The Sequoyah Fund will be sponsoring a new Toastmasters Club that will meet regularly in Cherokee. Toastmasters International is an organization dedicated to helping members improve public speaking skills, build leadership skills, and network with others in a small, supportive environment.
Russ Seagle, executive director of The Sequoyah Fund said, “We’ve been working on getting a club here for a few months. We hosted a business breakfast back in October at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Center where several folks were invited to stand up and speak about their programs and give updates to benefit our business community. Afterward, several people approached us to express how they wanted to improve their ability to speak in front of an audience.”
Seagle has some friends in the Raleigh/Durham area who are longtime members of Toastmasters, and they suggested starting a club in Cherokee to help anyone wanting to feel more comfortable speaking in public. The Sequoyah Fund reached out to the Toastmasters organization and decided to sponsor a club here in Cherokee.
The club will be open to anyone and has no age limit. Toastmasters requires clubs to have at least 20 members. Seagle says the club aims to meet in person on a weekly basis, but the first few meetings will be held virtually via Zoom. “The reason for this is that Toastmasters is lending us some experienced hands to help guide us and get us started the right way. Some of these members are joining us from Asheville or farther. We will be the most remote club in western North Carolina.”
The first meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. It will be a “demonstration meeting” to let participants see what happens at a typical Toastmasters meeting. While typical meetings involve writing and delivering speeches, no one will be expected to speak at this initial meeting. To register and get your Zoom access link, go to https://bit.ly/cherokee-toastmasters-invitation. Sequoyah Fund will pay the first year’s membership fee for all charter club members.
Toastmasters International currently has over 300,000 members in 149 countries. Since 1924, the organization has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders.
- Sequoyah Fund release
