[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 1, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E55]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF TOASTMASTERS EN ESPANOL

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                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 2006

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the founding of 
Toastmasters en Espanol, the first and only Spanish-language 
Toastmasters club in the State of Nevada.
  Toastmasters International is a global organization devoted to 
teaching communication and leadership skills. It has more than 211,000 
members, with 10,500 clubs in 90 countries. Las Vegas is home to 50 of 
these clubs. With the mission statement, ``to make effective 
communication a worldwide reality,'' Toastmasters en Espanol was 
founded by Maite Salazar to improve the public-speaking and leadership 
skills of the more than half-million Spanish-speaking residents of the 
Las Vegas Valley, and to help Spanish-language learners improve their 
skills in a constructive, affirming environment.
  Toastmasters en Espanol held its first meeting on October 3, 2005, at 
the Cambridge Community Center in central Las Vegas. The initial 
meeting attracted dozens of participants. Within 3 weeks, the club had 
enough active members to be officially chartered by Toastmasters 
International.
  Today, Toastmasters en Espanol has 31 active members who hail from 
nearly every country in the Spanish-speaking world, and from every walk 
of life. The club also includes many native-born Americans who 
understand the importance of being bilingual in an increasingly 
interdependent world.
  Mr. Speaker, as the world becomes more globalized, communication 
becomes increasingly more important for peaceful cooperation. I applaud 
the efforts of Toastmasters en Espanol in this regard and look forward 
to their continued involvement and dedication to the improvement of 
their community and the entire State of Nevada.

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