Members of the Philipsburg Toastmasters Club and Area 6 paid special recognition to Club member and immediate past Area Governor, Rolando Tobias, for receiving the Distinguished Toastmaster Award from Toastmasters International. The award of Distinguished Toastmaster was presented to Tobias during the Club’s monthly meeting held on Thursday, October 1, 2009 at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library.
To receive this award a member is required to ascend the Toastmasters Communication and Leadership ladder and finally attain both the Advanced Communicator Gold and Advance Leadership Silver Awards; complete a High Performance Leadership program; serve successfully as Club sponsor or mentor of a new Club and serve a complete term of one year as District Officer.
DTM Tobias joined the Toastmasters Organization in 1994, as one of the founding members of the Philipsburg Toastmasters Club. Throughout the years Tobias has remained committed to the Club and its membership even at times when membership participation was at an all time low. Presenting manual projects based on criteria set by Toastmasters International; Tobias continued to develop his communication and leadership skills, using his expertise on Club level where he serves as mentor for many Toastmasters and club sponsor for the Disciples Toastmasters Club. As a committed leader Tobias continued to climb the ladder of success within the Toastmasters organization taking up the challenge of presenting trainings and workshops at the various conferences throughout the Caribbean. DTM Tobias is also the only St Maarten Toastmaster who has done regional trainings at District Conferences in Guyana, St Maarten and will again be a presenter at the upcoming October Conference in Barbados.
Because of his commitment and dedication to the organization, Tobias was appointed by the District as Area Governor for Area 5 (the four clubs on St Maarten) for the 2008 – 2009 term, during the Spring Conference held in St. Maarten in May 2008 of which Tobias served as a member of the organizing committee. With the vision of developing better communities by promoting the Toastmasters Organization and sharing his expertise with the St. Maarten community, Tobias took his expertise beyond Club level, applying his Toastmasters skills at his work place and in various levels throughout the community, where he is known for his roles as Advisor, Master of Ceremonies, Moderator, Motivational speaker and Trainer, Radio Personality, TV Host, President of various organizations, Youth Leader and much more.
During the presentation ceremony, current Area Governor Valerie Brazier, read a letter sent to Tobias from Toastmasters International Executive Director, Daniel Rex; congratulating him on his accomplishment. Tobias was also presented with a plaque for outstanding communication and Leadership accomplishments, awarding him the title of Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM).
In his acceptance speech Tobias mentioned that the road to this milestone is not easy but also not impossible. He encouraged all Toastmasters to take on the challenge on a path that can only lead to success if one remains committed to their goals. He pointed out that he is the second Distinguished Toastmaster on St Maarten and emphasized how important it was for him to actually hone his Communication and Leadership skills in and outside the Club over the years. He concluded by explaining that he gets the most satisfaction now from seeing the level at which Toastmasters ascended on St Maarten, the respect the island clubs receive from the district and the guidance he provides to the Clubs and members. He thanked all for the role they have played in Toastmasters and in his success.
The evening ended with a social gathering of Toastmasters and guest during which Tobias was surprised with a large cake bearing his photo and the words Distinguished Toastmasters.
The Toastmasters Organization is an International Organization with over 1000 Clubs around the World. Members forming part of this organization are offered the opportunity to develop better communication and Leadership skills.
The Philipsburg Toastmasters Club offers members and guest the opportunity to develop in a supportive, learning environment that will help you gain self-confidence in your endeavors to personal and professional accomplishments. Members of Philipsburg Toastmasters Club meets every first, third and fifth Thursday of every month, 7:45pm at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library.