Osceola Toastmasters is a unique club. Chartered in April of 1976, the club has developed a character all it’s own over the years. Toastmasters International is dedicated to building a better world by developing the communication and leadership skills of individuals.
At Osceola Toastmasters we have discovered that as we develop as better speakers and better leaders, we also develop lasting friendships. Visit one of our meetings and you will immediately notice that we have fun! One of our members said of the club, “Every time I step in the room I am always welcomed. Everyone is always ready to lend a hand, to encourage and support each other. I believe that it’s this group’s attitude that makes it all worthwhile. We all come with the desire to improve and to share our experience in life, to grow together and make our community a better one.”
The best way to find out about Osceola Toastmasters is to be our guest at one or more of our meetings. We believe in what we do, and we believe in enjoying life. If you’re still asking, “but what is Toastmasters?”, please follow the link to “About Toastmasters International” .
Our Name
Osceola Toastmasters has among it’s many traditions, a very proud name. We meet in Kissimmee, Florida, which is theOsceola County Seat. Osceola County is situated in central Florida. It is a popular place to visit due to the close proximity of Disney World, Universal Studios, and numerous other parks and attractions.
The County was named after Osceola, the leader of the Seminole resistance known as the “Second Seminole War”. This began in opposition to a “treaty” which effectively confiscated Seminole lands in central Florida. The Seminoles were being loaded like cattle onto boats which took them across the Gulf of Mexico, up the Mississippi and unloaded them in Arkansas. They were then herded to Oklahoma; needless to say the death rate along the way was appalling. The Seminoles have not signed a treaty with the U.S. Government to this day.
Osceola was not a chief, but was skilled as an orator, motivator, and spokesman. His fearlessness in battle in the Seminole’s resistance to the tyranny of the “relocation” earned him the great respect and the title of “war chief”. Osceola was captured in 1837, while under a deceitful flag of truce offered by Gen. Thomas Jessup.
Front pages around the world noted his death a year later in a Charleston, SC prison. We at Osceola Toastmasters salute “Chief” Osceola, for the powerful leader and communicator he was.