The District Mission
The mission of the District is to enhance the performance and extend the network of Clubs, thereby offering greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters educational program by:
- Focusing on the critical success factors as specified by the District Educational and Membership Goals.
- Ensuring that each Club effectively fulfills its responsibilities to its members.
- Providing effective training and leadership for Club and District officers.
History of District 37
Toastmasters International has had a strong presence in District 37 for over fifty years. District 37 is comprised of the entire state of North Carolina. The Asheville Toastmasters Club (#436) and Greensboro Toastmasters Club (#439) were both chartered on January 1, 1947 and High Point Toastmasters Club (#582) followed on May 1, 1948. These three clubs created an alliance of leaders and speakers who began building Toastmasters to its current level of over two thousand members in over one hundred thirty clubs across the State. Currently active clubs that were chartered in the 1950's are Burlington, Cape Fear, Durham, Forsyth, Goldmine, Goldsboro, Kinston, Mercury, Northwestern, Queen City, Raleigh, Saturday Morning and Tarheel.
In the mid-1950's, District 37 hosted a visit by Toastmasters International Founder, Dr. Ralph Smedley. Dr. Smedley attended the District 37 Conference at the Battery Park Hotel in Asheville. Asheville Club Member, G. Edison Hill, hosted the visit. (Hill was honored by District 37 in 2007 for his fifty-plus years of Toastmasters leadership.)
Shown at left is Asheville Club Member Edison Hill chatting with Toastmasters International Founder, Dr. Ralph Smedley, on the rooftop observatory of historic Battery Park Hotel.
For many years, Toastmasters International was a men-only organization. The Chapel Hill Club opened its doors to women in 1973. Today, women comprise over 50% of membership in District 37, many serving in senior district leadership positions.
District 37 claims five International Directors in Region VIII and nine Presidential Citation Award recipients. Additionally, among the District 37 members who have competed in the "World Championship of Public Speaking" are Downtown (Greensboro) Club's Leonard Butler in 1959, Hornet's Nest Club's Larry Tucker in 2000, and Goldmine Club's Brian Woolf in 2003. (Brian represented District 58 when he competed.)
District 37 is currently made up of 8 Divisions, 38 areas, 161 clubs and 3,245 members.
