Quotarians Serve the World

1919
Quota International, Inc., was founded by Wanda Frey Joiner. Members contributed to a World War I victory campaign.

1924
"Girls' Service" was adopted as Quota's main project. Clubs were encouraged to identify underprivileged girls, who after proper assistance, would reflect credit upon Quota and ultimately become loyal Quotarians.

1930s
Quota's concept of service work was broadened to include good citizenship, international service work, service to women, and service to recognize the achievement of women.

1940s
Quota members supported the World War II effort by contributing to the Red Cross and volunteering for other war and defense projects. After the war, Quota sent a representative to a White House conference to urge inclusion of qualified women as delegates and members of international and national conferences and agencies.

1946
Aid to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals was adopted as a service mission.

1950s
The Quota International Fellowship Fund was established to provide room and board scholarships to college students. Also in the 1950s, the issue of traffic safety was a point of emphasis in each club's service work. Quota was invited to send a delegate to a White House Conference on Highway Safety in 1954.

1960s
Quota begins a relationship with CARE, an international relief organization that Quotarians supported for the next 25 years. Support for CARE was phased out when Quota's own Club-to-Club World Service Program was developed.

1970s
South Pacific members became involved with the Vial of Life, a community program that provides life-saving medical information in the home. Australian clubs also focused on making television news programs captioned for the deaf.

1972
Aid to hearing- and speech-impaired people became Quota's official service project. Every club began observing national hearing awareness week or month. This area gained momentum with a public awareness campaign about deafness—Shatter Silence. Quota was a pioneer in helping the public understand deafness.

1974
The Quota International Charitable and Educational Foundation was established to help clubs expand programs in hearing and speech. The Fellowship Fund's focus was narrowed to provide scholarships to students who are deaf or hearing-impaired or to hearing persons preparing to work with deaf people.

1980s
Closed captioning became a Quota-wide project. Other Shatter Silence programs included: increasing awareness of noise pollution; promoting hearing screening for infants and senior citizens; providing scholarships for workers in the field of hearing and speech; annually honoring an international Deaf Woman of the Year; providing subtitles for children's videos in Australia; and becoming a member of the Council for Better Hearing and Speech Month in the United States.

1983
The Club-to-Club World Service Program was initiated with Quota clubs around the world contributing to service projects of clubs in developing countries.

1993
Assisting disadvantaged women and children became Quota's second service mission. The Fellowship and Service Fund continues to provide scholarship funds for students, matching club scholarships.

1995
Quota International begins to award large research grants to organizations seeking to better the lives of the deaf or hearing-impaired. In 1995, $100,000 was granted to the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, California, for the "Quota Research Scholars" program. Another $25,000 was granted to the Children's Cochlear Implant Center in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, for continued research into how children deafened by meningitis adapt to cochlear implant usage. Approximately U.S.$125,000 was awarded to these organizations in 1998.

2000
Quota International launched a new initiative to improve the impact and expand the visibility of its charitable arm. The board of directors approved a new promotional name for the Fellowship and Service Fund—We Share Foundation—to help build recognition for Quota's service work. This name was selected because "We Share" is Quota's motto. The Foundation wins the Blue Ribbon Award from the United Nations Association for its Club-to-Club World Service Program.

2001
The We Share Foundation launches three programs: World Net Service, Thinking Globally/Acting Locally, and Volunteers in Action. In addition, the Foundation sponsors new initiatives to celebrate and support local Quota Service: Volunteer of the Year program, the first International Photography Contest, and the Foundation's Polish and Shine News Release service. The We Share Foundation wins the Blue Ribbon Award from the United Nations Association for its newly launched Volunteers in Action program.

2002
The We Share Foundation launches Quota Cares Month, a new international public relations initiative. In addition, the Foundation wins six major awards for its communications and programs. Also, the Morton H. Meyerson Family Tzedakah Funds of Dallas, Texas, U.S.A., gives a major award to the We Share Foundation in honor of David Nathan Meyerson, Marti Meyerson Hooper, Marlene Nathan Meyerson, and Leslie Meyerson Gordon, earmarked to fund construction of a new building for the Quota Home for Abandoned and Destitute Women and Children in New Delhi, India.