Meetings
We meet at 6:30pm-9pm every Thursday at Ruby Tuesday on Erie Blvd. East in DeWitt. For more information and directions, look under the Main Menu in the left column.
Empire Statesmen Preparing for District 65 Contest
The District 65 Spring Contest will be held on April 23-24 in Corning, NY. It will include a Tall Tales and an International Speech contest. It has been said that the "secret to a good tall tale is exaggeration." That was certainly the case when Mel Chesbro won Empire Statesmen's Tall Tales contest! Lamar Wells was runner up. The club's International
Speech contest was held on February 25. The speech for this contest can be on any topic. Mel Chesbro was also the winner of Empire Statesmen's Speech Contest, and Lee Livermore was runner up. Congratulations to Mel Chesbro who won both the Tall Tales and Speech Contests and will represent Area 7 in the Eastern Division Contest on March 27! We are proud of all our winners and contestants. Congratulations to all, and especially Mel Chesbro! See our calendar on the left for more information.
Leadership
Our members often step up to the challenges of high
office leadership positions in Toastmasters International ranks. We
have recently had the following members in a role above club level:
- Sean Becker: 2009-2010 Area 7 Governor
- Sam Mehta: 2007-2008 District 65 District Governor
- Ed Parmenter: 2007-2008 District 65 Sergeant at Arms
- Ruth Parmenter: 2007-2008 Area 12 Governor
Our members also often receive numerous awards in various Toastmaster public speaking contests.
- Mel Chesbro: Winner, Spring 2010 Area
7 Speech Contest
- Mel Chesbro: Winner, Spring 2010 Area
7 Tall Tales Contest
- Glenn Allen: Runner Up, Fall 2009 District 65 Speech Evaluation Contest
- Glenn Allen: Winner, Fall 2009 Eastern Division Speech Evaluation Contest
- Glenn Allen: Winner, Fall 2009 Eastern Division Humorous Speech Contest
- Sam Mehta: Runner Up, Fall 2009 Area 7 Humorous Speech Contest
- Sam Mehta: Winner, Spring 2009 Eastern Division Speech Contest
- Sean Becker: Runner Up, Spring 2009 Eastern Division Evaluation Contest
Our Newsletters
For some old but interesting news from Empire Statesmen, see our
Newsletters.
ESTM Earns President's Distinguished Club Status
Empire Statesmen Toastmasters has achieved ten out of ten goals for 2010! When a Toastmasters club earns seven of ten goals, they are a Select Distinguished Club, and achieving nine out of ten goals is known as a President's Distinguished Club. Goals include: at least four members completing 10 Competent Communicator speeches; members achieving Advanced Communicator and Competent Leadership goals; Executive Committee members attending officer training; and club membership growth requirements.
The fiscal year ends in June, and we earned the President's Distinguished Club award four months early! This makes Empire Statesmen the first club in District 65 to meet the goals for President's Distinguished. Congratulations to all our club members for their achievement.Welcome New Empire Statesmen Toastmasters!
Empire Statesmen Toastmasters Club (
ESTM) is a
Toastmasters International (
TI) club founded in 1954. Our meetings take place in Syracuse, NY, and we are part of
District 65 Toastmasters. District 65 had only five other clubs when ESTM was founded in 1954. Today it has over 100 clubs divided into four divisions and 19 areas (July 2008).
Our meetings are professionally organized, well-conducted, well-attended. We are a friendly, warm, welcoming club. Guests are always welcome to
visit our meetings, where, quite often, many a speech is skillfully delivered with ease, comfort, and humor, in a supportive social environment.
We are proud to have amongst our members many excellent seasoned public speakers with years of experience, each with an amazing array of skills. We also have many recent members with varying levels of skill (that are fast improving).
Our newest members are:March: Ivy Biswas, Jeffrey Beyer
February: Brian Doerr, Tammy Knight, Susan Kelly, Jennifer Power
January: Jack Kearney, Glen Holt, Sean McHugh
December: Juan Penaloza
October: Brigid Mannion & Mike Mayer
September: Denine Pappalardo, Sean Patterson
July: Kelvin Ringold, Sr.
June: Amy Lesch - Linda Ryan - Michael Otis
and You?
Sam Mehta Receives Pat Panfile-Ben Luce Award
Congratulations to Sam
Mehta, 2009 recipient of the Pat Panfile-Ben Luce Award, considered
by many to be the most prestigious award given to a Toastmaster in
District 65.
The award is generally given to a Toastmaster who has shown exemplary
leadership in organizing, communicating, executing, and spreading the benefits
of the Toastmasters program, both within as well as outside
the Toastmasters organization. In addition, the award recipient
must demonstrate excellent communication skills in all aspects
of the Toastmasters program.
The
Ben Luce award was first given posthumously to the widow of Mr. Ben
Luce, DTM, PDG in 1975. A year later in 1976, the Ben Luce award was
given to Mr. Pat Panfile, DTM, PDG, PID, PIP. In 2005, it was renamed
the Pat Panfile-Ben Luce award. To date, 34 Toastmasters have
earned this prestigious award, of which 23 are men and 11 women. A
great majority of the recipients are either DTMs or Past District
Governors, or both. Some have even achieved Distinguished District
Governor status. The year 1998 was the only year that this award was
not given. Besides Sam Mehta, six other members of Empire Statesmen
have earned this award.
April 2007: Mayor Driscoll Receives "Communication and Leadership" Award
Syracuse, New YorkIn April 2007, Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll received the 'Communication
& Leadership Award' from Sam Mehta, DTM, 2006-2007 District 65 Governor and
member of the Empire Statesmen Toastmasters Club.
The prestigious 'Communication & Leadership Award' is presented to
a non-Toastmaster, who is an outstanding communicator or a leader,
usually a media person, state or local politician, or a business person.In April 2007, District 65 of Toastmasters International consisted of 98 clubs with 1900+ members. District 65 is located between Utica in the east, Buffalo in the west, Binghamton in the south and Oswego in the north. For recent statistics and maps, please see page four in our November-December 2008 Newsletter (10 MB, PDF).
We observe every day how public communication and leadership go hand-in-hand. The oratorical skills of inspirational leaders move us, together, towards common goals and dreams.
Toastmasters International
Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped millions of men and women become more confident in front of an audience. Our network of clubs and their learn-by-doing program are sure to help you become a better speaker and leader. Why pay thousands of dollars for a seminar when you can join a Toastmasters club for a fraction of the cost and have fun in the process?
Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation. Whether you are a professional, student, stay-at-home parent or retiree, Toastmasters is the most efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication skills. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll be more persuasive and confident when giving presentations, and you’ll improve your one-on-one dealings with others.
Don’t worry! Everyone in a Toastmasters club was once at the level you are now. The environment is friendly and supportive, and the self-paced program allows you to build confidence with each speaking assignment. And you’ll love the applause! Constructive evaluation is the heart of the Toastmasters program. Each time you give a prepared speech, an evaluator will point out strengths and suggest improvements. At first you’ll be applauded for your effort; later you’ll be applauded for your skill.
You won’t regret it. Toastmasters currently has more than 200,000 members in 80 countries. Our club is just one of the more than 10,000 clubs located around the world. For our meeting information, please see our directions page.
More About Toastmasters...
