Marita Joseph, a member of the New Glasgow Kinette Club, won this year’s Kin Canada speaking competition at the organization’s national convention in Kingston, Ont. Photo by Aidan Rawding /Truro NewsArticle contentNEW GLASGOW – A member of the New Glasgow Kinette Club was recently dubbed a national public speaking winner.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentMarita Joseph, who hails from Hopewell, N.S., received the honour at Kin Canada’s national convention hosted from Aug. 13 to 16. The service organization’s public speaking competition is called the Founding Members Speaking Award.Article contentArticle contentJoseph first performed her speech in March at the club level in New Glasgow, and over the next few months, she continued to advance to the next level of competition against fellow Kin Club members.Article contentArticle contentIn April, she moved on to compete at the zone level, which includes participants from other towns in the area.Article contentJoseph then spoke at the district level against other Kin Canada members across the Maritimes. This is where she was chosen to advance to the organization’s national convention, which was held in Kingston, Ont. this year.Article contentAt the national convention, she and four other members spoke in the finals. Joseph said it was exciting when it was announced that she had won.Article content“My jaw dropped, for sure. I was like ‘What? I’m the winner?’” recalls Joseph.Article contentMary MacLeod, president of the New Glasgow Kinette Club, said it’s an amazing accomplishment for the local club that has about a dozen members. Not only that, but Joseph is also relatively new to the Kinettes group as well, she said.Article content“It’s a huge feather in our cap,” said MacLeod. “We’re very proud of her.”Article contentArticle contentAt the national convention, Joseph said it didn’t feel like she was competing, given the supportive nature of the five fellow finalists.Article content“Kin Canada as an organization, as a whole, are the biggest supporters and encouragers that I’ve ever seen,” said Joseph.Article content“I felt like we were all like, ‘Let’s give this a try. Let’s give this our best shot’ … I know at the end of the day, we technically were competing, but it didn’t feel that way.”Article contentJoseph experienced that same support about a year ago, when a fellow New Glasgow Kinette Club member encouraged her to enter the public speaking competition in the first place.Article contentAnyone involved with Kin Club can enter, explains Joseph, and it is meant to help members with their personal growth and development. You can pick any speech topic you want, she explained, but it must be tied back to the club in some way.
Hopewell, N.S. local wins national public speaking competition
