Camanava Rising

[Zaldy O. Co]

It has been a great 2009-10 year for Camanava Brunch Toastmasters Club. The Club that I had almost given up for dead has finally stabilized. The club now has 15 members, the most it ever had since its charter year. It is also enroute to its first ever Select Distinguished Club award.

It actually took three attempts at club rebuilding to get the club where it is now. Back in 2007-08 when I was assigned to rebuild the club, I managed to get the club to receive its first ever Distinguished Club Award but it went downhill afterwards after the succeeding Area Governor did nothing to revise contest schedules that was in conflict with our club meeting schedule. She also ignored all requests for a pair of club coaches at a time when we were in dire need of help.

I decided to give it a second try at rebuilding in January 2009 with whatever resources I could muster into club meetings. At the end of three months, I gave up and decided to suspend meetings and even went on to inform the Division Governor and some of my closest friends that the club is shutting down. I was prevailed upon by the Division Governor just to take a break and see what I could do with the club as Area Governor although I never became an Area Governor.

In September, 2009, I together with the two other members who hung on decided to make another go at it. We knew exactly what we had to do. Invite members from other clubs to fill certain roles and HOPE that prospective members show up and sign up. The plan was to come up with adequate meetings and slowly but surely come up with new members. Things worked according to plan.

Looking back, the first two rebuilding efforts were not futile. Two of the members I netted hung on and eventually became not only leaders but speech contest champions. They swept the Area competitions and placed among the top 3 in the Division contests and one of them eventually got into District or National Finals for the 2nd year in a row.

I could say I finally did it but I was not alone. Other primary contributors are Third Catayoc, Jeffrey Yu, Area Governor Lynne Gamboa, and Cameron Hernandez and Karen Quiambao for being the first new members in our latest run at rebuilding the club. These are very interesting times to be part of Camanava Brunch Toastmasters Club.