Cheers to Fountain Hills Toastmasters Club's Toast-Worthy Year

The Fountain Hills Toastmasters Club just wrapped up another outstanding year of achievements at the end of June and is looking forward to welcoming members and guests when the club’s weekly meetings resume on July 15.

Fountain Hills Toastmasters was one of only 14 of the 127 clubs in District 3 – which includes all of Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas – to earn the Smedley Distinguished status for 2025-2026. Named for Toastmasters founder Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, this elite designation is the newest and highest level of recognition a club can achieve that honors exceptional teamwork, educational progress, membership retention and growth, club officer training, and operational stability by the club and its members.

At the Toastmaster competitions held this spring, Kathy Koultourides and Valerie Krugh each won first place at the Phoenix Area contest and advanced to the Division contest, where Valerie gave a wonderful speech in the Tall Tales category and Kathy took first place in the International Speech category. Kathy then advanced to the District contest, where she won third place – the first time a Fountain Hills Toastmaster has brought home a trophy in that category at the highly competitive District level.

In June, the club also elected its incoming board of officers. They include President Valerie Krugh, Vice President of Education Tom Lindsey, Vice President of Public Relations Joanne Colella, Vice President of Membership Kristin Milashoski, Sergeant-at-Arms Peter Gallagher, Treasurer Hannellie Mendoza, and Secretary Starr Bielas.

Outgoing club president Kristin Milashoski shared proudly, “We've experienced a tremendous year, with so many of our members dedicating themselves to developing their communication skills and showing up for themselves and their fellow club members! Our membership is the largest it's been in club history, with 27 members. Our officers achieved perfect attendance at both the fall and spring club officer training sessions. We ranked as the 2025 Best of Business Rate Non-Profit Organization in Fountain Hills. Three of our Toastmasters participated in the Friends of the Library Storytelling event at the Community Center, and we hosted a three-part open house series. We were recognized by Congressman David Schweikert's office for being named a President's Distinguished Club once again in October 2025. Our members participated with a booth at Stroll in the Glow in December 2025, a community-wide event with 10,000 people in attendance, which provided a great amount of visibility for our club. And two of our members competed and won in their respective categories at this year’s Toastmasters contests. These are just some of this past year’s highlights, and we have much to be proud of!”

The Fountain Hills Toastmasters Club is a local chapter of Toastmasters International, where members support one another in building communication and leadership skills. They meet every Wednesday evening from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce, 16837 E Palisades Blvd, Fountain Hills. Whether you are looking to conquer your fear of public speaking, polish your professional presentations, or gain confidence in your day-to-day interactions, visitors are always welcome to drop in and observe these fun meetings. To learn more, visit fountainhills.toastmastersclubs.org and follow Fountain Hills Toastmasters on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.