At the Toasties, District 3's annual awards ceremony, Gilbert Toastmasters was named Club of the Year. President Damian Carrillo and Immediate Past President Elle Quitevis walked up together to accept it, with Past President Mandar Joshi, Sergeant at Arms Dave Zegen, Secretary David Sobolewski, and members Emma Wetherell and Matt Malan there to share the moment. The theme was Aloha. The joy was real.
We'll be honest: we weren't expecting it. And the reason we weren't expecting it is the same reason this award means so much.
We don't chase the numbers everyone measures
Most club recognition comes down to metrics: what percentage of members are active in Pathways, how many speeches get formally completed, how many boxes get checked. Those are useful measures, and plenty of excellent clubs are built around them.
Gilbert is built around something harder to count.
We have members who navigate challenging disabilities. So we've never made our mission about the percentage of people on Pathways or the number of speeches validated. Our view is simpler: if someone needs to give a speech that isn't a Pathways project, but giving it helps them grow as a speaker or reach a personal goal, that is absolutely fine with us. More than fine. That's the point.
We are a club whose goal is to serve our members as well as we possibly can. Sometimes that looks like a polished Pathways speech. Sometimes it looks like something no form has a line for.
The meetings nobody schedules
Here's one small example of what that looks like in practice. Gilbert holds meetings on January 2nd and December 23rd.
Those are the dead zones of the calendar. Most people are on vacation, and plenty of clubs go dark. But some of our members need Toastmasters in those weeks, not for the speaking practice, but for the company. For a lot of people, the social connection Toastmasters provides is a genuine lifeline, and being less lonely over the holidays matters enormously. We know that. So we show up. Those meetings are smaller, but people come, and the people who come are glad we're there.
You can't really put that on a scorecard. Which is exactly why our hopes were low walking into the Toasties.
So here's what this award really means to us
Being named Club of the Year tells us the district saw the thing we care about most. Not the metrics, but the mission underneath them. Very few clubs offer the kind of support Gilbert does, and to have that noticed, to have it celebrated, is deeply moving. We are so proud that what makes Gilbert special turned out to be visible after all.
And there's more
The same night, Gilbert received the trophy for the brand-new Smedley Distinguished award. It's the new top honor for larger clubs, those with more than 25 members, and it recognizes clubs that reach every goal required for President's Distinguished plus an additional membership goal. Think of it as President's Distinguished, raised a notch for bigger clubs. We're honored to be among the first clubs ever to earn it.
One more, and then we'll stop bragging
We also have to mention that our own Marie Feutrier was named Committee Chair of the Year for her work as District 3's Public Relations Manager, running the district's social media, refreshing its Meetup presence, and rebuilding the Speak Arizona website.
Thank you
To every member who shows up, supports a fellow speaker, and makes Gilbert what it is: this is yours. Awards are nice, but the reason we earned them is the reason we're here in the first place. You.
Mahalo, District 3. We're proud to be your Club of the Year.
Gilbert Toastmasters meets Thursdays at 7:00 PM, 101 S Greenfield Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85296. Guests are always welcome, every single week of the year.