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District 27 Members,
Welcome to 2026 Smedley Distinguished Bound District 27 members and leaders.
We are on the home stretch toward the end of the Toastmaster year.
Congratulations on your successes in the first half of the Toastmaster Year. Our members, along with our Division and Area Directors, have been working tirelessly and purposefully to achieve
personal goals and club goals.
The results are shown on our report cards on the district dashboard. We still have work to do so that no member is left behind, and no club is left behind.
Clubs: DCP Goals Attained
The challenge for clubs to achieve the 5 Distinguished Club Program goals by December 31st, 2025, was met by several clubs.
There were 8 clubs that completed the challenge:🏆
Booz Allen, Que Pasa, Challenger, DTM Masters, USDA, Town of Capitol Heights, Sam Fox and Dragon’s Guild. Two more than last year at this time!
There were 10 Clubs with 4 DCP goals:🏆
Helmsmen, State of Speaking, GUTS, SALT, Page Turners, SPICE, Speak-Up, Lone Star, St. Margaret’s Achievers, and Kohoutek
There were 14 Clubs with 3 DCP goals:🏆
Spirited Speakers, Tongue-Tied Trainers, National Landing at Bloomberg, Annandale, Ballston, J-Talkers, NOVA, Energy, Smokey’s Speakers, HUD, Speech , School Street, Calvert, BEA and Bolling,
There were 9 clubs in our base that have not achieved any DCP goals; the others have
achieved either one or two goals.
Upcoming District Milestones To Achieve
Our next milestone date is March 31st 2026. Here are the challenges we are proposing.
Club membership renewals at a minimum of plus 3 or plus 5 above your base
membership as of July 1, 2025. These can be new, dual or reinstated members.
Strive to recruit 25 or more members. It means sharing with more people and creating
more exciting club meetings.
All clubs in good standing (this means a minimum of at least 8 members renewed) by March 31, 2026, especially for those clubs that did not renew on time for the October renewal – this is your opportunity to get goal #10.
If you did not get to 5 DCP goals in December, make a monumental push for
March 31 st. I know we can do it!
If you are a club officer, Area Director or Division Director or other member of the
District Staff, lead by example and earn an award for yourself and your club.
Ensure that your club is a Distinguished club by June 30th 2026.
Club Officer Training
Club officers' training is in progress. Please visit the district website at d27-tm.org and register for training. If you plan on running for a club officer position next Toastmasters year, you can attend the training and obtain firsthand knowledge of what the office entails. During the summer training, 10 clubs did not have the minimum of 4 club officers trained. During the Winter training, I am expecting us to have all 7 club officers trained.
As club officers, we are elected by our members to perform a role that comes with
responsibilities. As such, one of the first criteria of the role is to attend training 2 times per year, once in the summer and once in the winter.
Distinguished Toastmasters Awards
We currently have 3 members who have achieved the status of Distinguished Toastmaster. In November, Deborah Jones and Judin Sukri attained this honor and in December Gerri Wallace achieved this honor. Several more members are near completion of their DTM. We are excited for you!
Triple Crown Awards
Those members having earned 3 education awards in oneToastmaster year. Currently, we have 17 members earning this award: Adrian Mikeliunas, Beverly Byam-Hercules, Crystal Kamlin-Tramack, Gerri Wallace, Jenny White, Joshua Smith, Judin Sukri, L. Terri Powell-Brown, Lourdes Zambrana, Magda Brown, Maria Allsopp-Whittington, Monica Cutchember, Pamela Person, Shalon Myers, Sharon Alfred, Veleana Hurd Whitaker, Xavier Wong. If you have not yet earned a triple crown award, challenge yourself to do so this Toastmaster year.
Club Creation
We need your entrepreneurial spirit to help with club growth in our district. We have six months to work on the Level 4 Pathways Project – Managing Successful Projects. This is a time for you to create your own legacy by creating a new club. We are looking to create 18 new clubs. Of the 1200+ unique members of District 27, there must be 18 of us willing to take on this project. Please contact the Club Growth Director and the Club Extension Chair at CGD@d27-tm.org or CEC@d27-tm.org.
Completing this project of creating a new club will take you one step further toward earning your Distinguished Toastmaster Award. You can also use the planning and execution of this endeavor as a Level 4 Pathways Project.
District Conference/International Convention
District 27 members, leaders, entrepreneurs, determinators of our destiny, where
no member is left behind and no club left behind, we are a Smedley Distinguished District for 2026. Let’s claim it, speak it into existence and do the work to get it done.
Let’s celebrate our achievement at the District Conference on 2nd May 2026 at George Mason University, Arlington, VA, and then again at the Toastmasters International Convention from 19-22 August in Vancouver, Canada.
Leadership Opportunities for District 220
On July 1, 2026, Districts 27 and 36 will merge to become District 220. The District Leadership Committee is looking for members from both districts to apply for leadership positions. Nominate yourself or another member to become the inaugural leaders of this brand-new district. Notifications have been sent out to district members periodically during the month of December. Nominations will close soon and interviews for leadership positions will be in February. Step up and step out, be bold, be brave District 27 members and apply for a leadership position. The experience you gain will be invaluable.
Yours in Service,
Beverly Byam-Hercules, DTM
D27 District Director 2025-2026
No Member left behind, No Club left behind! 🌟
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