President’s Message

2006-2007
International President
Enid Croes-Marugg

May 22, 2007

Dear Fellow Quotarians,

Can communities do without strong service organization pillars? No! The presence of Quota as an international organization is essential and has a great deal to contribute to the world—much more than we can realize. One of my most important goals this year has been to encourage new clubs and branches around the world. The bigger our organization, the more we can contribute to the world at large. I am happy to report that since my last message to you, we have welcomed these new members to our Quota family:

Quota International Silver Q of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A, which chartered on April 14, 2007, with 18 members. Congratulations go to Mary Helen Stanley, Past Central Area Director, for organizing this new club and for serving as its charter president.

Quota International of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, which chartered on March 17, 2007, with 18 members. Congratulations go to Judith Timber, District 42 Governor, for organizing this new club. The charter president is Elise Marie Romer.

Judith Timber, left, past Governor of District 42, organized our new Sint Maarten club.

Here, new members of the Sint Maarten club celebrate at their chartering party.

QI of Sint Maarten is a mixed club for men and women, and here I am pinning a new member.

The Rotterdam Branch of Quota International of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which was launched in April 2007 with 17 new members.

In addition to these, two more new clubs are expected to charter in Australia's District 30 in June and one new branch will be launched in India in July. This is very good news, indeed! We have organized three new branches since last July, four new clubs, with two more clubs and one new branch expected! I am thankful to all members and leaders who choose to give this wonderful gift to our beloved Quota.

As I am sure you know, annual district conferences are underway, and it has been my pleasure to serve as the international representative at several excellent conferences—District 18 in Orillia, Ontario, Canada; District 42 in Suriname, South America; and District 41 in Tagaytay City, the Philippines.

All of the conferences I attended were full of excitement, enthusiasm, and love for our Quota. My trip to the Philippines was particularly exciting as I visited with three of Quota's Club-to-Club World Service projects in addition to participating in the outstanding District 41 conference.
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Let me tell you more about this exciting visit to the Philippines.

The District 41 conference opened with a spectacular and colorful opening processional of Quota dignitaries. The national anthem of the Philippines was played, and I was honored to have the national anthem of Aruba also played. We enjoyed a very festive dinner, after which I was invited to present the keynote presentation. The topic I chose was, "organizations as the pillar in all communities of the world." In this presentation I stressed that one of the benefits of working in service organizations is that we seek that which unites us as people, instead of focusing on that which divides us. We need to look at commonalities and not at our differences. This view may lead to multi-cultural, multi-racial, and multi-religious cooperation, which may help in working towards peace in our world. We need to value volunteers in service organizations. The value of volunteerism is immeasurable. We as Quotarians have values like accountability, charity, fairness, friendship, humor, integrity, responsibility, thoughtfulness, and service and we may be proud of the work we perform in our communities.

The conference general session opened on the following day, and a full day's meeting was planned. When our meeting day was done, we all enjoyed an evening of fellowship—a spectacular cultural dancing competition where most of the clubs of the district participated. It truly was a highlight of the conference. The mixture of the music and the dance together with the special costumes designed for this event formed a fabulous show! They even had nationally renowned dance professionals judging the competition.

The final conference day was again filled with important presentations, business, and speakers. Workshops focused on community service, fund-raising, and club funds and stewardship. At 7:00 p.m., the Governor's Dinner and Ball began with another colorful procession, which included club banners, the district banner, and Quota dignitaries. The evening included a heartfelt speech from outgoing governor Lea Celis, and new district leaders were installed. The evening closed with a wonderful dance performance and closing remarks.

Prior to the opening of the conference, I was privileged to visit three Club-to-Club projects, namely Quota International of Las Piñas— Project: Building Bridges for the Deaf; Quota International of Manila, Project—Educating Disadvantaged Children; Quota International of Manila South—Project: Philippine School for the Deaf. These projects are overseen by our Quotarians in District 41. The work of the Quotarians is immeasurable and is filled with compassion. Here follows some pictures.

In closing, let me tell you how deeply fortunate we are as an organization to have dedicated Quotarians, not only in our Club-to-Club countries, but in all Quota countries around the world. I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful international organization, and I am proud of the work you do to share your sunshine with disadvantaged women and children and deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-impaired people in your communities. Together, we do make a difference!

"Let us praise and bless everything in the world, and you will dissolve negativity and discord and align yourself with the highest frequency—love." The Secret

Warm greetings,

Enid Croes-Marugg
2006-2007 International President

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