BAC to the Future Wins Again!
March 31, 2007: Competition was held today between the
top District 18, Division A area contest winners. Mike Futty placed first presenting his 
speech “Change the World” where he challenged fellow Toastmasters to change the world using their talents. This was no easy task for a newly chartered club, particularly considering the seasoned and very talented competitors he was up against. Division A represents 23 area clubs.
Ask Mike what he attributes his success to and he’ll tell you two things helped him- a topic he is passionate about and the support of his family and fellow BAC to the Future teammates. “The feedback I received from my speeches was invaluable; it allowed me to fine-tune my content and delivery. I contined to receive feedback right up to the beginning of the competition.”
Even if you aren’t competing, there is a tremendous to learn by attending the competitions. Watching speakers with such variety of style provides a learning experience you can’t get elsewhere. Sitting there, you gain the full experience of how they engage and entertain the crowd.
Mike will be moving on to the District 18 International Speech contest to be held during the District 18 Spring Conference on April 13th and 14th in Timonium, MD where he will be competing against the top talent from over 100 district clubs. Wish him luck!
Area 12 Toastmasters Speech Contest
March 22, 2007:Our club had a strong presence with three teammates competing at the Area 12 International Speech contest in Elkton, MD. Christine Grisham and Mike Futty competed in the speech contest and placed 2nd (Mike) and 3rd (Christine). Lauri Wiker, stepping in to compete at the last minute, competed in the Table Topics portion and finished 4th. Those present from other clubs were amazed that a just-chartered club and its members were so strong in the competition.
Our club members did GREAT and represented our club to the highest degree. Congratulations to all of them for competing and placing!! With Mike achieving 2nd place, he will move on to the Division A contest to compete to get to the next level. Good luck Mike!
Speaking for a Cause
March 22, 2007:One BAC to the Future member, Mike Futty, had some very personal reasons for joining our club. Because of a tragic automotive accident their daughter Amanda was in, Mike and his wife Shelly ended up staying 100 miles from their home for eight months to be near Amanda during her initial fight for life and recovery in the hospital. To reduce some of the financial impact and be as close to their daughter as possible, they stayed at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware located across the street from AI duPont Children’s Hospital.
Amanda, who wasn’t initially expected to survive, was in a deep coma for 74 days. Mike and Shelly worked with the therapists every day to increase the odds her survival and recovery. Mike asked the therapists to teach him everything they were doing and he continued working with Amanda long after they left every evening. In addition to that, Mike and Shelly read and spoke to Amanda in hope that she could hear them and keep trying to survive. Eventually, it paid off as Amanda began to recover and still continues to recover to this day, three and one-half years later. Upon leaving the hospital, the doctors credited 50% of Amanda’s miraculous survival and recovery to the additional work Mike and Shelly performed. Mike and Shelly knew that was only possible through the support and love they received from the Ronald McDonald House.
Since then, Mike and Shelly have been evangelists for the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware and have spoken to numerous groups to support them. This has included speaking to organizations, at restaurant openings, and at grant hearings. Mike joined our Toastmasters club to hone his speaking skills and have a more powerful delivery when speaking for the Ronald McDonald House.
He presented his speech to the club which provided invaluable feedback on how to improve it. Using that feedback, he presented his speech to 200 associates at a Business Operations all-hands meeting. Afterwards, Team Bank of America’s representative for the Ronald McDonald House received a flood of e-mails from people seeking to volunteer.
This evening Mike had the honor of being the keynote speaker at the Ronald McDonald House’s annual reception for its major and in-kind donors. Speaking to over 100 donors and volunteers, he delivered an emotional speech that touched the hearts of everybody to let them know how deeply they have affected the lives of thousands of people.
From tragedy, Mike has found good in experiencing the true magic of volunteering and people who care. He credits his BAC to the Future Toastmasters club experience with helping him tell his story with the style and impact it deserves.
To learn more about Toastmasters or to request Mike Futty to speak to your organization, please contact the BAC to the Future club president, Mike Gamgort.
Celebrating Our Club Charter
March 15, 2007: The BAC to the Future Toastmasters club celebrated today by holding its official charter meeting where it recognized the founding members and was presented with its official charter from Toastmasters International. We were honored with such guests as District 18 Governor Don Walton, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), Area 12 Governor Gene Manuel, DTM, , and our club’s mentor, President, Greater Newark Area Toastmasters Club, Carmen Lee Pow, DTM in addition to several managers and associates from Bank of America business units.
The BAC to the Future President, Mike Gamgort, opened and presided over the meeting. Amazingly without any prior coordination there was a common theme among all the speakers- breaking out of comfort zones. Renee Kyte delivered a motivational poem followed by Mike Futty’s speech “Break Out of Your Comfort Zone”. Ryan Corey and Pat Hall delivered great table topic speeches on the theme “Now That I Know”. Table topic speeches consist of speakers delivering speeches on topics they are given that moment to test their improvisational skills.
Each founding member of the club was presented with a Charter Member certificate and final comments were given by Don Walton, DTM, Gene Manuel, DTM, and Carmen Lee Pow, DTM. Afterwards, members and guests enjoyed snacks provided by the club. This meeting marked an important milestone as chartering a club of this nature is no easy task. It took a lot of work from our President and officers as well as our club mentor, Carmen. We would like to thank those who helped our club off to a very successful start!
