June 2026🌟

District 27 Members,

As we come to the last few weeks of the Toastmaster year, allow me to say a great big Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve as your District Director 2025-2026. This is our final year as District 27 as we know it. On July 1, 2026, we merged with our

neighboring District 36 to become District 220. It is my wish that you provide our new leaders with the support that you provided to the members of the District and Leadership Team.

Remember that we are all Toastmasters, and the one thing in Toastmasters that would not change is your club experience. Your club number remains the same. What changes are numbers: the district number, and your Area number.

In this new district, the alphabetical listing of your Divisions may change. Most clubs in your division may be the same, and some new ones may be added or moved. This is our

opportunity to widen our horizons and make our clubs the best they can be. It is also an

opportunity to make new friends and incorporate new ideas.

Thank you to every single Toastmaster who participates in their club to enable your club

to still be standing and progressing. Thank you to all the members of the leadership

team who contributed in any way to our district this year and over the past 37 years that

we have been standing strong as District 27 Toastmasters. Your efforts are greatly

appreciated.

Here are some of our Achievements this year:

Chartered Clubs

We have chartered 5 new clubs this year: Steps to Success, Ladies in Tech and Friends.

AI Speakers Lab, Goodwin Living, Global Legacy (UNIMED)

Thank you to our Club Growth team Director, Janice Boss, DTM, our Club

Extension Chair Naomi Carrington-Hockman, DTM, PDD, PRA and team member Gwendolyn Peacher.

Coached Clubs

Of the coached clubs in the District, 2 are now distinguished - State of Speaking,

coached by Dutch Martin and Alexandria Treetop, coached by Sandra Davis.

Thank you to the Club Retention Chair, Alonzo White, DTM, PDD, and the Club Coach Chair, Robin Hylton, DTM, PDD. To the coached clubs not yet distinguished, there is still time. Make your coached proud.

Club Elections

If your club did not have club officer elections in May, please do so before the end of

June. Once club officers are elected, do not forget to log in and input the newly elected club officers in Club Central on the Toastmasters International website on or before June 30th, 2026. I would suggest that you do so before June 30th, as members from all over the world would be attempting to access the Toastmasters International Platform and you may experience delays.

Final District 27 Hail & Farewell

Come and celebrate with us at the District Hail and Farewell on June 20, 2026, from

12:00pm to 3:00 pm at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church, 408 Addison Rd. S.

Capitol Heights, MD 20743.

Yours in Service,

Beverly Byam-Hercules, DTM

D27 District Director 2025-2026

No Member left behind! No Club left behind!

Greetings District 27,

This is the last month for our District 27. For most of you, that won’t mean too much.

Your club meetings won’t change. Your Area Director will probably be from a nearby club, of not your own. However, because it is a historical month, we want to go out strong. To that end, we have a unique incentive. A club finishing the Toastmasters year with a

higher level of Distinguished than the previous year earn the Up

One award. The first ten clubs to reach this level receive $50 in Toastmasters gift certificates, while the next ten receive $25 in Toastmasters gift certificates. As of May 29, nine clubs have already surpassed their 2024-2025 achievement and qualify for the $50 gift certificates:

1. Dragon’s Guild was chartered a year ago. They are now Smedley Distinguished.

2. Tongue Tied Trainers was not Distinguished last year. They are now Distinguished.

3. State of Speaking, which is served by Club Coach Dutch Martin, is now

Distinguished.

4. Gwen Washington was not Distinguished last year. They are now Distinguished.

5. Town of Capitol Heights moved from not Distinguished last year to Distinguished.

6. Presidential Speakers moved from not Distinguished last year to Distinguished.

7. Alexandria Treetops, coached by Sandra Davis, is now Distinguished.

8. Challengers moved from Distinguished last year to Select Distinguished.

9. USDA skyrocketed from Distinguished last year to Smedley Distinguished this year,

the first club in District 27 to achieve this first-time highest recognition.

Other clubs, as of this writing, are also Distinguished or better:

Select Distinguished: Helmsmen, National Landing at Bloomburg, Que Pasa, GUTS,

Energy, Speak Up, and SAM FOX.

Distinguished: Page Turners, St. Margarets, and Kohoutek.

Why do we emphasize being a Distinguished club? Because that is a measure that

members are joining and staying in the club and moving through the Pathways program.

