Celebrating 18-years in Toastmasters!

I am celebrating 18-years in Toastmasters! I joined February 2005! It has been an amazing journey. Here is to 18 more years! I have grown as a speaker and have been able to help others grow and improve their public speaking, communication, and leadership skills. There are numerous stories and successes as well as challenges that I have experienced along the way. 
 

My Passport came in!

 YAAAY! My 2023 Passport came in the mail and is active for 10-years to 2033! That is an entire decade and I hope to be able to FILL IT UP with destinations outside of the United States. I have only been to Canada. This year I am planning on going to the Toastmasters International Convention in the Bahamas. 

Other "maybe" trips are - Barcelona in March, Ireland, and Netherlands in August. 

As Dr. Suess says, "Oh the places you will go"!

Emerson College Student Testimonials

Emerson College Student Testimonials 

What an honor to be able to teach Fundamentals of Communications to students at Emerson College - my alma mater (Class of 1990). Fall 2022 I taught two courses and was asked to teach two Spring 2023 courses. The curriculum is jam packed for students to learn the art of public speaking and communication skills. 

Thankfully two students wrote kind testimonials and with their permission I am posting them on my blog and other social media outlets. 

 

November is National Adoption Month - Superman was Adopted

November is National Adoption month. Did YOU know Superman was adopted? Did YOU know Superman was adopted? As a former foster youth, I was "almost adopted". Unfortunately, some of us never find or forever homes. YOU can make a difference by adopting or fostering. 

Thank you President Joe Biden for Signing the 2022 Proclamation. 

A Proclamation on National Adoption Month, 2022

A Proclamation on National Adoption Month, 2022 | The White House

During National Adoption Month, let us celebrate families that create safe and supportive homes and families that are made whole through adoption, and let us continue working to ensure that every child has a loving family to call their own.

     I am committed to helping families pay for the costs of adopting a child, which is why I have called for the adoption tax credit to be made fully refundable.  This would enable devoted adoptive families to worry less about the costs of welcoming children into their homes and focus more on laying the supportive foundation for full and happy lives.  I have also proposed extending the adoption tax credit to legal guardianships — including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives — which would make it easier for loving family members to care for children who need their support.  This measure could also help reduce racial inequities in our country’s child welfare system, which too often render some children of color more likely to be removed from their homes and cut off from their families and communities.

     At the same time, my Administration is fighting discrimination in the adoption process.  As part of my Executive Order on Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals, we are partnering with State child welfare agencies to remove barriers and combat biases that can make it harder for LGBTQI+ families to adopt.  The Department of Health and Human Services will provide training and technical assistance to State child welfare agencies in order to better support LGBTQI+ youth, whose needs are often unmet in the foster care system, and take steps to ensure all youth are placed in supportive environments.  Additionally, we are committed to ensuring that older adolescents transitioning from the foster care system have access to housing and education and can pay their bills and prepare for adulthood, which is why I have proposed increasing funding for the John H. Chafee Successful Transition to Adulthood program by 70 percent.

     This National Adoption Month, we recognize all the adoptive and kinship families across America who change children’s lives for the better.  We give thanks for the foster families who love, care for, and provide for our Nation’s foster youth as well as the dedicated professionals who are invested in these children’s futures.  We send our encouragement to everyone still waiting for the chance to adopt and grow their family.  We rededicate ourselves to ensuring that all children have the unconditional love of a permanent home.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2022 as National Adoption Month.  I encourage all Americans to honor this month by helping the children and youth in your communities find homes where they can thrive.  Through our collective action, we can connect children and youth with their forever families and give them a brighter future.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

                           JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Happy 98-Years Toastmasters!

Happy 98 Years Toastmasters! 

Toastmasters International turned 98 which means it is almost 100 years old! 

www.toastmasters.org

Dr. Sherri Raftery, DTM-4, PDG & Dr. Ralph Smedley 

  "Ours is the only organization I know dedicated to the individual, we work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply these skills to help others." - Dr. Ralph Smedley

"While most of us may have entered Toastmasters to learn to make speeches, that benefit is but the beginning of the good which may come to us and the good which we may do for mankind." - Dr. Ralph Smedley

Dr. Sherri holding the Toastmasters International Flag.

 "We learn best in moments of enjoyment" - Dr. Ralph Smedley

I have been in Toastmasters since 2005 and have enjoyed my journey in the speaking, competing, leadership tracks. One of my favorite quotes is from our first female international president Helen Blanchard. 

"If you get all you can out of Toastmasters, you'll never get out of Toastmasters 

 - Helen Blanchard 1985-86 International President

See story links below.

In Memory of Helen Blanchard, Toastmasters International President, 1985–1986 — Toastmasters District 58 (toastmasters-d58.org)

Helen Blanchard, 86, was first woman accepted into Toastmasters - The San Diego Union-Tribune (sandiegouniontribune.com)

 

Smedley Chapter One Advanced Club - Celebrating 98 Years of Toastmasters!

Photo L-R: Dr. Sherri Raftery, DTM-4, PDG & 

Dr. Ralph Smedley - Founder of Toastmasters International 

Smedley Chapter One Advanced Club is celebrating 98 Years of Toastmasters Since October 22, 1924.

“A speech without a specific purpose is like a journey without a destination.”
-- Ralph C. Smedley

 

Groundbreaking Ceremony Phase 2 East Boston Piers Park

Groundbreaking Ceremony Phase 2 East Boston Piers Park

Boston City Council Gabriel (GiGi) Colletta with Dr. Sherri

 Today October 14, 2022, at 2PM-EST there was a Groundbreaking Ceremony for Phase 2 of East Boston's Piers Park with Massport, Boston Politicians, Members of the Council, and Boston Mayor Michelle Woo. This is such an exciting event and opportunity to continue to build parks with open space right in front of the East Boston Harbor. The speakers who made us laugh, clap, and appreciate all who devote their time to making the city better place for all to enjoy.

Community Activist, Margaret Famer, Boston Mayor Michelle Woo, 

Dr. Sherri, Boston City Council GiGi Colletta

#EastBostonPiersPark

Former City 1 Council Sal Lamattina, with Aides of Representative Madaro, and my neighbor. 

Dr. Sherri, Community Activist Mary Beringer, 

Representative Adrian Madaro at the Groundbreaking Ceremony.

Dr. Sherri & Pat Capogreco

This is exciting for me because it is right in my neighborhood. I was enjoying hearing the speeches from those who were at the lectern. Some of the very same people who were there in December 2013 when we gather for the groundbreaking Topping Off Ceremony for Portside at Pier when former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was leading Boston. It brought back memories for me when I was the former East Boston Chamber Executive attending many ceremonies, ribbon cuttings, and supporting local businesses. Those were wonderful times, and it is awesome to see continued revitalization practices for the next generation to enjoy!