Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
At the Friday, June 11, meeting of the Toastmasters, officers were elected for the upcoming year. Mickey Starling was elected as president; Julius Hackett returns as vice president of education; Gordie Allen is the new vice president of membership; Kaitlynn Culpepper returns as vice president of public relations; Eileen Herndon will continue in her role as secretary; Bobbi Breo was elected as treasurer; and Antonio Richardson was elected as sergeant-at-arms.
The theme for the day was “summer,” and the word of the day was “taradiddle,” which means nonsense. The speakers for the meeting were Julius Hackett and Mickey Starling. Hackett's speech was about the value of giving second chances to others. His main point of reference was low-level offenders, whose prosecution often results in difficulty locating employment.
He cited several examples of people who had gotten into minor trouble with the law and went on to be productive citizens in their communities. Hackett's speech also pointed out that low-level offenders who are not prosecuted are much less likely to become repeat offenders.
Mickey Starling won first place at the meeting for his speech about weathering the storms of life. He playfully referenced his mother's lifelong fascination with the weather to discuss ways to handle whatever life throws at us.
Everyone is welcomed to visit the Toastmasters, who meet every second and fourth Friday of the month. Meetings begin at 12 p.m. and are held at the Madison County Chamber of Commerce conference room, located at 182 College Loop, in Madison.