President’s Message

2006-2007
International President
Enid Croes-Marugg

July 5, 2007

Dear Fellow Quotarians,

As the board year 2006-2007 comes to an end this month in Washington, D.C.,U.S.A., and as we celebrate the installation of a new board, I can state that it has been a great honor and pleasure to serve you as Quota's international president. You can rest assured that the 2006-2007 board has spared neither effort nor time to serve the objectives of the organization, while showing care for our communities at large in the Quota world.

During the 2006-2007 board year, Quota International and its charitable arm, the We Share Foundation, enjoyed many successes due to the strong partnership of dedicated members, hardworking clubs, motivated district leaders, responsible international leaders, and a skilled and experienced staff team. In addition, I am pleased to announce that this fiscal year will end with a sizable net increase of income over expenses. This is primarily due to our very successful convention in Australia, our successful fund-raising program, and as always, keeping expenses as low as possible. Many members have demonstrated through the year their financial evidence of membership satisfaction.

The diversity, which arises from being an international organization with members and clubs in 14 countries around the world, contributes to the beautiful learning process of working together and respecting others' cultures and languages while we speak the same service language wherever we go. Technology has been a great Quota friend, helping us increase international understanding between and among members worldwide. Through many ways, including numerous publications, mailings, and our Web sites, we have strengthened our connection with our members; we have empowered club, district, and area leaders; and we have fortified the service work of our international clubs and that of our Club-to-Club World Service projects. During the year we reached out beyond our national boundaries to Share Our Sunshine, while we recognized that different peoples, cultures, languages, nations, economies, and ecosystems exist. In that spirit of international sharing, I am most pleased to show you photographs from one of my last activities as international president—which I enjoyed in my own club—the celebration of our club's 20th charter anniversary! It was a lovely evening where, besides having the Quotarians present with their partners, some government authorities and leaders of other service clubs were invited.

Guests at our anniversary celebration included members from other Aruba service clubs. Here Aruba club president Suzy Maduro (right) talks with the president of the Aruba Lions Club and his partner.

Here I am presenting a rose to two charter members, Audrey Croes (left) and Gladys Henriquez (center). Gladys was our club’s charter president!

Past club presidents join me in toasting our club’s great achievements.

During our celebration, club president Suzy Maduro presented a check of AWG20.000 (U.S.$ 11,428.57) to a representative of the Aruba YMCA.

We are especially pleased with all your efforts in growing our organization in members. We will end our board year with a net gain of clubs, which is a significant achievement. Growing our organization will remain a challenge of continued vitality when selling the beauty of membership in Quota. Keep in mind that people want to belong to a group, they want to be part of a project or mission, and they want the project or mission to be successful. In trying to do your best to grow Quota in membership in spite of our overloaded lives, which we all have, here are six techniques for "catching the ball" that will help you be successful!

• Focus on success—looking up. Whether you are learning to juggle three balls or seven, step one is to visualize the successfulness of the results of your efforts. It sounds simple, but you would be surprised at how many frustrated beginners prefer to empty their hands, throwing the balls wildly in the hope that something positive will result.
  
  
• Where do I start?—prioritizing. What is the single most important thing you are doing today? Can you answer that question? If not, you will likely find it difficult to feel productive or purposeful as you conduct your daily juggling act.
  
  
• One throw at a time—synthesis. Juggling is often misunderstood as the skill of doing many different things all at the same time. Juggling is not about doing many things at once. It is about doing one thing at a time, really, really fast.
  
  
• Mastering new challenges—find the similarities. To excel and improve at what you do, you must take risks. You need to act outside of your comfort zone. But venturing into unfamiliar territory can be a stressful undertaking. If you happen to feel anxious, apprehensive, or fearful about the things that are new to you, ask yourself, "What about this is similar to something you have done before?"
  
  
• Maintain control—create a pattern for your life. How do the objectives fit together? Do they support one another in such a way that success in one area will fuel success for the entire pattern? Or are some of the "balls" in conflict headed for a collision course somewhere in your future? What do you need to remove from the pattern to make your life free of obstacles that are blocking you? Consider removing something from your pattern first.
  
  
• Embracing the challenge—increase self expectations. If you think what you are doing now is difficult, I'd like to encourage you to try the next hardest thing. When you do, the challenges you face today will become easier to handle. As you continue to push the limits of your abilities, you will develop confidence and enthusiasm that enables you to succeed and inspire those around you.
  
  (Source: "Exceptional Accomplishment," Dan Thurmon)

In selling Quota, you are selling yourself and your uniqueness and talent to serve.

In closing, I THANK YOU for your support, advice, communication, and the many newsletters I have received. I am especially appreciative of having had contact with you. Your assistance has been invaluable to me during my term. May you continue to enjoy and be happy as a Quota member, while you give of yourself to others. Each one of you, as a Quotarian, has made my five years of serving on the Quota International Board of Directors an enjoyable experience and a great learning opportunity. You have shared your sunshine—not only in your club and beyond—but also with me; thus I am departing this position enlightened!

Warm greetings,

Enid Croes-Marugg
2006-2007 International President

(click here for the previous President's Message)

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