Quota Cares Month—Honorable Mention Winner
Quota International of Gold Coast

A child's smile can be one of the best rewards for service, and Gold Coast Quotarians first saw smiles from children at the Hebel State Primary School 13 years ago while offering drought relief to the small farming community in western Queensland. Their 2007 Quota Cares Month project brought the Hebel children to the beaches of the Gold Coast and the Somerset College Celebration of Literature, one of the most important writers festivals in Australia.

The first step was fund-raising, and shortly after they began work in October, the club received a government grant to support the cost of the 700 kilometers bus trip from Hebel to the Gold Coast. The rest of the money needed came from the Gold Coast Quota club's annual Quota Race Day, but in the end, donors covered the majority of expenses.

Somerset College supplied a cottage on the school grounds for the parents, teachers, and 29 students, aged 4 to 12, to stay in during the trip. SeaWorld came on board to offer the children a day exploring the Touch Pool, Underwater Viewing Area, and Dolphin Show, among other activities. The Gold Coast City Council lifeguards gave a water safety talk during the group's beach visit. This was the first beach visit for most of the children on the trip, and while some went straight for the water, others made sand castles. McDonald's provided dinner after the day at the beach, and the Gold Coast Quotarians then took their guests out for miniature golf

All other food and entertainment, including a welcome barbeque, was paid for by the club's fund-raising efforts, including allowing each Hebel student to choose a book to take home at the Celebration of Literature. They had read works by many of the authors on the program before traveling to Gold Coast but were still very careful in their choices, a process that delighted the Quotarians, teachers, and parents. The children also returned home with butterfly pins, having learned the significance of this symbol for the deaf.

To read or print the club's winning application, click here*.

Back to Quota Cares Month Winners Main Page>>>

*To view or print out these documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to go to Adobe's Web site and download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.