Simi Valley Toastmasters celebrate 30 years in the community
By Angela Randazzo Special to the Acorn

Members will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Simi Valley Toastmasters Club No. 3533 at a banquet at Marie Callender's restaurant on Friday, Oct. 26.

Toastmaster accredited speaker Wayne Choate, a member of a sister club in Ventura, will be the keynote speaker.

"We've invited past members and present members and city dignitaries," said Cheryl Wronski, event coordinator and local club governor. "For entertainment one of our former members will be singing and another is doing magic."

Toastmasters is an educational organization that helps its members improve their leadership and communication skills, Wronksi said. The local chapter, with more than 35 members, is the oldest club in Simi Valley.

Wronski and her husband, Michael, are longtime Simi Valley residents. They joined the club four years ago.

"We learn by doing," said Michael, club president. "Everything is evaluated by the other members and even doing evaluations is a good learning experience."

Linda Mann, who served as club governor in 2006, has also been a member for four years.

"Toastmasters really helps you improve yourself, and not just with communication skills," said Mann, another longtime Simi resident. "It helps with interviewing, selfesteem, presentations and organizational skills."

A typical Toastmasters meeting consists of presentations by three different group members on topics of their choice.

A club member is assigned to each speaker. He or she evaluates the presentation and offers constructive criticism.

"You do the speeches and you learn from the evaluation what areas you need to improve and what areas you're doing well in," said Greg Seymour, a Simi resident who joined a year ago.

Seymour is program coordinator at the Samaritan Center, a nonprofit shelter for the homeless on Royal Avenue. His improved skills are a real asset when he speaks to a group about the center, he said.

"When I speak to an organization about donations, I'm able to do it with more confidence," he said.

As a Toastmaster, Seymour volunteers once a week with a home school organization in Camarillo. He teaches an eightweek course in speech making, leadership and etiquette to students ages 8 to 13.

For the past six years Linda Mann has volunteered to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Like Seymour, Mann finds herself more confident when addressing an audience, which sometimes includes the City Council.

"When I first started doing the fundraising and addressed an audience, I would be asked a question and start stammering," Mann said. "After joining Toastmasters, I feel more comfortable speaking. I don't get as frustrated and answer the questions properly."

The club meets every Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Sunrise Assisted Living, 5300 E. Los Angeles Ave, Simi Valley.

Next Friday's banquet at Marie Callender's, 20 W. Cochran St., will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $24. Call (805) 581-4826 or (805) 501-5229 for more information on the event or on the Toastmasters.