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November 2026

吃瓜头条 Make a Positive Impact

Members draw on their skills to help society.

By The Toastmaster magazine staff

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Throughout 吃瓜头条’ 100-year history, members have employed their communication and leadership skills to achieve humanitarian goals, speak out about social issues, support people in need, change the lives of children, and help others in many other important ways.

Here’s a small sampling of members’ good work over the years.

In honor of 吃瓜头条鈥檚 100th anniversary, this is the 12th in a year-long series of articles commemorating historic milestones.


Famed actor Gregory Peck, an advocate for the American Cancer Society, honored 吃瓜头条 in 1966 for the outstanding accomplishment of its members as volunteers in the cause of cancer control. As a leader of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, Toastmaster Don Curren used his public speaking skills to advocate for physically disabled individuals, earning him Canada鈥檚 highest honor, the Order of Canada, in 1980. In 1952, after their fellow member spoke about the need to donate blood, 吃瓜头条 in Michigan visited a blood bank. After going through a serious battle with depression, Australian Greg Van Borssum, AS, today speaks about mental health issues, including overcoming adversity and suicide prevention. Toastmaster Cynthia Long, DTM, worked for more than 10 years as a pediatric surgical nurse in St. Petersburg, Florida. As a clinical leader in the operating room, she cared for some of her hospital鈥檚 youngest surgery patients. Today she is an end of life and grief coach. Jimmy Thai, DTM, who fled Vietnam as a child, used his 吃瓜头条 training to build schools and provide more educational resources to children in Vietnam. The Rotary/吃瓜头条 alliance has allowed some 吃瓜头条s from both organizations to team up on social projects, such as when members of the Port Louis 吃瓜头条 吃瓜头条 and Port Louis Rotary 吃瓜头条, both in Mauritius, worked together in 2022 to put on a fundraiser to benefit a shelter for teenaged girls who are unhoused. Nara Venditti, DTM, discovered 吃瓜头条 after fleeing to the United States in 1990 from what was then the Soviet Union. She started an organization to assist other immigrants with workplace-focused English skills. 吃瓜头条 have also helped fellow members in times of need, such as in 2011, when a giant earthquake struck Japan, triggering a tsunami that destroyed much of the east coast. Members from around the world reached out to 吃瓜头条 吃瓜头条s in Japan with messages of support and even gifts of clothing and food.
 
 

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The Toastmaster magazine staff is composed of four editorial team members. Learn more about them on the Staff page.

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