[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6018]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               60TH ANNIVERSARY OF TOASTMASTERS CLUB 767

  (Mr. BOCCIERI asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of the recent 
60th anniversary of the Toastmasters Club 767 located in Alliance, 
Ohio, where I live.
  The Toastmasters, now an international club with members in China and 
India, has given some 250,000 Americans the opportunity to overcome 
their fear of public speaking, become better listeners, and gain 
confidence in community relations. Alliance Toastmasters has given that 
opportunity to people in my community for some 60 years now, having 
grown from just four members at its inception to now dozens.
  In Alliance, Ohio, and elsewhere, there are politicians, 
administrators and teachers who have gained much of their confidence 
and ability to communicate from their experience in the Toastmasters 
Club; but more than anything Toastmasters presents an opportunity for 
people to engage with their neighbor, learn from one another, and to 
develop their thoughts about our world.
  In an age of 24-hour news, Internet surfing and texting, Toastmasters 
is a reminder of just how important it is that we maintain face-to-face 
communication with one another. I commend Alliance Club 767 for helping 
people in my community gain confidence in doing just that for 60 
memorable years, and I thank them for their service to our community.

                          ____________________