This means that clubs are providing a supportive learning environment that allows

members to grow in confidence, communication, and leadership. If your club needs

District support in gaining members or helping your members complete Pathways

projects, please let your Area or Division Director or me know. Meanwhile, let’s start the new year strong. Remember to hold your club elections and submit the new officers this month; the deadline is June 30th.

Also, you can get ahead of the curve and attend club officer training. This year, we’ll be using the brand-new club officer training materials. Here are the three June sessions that you can attend:

Saturday, June 13th, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm Zoom Link Registration Here

Friday, June 26th, 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm, Zoom Link Registration Here

Saturday, June 27th, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm Zoom Link Registration Here

Our slogan is “No member left behind. No club left behind.” Please reach out if you

have questions or need assistance. District 27 is here to support you.

Yours in Service,

Jenny Genser White, DTM

Program Quality Director, 2025-2026

No Member left behind! No Club left behind!

From the Desk of the Club Growth Director

Greetings, District 27 Members,

CLUB GROWTH – MAKE THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING

As Club Growth Director, I would like to thank the current Team, DTM Alonzo White, Retention Chair, and the Extension Chair, DTM Naomi Carrington-Hockman, along with the Team Members, DTM, Robin Hylton, and Gwendolyn Peachers, for their outstanding work in Chartering Clubs (Extension Team); and facilitating Clubs with low membership (Retention Team) during this 25/26 Term. My Hat is Off to you, as we

continue to work toward Success, as we are about to transition into District 220.

There are several Clubs that have been chartered:

(1) Steps to Success

(2)Ladies in Tech

(3) Goodwin Living 

(4) AI Speakers Lab

(5) Global Legacy (UNIMED)

Washington Wellness Centre (Pending Payment to TI)

As the Club Growth Director’s Team continue to work to charter more prospective clubs prior to the end of the Term, we would like to thank our D27 District Director, Beverly Byam-Hercule, DTMs and Program Quality Director Jenny White, DTM for their Leadership during this 25/26 Term.

Thanks for a Dynamic D27 District Conference, that will go down in the History Books, as we were Honored to have our International President-Elect, Stefano McGhee, DTM as our Distinguished Guest. Also in attendance were our Past District Governors and Directors on whose shoulders we firmly stand.

Yours in Service,

Dr Janice Boss, DTM

Club Growth Director, 2025-2026

No Member left behind! No Club left behind! 

District 27 Conference 2026

The Toastmasters parrot🦜



Do you think you know more parrot jokes than me? We will see Toucan play that game.

A talking parrot walks into a shop and asks: “Do you have peanuts?” The shop owner replies, “No, we don’t”, and the parrot walks out. The following morning, the same parrot goes back to the same shop and says, “Do you have peanuts?” The owner replies, “No, we don’t”, so the parrot leaves. The next day, the parrot goes back to the shop and asks, “Do you have peanuts?” The owner, annoyed, answers, “No, we don’t, and if you come back here asking for peanuts again, I’ll put you in a cage.” The next day, the parrot walks in and asks, “Do you have any cages? “Surprised, the shop owner replies “, No, we don’t.” “Great”, the parrot says, “in that case, do you have peanuts?”

“I asked the toucan if he wanted to join my trivia team. He said, ‘Sure — Toucan win better than one.’”

A toucan applied for a radio job.

The manager said, “Do you have any broadcasting experience?”

The toucan replied, “No, but Toucans talk for hours.”

Greetings District 27 Toastmasters,

District 27, it’s been a great run! We should all be proud of the accomplishments this District has achieved. Because of the tremendous dedication, support and commitment of people like you, we can confidently move forward into District 220. Just look at the challenges you have overcome. Many of us have lost loved ones, friends and colleagues and gone through very difficult times, yet we have persevered and triumphed despite the difficulties. We found a way!

As we move into the next chapter, let us faithfully trust that The God who has brought us this far will continue to lead, direct and support us. There is no need to fear the future, for we know who holds the future. The new leadership of District 220 needs your help and support to make a successful transition into the same kind of superb organization we have demonstrated District 27 to be. Please lend your support to make us outstanding.

We still have time to make District 27 Distinguished for the last time, but we need your help to make it happen! We can do this. If everyone does a little, no one person has to carry the entire load. I encourage you to share Toastmasters with your friends, family and community to enrich their knowledge and experience and make this world a better place. In all you do,

Sincerely,

Rev. Don Hutchins

District 27 Chaplain

No member left behind! No club left behind!