President’s Message

2007-2008
International President
Daryl Perrine

September 12, 2007

Dear Fellow Quotarians,

The new Quota year is off to a wonderful start! Immediately following the installation of the 2007-2008 board of directors, we met for 2-1/2 days. Our meetings included an extensive orientation for our newest members and a strategic planning session to map out our scope of work for the coming year. We will undertake the task of evaluating the changes to Quota's meeting calendar implemented in 2004—the timing of club visits, district conferences, and area meetings and the movement from annual to biennial international conventions. During our think tank, we also reflected on ways to promote our organization and raise its visibility in current and potentially new Quota communities. At 2008 district conferences, we will be seeking more of your thoughts on local club promotion, and we will be unveiling an exciting new program that will be adaptable by every Quota club.

In addition, we have begun implementing decisions made by Quota's 2006-2007 board of directors at their outgoing July 2007 meeting. These include the passage of the Centennial Service and Growth Program—a new program designed to encourage increased new club organization worldwide. We will be publishing more information about this new program on our Web site in the weeks to come, and we will be talking about it at every area meeting. It was first announced at last week's South Pacific Area meeting, and almost 100 Quotarians expressed interest in learning more about it by attending a special workshop session detailing the program!

In addition to this, the outgoing board of directors voted to add two new projects to the Club-to-Club World Service program, which it had previously voted to expand to a two-year program beginning July 1. Quota International of Mandaue, the Philippines, and Quota International of Suriname in South America have joined the new 2007-2009 program. To read about their newly approved projects, as well as the projects previously approved for the other 13 clubs, click here. We now have 15 approved projects operating in five Quota countries—the largest number of projects ever in the history of this program.

In other Quota news, President-elect Toddy Silkman and I just returned from a visit to New Zealand and Australia, traveling through six districts and meeting with the members of sixty-two clubs before arriving in Manley, New South Wales, for the South Pacific Area meeting. Chilly temperatures and cold rains were no match for the warm welcomes and hospitality that were extended to us by every member! It was a joy getting to know so many Quotarians in such a variety of settings, and I learned that our Australian members really know how to throw a party. We were teased good-naturedly, however, about our excessive luggage by the governors as they ferried us from one venue to the next! I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to PIP Carolyn Rice, the South Pacific Area district officers, as well as every club member who made this wonderful trip possible. Quota is truly making a difference in the communities that we visited, and I am so proud of each club for their great projects and their continued commitment to each other.

Photo above: At the “Picnic with the President” event, competition was wild as we pushed lawn mowers around poles in a picnic relay contest! Past International President Carolyn Rice and I each led two different teams. Carolyn’s team won!

Early in my trip, I enjoyed a very tasty fish and chips lunch "by the bay" with Wynnum club members. This was a really enjoyable and relaxing outing!

A District 30 "Picnic with the President" event reconvened to the Brisbane Koala Bushlands in Burbank due to a cold, rainy day. Murphy’s Law: not a drop of rain fell in the area for over two and a half months before the event. However, the outing was certainly warm with the friendship of the members…and it was fun!

One of the 62 clubs President-elect Toddy and I met with during our trip was Maryborough. Here we are enjoying a wonderful gathering with club members.

Area meetings are being hosted in every corner of our world, as well, and I encourage you to take advantage of this terrific opportunity in your own area to learn the most current Quota news, meet international candidates for 2008-2009, and celebrate our successes in service and membership. Toddy and I plan to attend the remaining five meetings planned for our Canada, Central, East, South, and West Areas, and we hope to meet you there.

I am so proud to be the president of this great international organization, which does so much to make the world a better place. Launching my year with a trip to the South Pacific Area truly confirmed the strong connections that unite us. I learned that although we are different in many ways—where we live, how our clubs operate, and even the languages that we may speak—we are united in the way we care for each other and our world. Together we are creating a chorus of caring that is changing lives.

Yours in Quota,

Daryl Perrine
International President

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