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John Christens Award

John Christens Award The John Christens Award is a memorial to John Christens and is awarded to the club with the highest percentage of club member attendance at the District 18 Fall Conference.

John Christens was a huge part of the Greater Newark Area Toastmasters (GNAT) Club #1833 revival and success. The GNAT club chartered on 06/01/1955 and celebrated its 55th Anniversary in June 2010. Over the years, the club has faced and overcome many hardships. In 1983, things had deteriorated to the point that the remaining club members had decided to let the club fold.

Area Governor John Christens would not let any club die without a fight. John had been a member of the Belgian Resistance during World War II and still had all of the audacity and determination of his youth. John encouraged the disgruntled members to hold out a little longer giving the club six months to spark a comeback.

John Christens was a huge part of the club’s survival but would be the first to say that he did NOT do it alone. John understood and stressed the importance of teamwork and member involvement. He attended meetings every week until tragedy struck. John suffered a heart attack on his way to a Speechcraft session, and died the next day.

District 18 felt his loss far beyond the Area he governed. In his memory, the John Christens Award is presented to the club with the highest percentage of club attendance at the District 18 Fall Conference.