Ypsi resident wins area Toastmasters competition here

Jackson Trailblazer Community Toastmasters member Janet Copeland won first place in the Toastmaster's Area Contest March 18. Held at Dawn Foods Corporate Headquarters, Jackson, she competed against three other worthy speakers, two who were from the Energizers Club.; the third from Dawn Foods. Delivering a speech entitled, ''Just Like Peanuts,'' she talked of how she was inspired as a child by a round headed kid and his dog, characters created and made famous by the late Charles Shultz. "This was a particularly compelling personal speech delicately laced with wit and charm," a spokesperson said. Copeland is a resident of Ypsilanti, where she had relocated with her husband last fall. Since then she has maintained close ties with members of her church and friends here in Jackson, often making the trek from Ypsilanti to Jackson and back again two to three times a week; and normally on Tuesdays when she is in attendance for the Jackson Trailblazer meetings. A largely self-taught pianist, and now music teacher, she became involved with Jackson Toastmasters initially over a year and a half ago to overcome a performance anxiety that she experiences whenever she is called to be in front of others. Says Janet ''I never expected that I would go this far with this.'' Apparently Toastmasters demonstrated she had a talent of which she was unaware. As Mike Jones, president of the Jackson Trailblazers said, ''When Janet first called, she was so shy that she refused to give me her name. This (win) is a testament to the effectiveness of being a member of Toastmasters.'' Toastmasters is a self-improvement organization that stresses more than giving speeches. It also helps people develop a knack for offering constructive criticism in evaluating speeches. Jenny Smith won the Evaluation Contest. Next stop - the Central Division Contest. This evaluation and international speech contest will be held at the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Road, East Lansing, April 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Toastmasters Club meeting is held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 309 Jackson Street, Jackson, on Tuesdays, 6 to 7 p.m. For more information, contact Mike Jones at 517-788-0382 or Email: mmjones@cmsengergy.com Published: Mon, Apr 12, 2010

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