get reimbursed spending District Dollars?
• How do I log into Concur?
• What can I do when something goes wrong?

Please join us for the next session:

Tuesday, August 25 7:00PM-8:00PM(MDT) [6:00PM-7:00PM(PDT)]

Topic: Incentive Training for Club Officers

Time: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88391573016?pwd=bYJX5TMOECEy7vFbEjMg9VUNgyvgbi.1

08.26 – Congratulations – Level Achievers

Members who submitted a completed Level 1 educational level with Pathways during July 2026:

Members who submitted a completed Level 2 or Level 3 educational level within Pathways during July 2026:

Members who submitted a completed Level 4, Path Completion, and Mentorship Program within Pathways during July 2026:

Level completions listed in parentheses

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08.26 – Fall Triple Threat Campaign

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08.26 -Start Strong Educational Award Campaign

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08.26 – Early Renewals Campaign

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08.26 – Smedley Club Building Campaign

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08.26 – Fall 7 of 7 Officers Trained Campaign

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08.26 – Eight is Great Campaign

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