Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The new Martha’s Vineyard Toastmasters Club appreciates the community response to our kickoff meeting at the Vineyard Haven American Legion on March 27. Twenty-one members of the Island community attended a sample Toastmasters meeting presented by Gov. Stefano McGhee and Lieut. Govs. Doug Sheadel and YS Kim of  District 31 Toastmasters, covering eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island clubs. Two members of the Upper Cape Toastmasters Club in Falmouth, Christy Donovan and Scott Myers, also participated and will serve as mentors to our club as we get started and build the 20-member club needed to charter with Toastmasters International. We, the founding members of MV Toastmasters, Dr. Kim Burke, William Glazier, Joyce Wagner, Rev. Cheryl Burns and Jay Harper, served as functionaries for the meeting and will continue to promote the club to the community. We are pleased to report that our kickoff meeting resulted in several new members.

Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development with 280,000 members and 13,500 clubs in 116 countries. It is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a supportive, no-pressure environment. It is one of the most cost-effective skill-building tools available. For more information, go to toastmasters.org, speak to one of our members, or better yet, sit in on one of our meetings. We meet the first and third Wednesday of every month at the American Legion in Vineyard Haven from 7 to 8:30 pm. We look forward to building a strong community connection.

Kim Burke, Oak Bluffs