Muscat: Prescilla Menezes President of First Ladies Toastmasters Club
Report: Celine D'Souza
Pics: Dilip Correa
Muscat, Feb 22: The vision and dream foreseen by Toastmasters Clubs Area Governor ACG, ALB Clita Crasta from 2002 finally paved way and materialized into reality on Friday February 17.
The installation ceremony of office-bearers was conducted with pomp and splendor alongside the Area Contest of Area 67 recently at Grill House, MBD, Ruwi for the first ever Toastmasters ladies club namely called 'Domina', a name derived from Latin meaning 'Our Lady'.
Prescilla Menezes, a vibrant and active committee member of MCCP has been unanimously elected the first lady president of the Domina’s Toastmasters Club.
Prescilla Menezes
Domina’s club was officially registered with Toastmasters International, USA on February 16. The office-bearers along with members of the club plan to hold an official charter ceremony in the near future.
The strong desire of erasing universal notions that women are weak, suppressed, shy, and submissive and proving them as women of self confidence, poise and dignified women of society has been made fruitful by Clita Crasta.
Creating yet another milestone in it’s 20th anniversary year of MCCP (Mangalorean Catholic Centre of the Parish) its current president, Stanley Fernandes has been the guiding force behind Clita whose wholehearted support and personal assistance has led the ladies to form the No 1 club in Oman.
In her welcome address Prescilla quoted John Quincy Adams quote “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
The pride she felt having her 20 precious diamonds in the 1st ladies club was in itself a history.
She further stressed that these exclusive ladies had come forward to create an identity and status to be class apart from the common women fraternity. She emphasized that the president of MCCP, commonly called “Dattu” was the focal point to create a platform under the banner of MCCP and turn this into reality. Stanley Fernandes with his strong support to women fraternity has laid a platform to elicit themselves to create new leaders, mentors who will create history in future.
She wholeheartedly thanked the MCCP president for his instant decision of hosting the Ladies TM Club, well supported by the Executive Committee Members and the Core Committee, strong pillars of MCCP and assured to all those present at the event to deliver the best of her ability with co-operation and support of the rest 19 diamonds of Domina, and strive to hold the flag of MCCP high by achieving the objective that they had set.
She also urged MCCP community ladies to join this club who have desire but consider weak in confidence and dependent, by quoting Al Anon “If you don’t like being a doormat then get off the floor.
The seven office-bearers of Domina’s club registered at Toastmasters International are:
Prescilla Menezes – President
Marifillis D'Souza – VP education
Agnes Picardo – VP membership
Asha Noronha –VP public relations
Neslin – Secretary
Judy Lobo – Treasurer
Shanti D'Souza – Sergeant at arms
Other members of the club are:
Lucy Sequeira
Melvina D'Souza
Dreema Lobo
Priya Menezes
Reena Mathias
Jean Lobo
Jessy Serrao
Valentina
Clita Crasta - Area Governor
Reena D'Souza
Felcy Frank
Helen Rodrigues
Vinitha Crasta
Philomena Moras
Divisional Governor, ACG, ALB Mohamed Salar, when invited on stage to say a few words, thanked Clita for taking the initiative and said he was proud to announce the fourth ladies club in the Gulf.
The others ladies clubs are in Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan. He emphasized that extending assistance and conducting educational sessions would take ladies to greater heights not only in the Area contest but also in Division and at District levels.
Domina's club hold their meetings every fortnight at Ruwi Church Hall at 8 pm.
The evening wound off with delicious dinner from Grill House.