POULSBO – Bremerton resident Wesley Peper took first place in the Speech Evaluation contest on May 1 for Toastmasters in District 32’s Division B, which includes communities in Kitsap, Jefferson and Clallam counties.

Peper will be in the final competition for speech evaluation at the District 32 conference on Saturday, May 16, at Pacific Lutheran University. The event is open to the public. Toastmasters District 32 includes three other divisions, stretching from Olympia north to Federal Way and west to include the Kitsap, Key and Olympic peninsulas.

Further information on the Spring Conference is at http://d32.toastmastersdistricts.org/Spring_Conference.html.

At the division contest, Peper represented Professionally Speaking Toastmasters (www.prospeakerclub.com), an advanced club that meets in Poulsbo. He also belongs to Bremerton Toastmasters, a club open to anyone over the age of 18 interested in improving his or her speaking and leadership skills.

Peper has been a Toastmaster for 10 years, and has attained the Distinguished Toastmasters award, one of the highest achievements in Toastmasters. He also belongs to Toastmasters clubs near his work place in Seattle. He has held numerous club officer positions and been an area governor in both District 32 and District 2, encompassing the Seattle clubs.

“Every day is a gift. To take advantage of every second, you must never stop learning, listening and growing,” he said. “Toastmasters helped me reach the top of my profession. My wife Amy (also a Toastmaster) and I have started our own professional speaking business, The Pepers, LLC. I always knew I could do anything. Toastmasters was the vehicle to make it happen. It has changed my life forever.”

Through self-paced educational programs, Toastmasters shed their fear of public speaking, while gaining organizational and leadership skills that help them progress in their professional and personal lives.

Bremerton Toastmasters club meets every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria meeting room at Harrison Hospital, 2520 Cherry Ave., in Bremerton. The club’s website is http://www.bremertontoastmasters.org/.

While visitors are always welcome, membership in Professionally Speaking Toastmasters is open only to Toastmasters who have achieved the Competent Communicator or equivalent award.

To find a club near you, visit www.toastmasters.org.