District 13 of Toastmasters International was recently recognized as a Smedley Distinguished District, making it one of nine out of 130 Toastmasters districts worldwide to attain the title. The award is based on exceeding goals for membership growth, number of clubs, and the number of clubs achieving distinguished status.

District leaders include director Jing Humphreys, of East Brady, program quality director Adie Kurtanich, of Cranberry Township and club growth director Fred Vornbrock, of Jeannette.

Achievements over the past year include the addition of seven new clubs and 189 new members. More than 56% of clubs in District 13, which spans 63 clubs and 1,000 members across Western Pennsylvania, Northern West Virginia, parts of Ohio and Maryland, have reached some level of distinguished status.

On Aug. 15, the district was recognized at the Toastmasters International Centennial Conference in Anaheim, California.

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that builds confidence and teaches public speaking skills.