Quota Cares Month 2003 Honorable Mention Winner
Quota International of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, District 30
Winning Project: Quota Race Day for Drought Relief

Gold Coast Quotarian Tricia Rollinson (left) and friend enjoy Race Day.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Everyone in Australia has been affected to some degree by the drought; but the most significant impact has been in our rural communities. The Quota Cares Month activity chosen by the Gold Coast club was to raise funds for drought relief by holding a Quota Race Day.

From left to right, Kim and Kelly McPherson with Moraya Wilson are all smiles at the close of the Gold Coast Race Day.

From left to right, Chris Stride, Kim McPherson, Jeremy Dunn, and Kelly McPherson share a laugh at the races.

Fliers were distributed and displayed in shop windows and shopping center notice boards. The local media were advised, and our race day was mentioned a number of times in community notices on radio and in the press. Prizes were collected for our multi-draw raffle, and club members were encouraged at every opportunity to bring their friends and friends of friends. Former club members were contacted and some joined us for the day. Newer members were asked to join a table with longer-standing members. A total of 280 tickets were sold.

The Brown Family enjoys Race Day festivities.

The Race Day was held on March 15 at the Gold Coast Turf Club in "The Dome," a function area located track-side, complete with chandeliers, catering, and bar facilities, and a betting venue close by. On the day, competitions were held for best hat, best outfit, and most coordinated couple. All tables participated in a draw for a horse running in Race 6 and the table with the winning horse collected $100. This was a great way to involve all members and guests, even those who had no idea about horse racing.

Entrants in the best-dressed competition on Race Day pose for the camera in their special outfits.

The proceeds of the day amounted to almost $7,300, which was more than we anticipated. All club members agreed it would be great if we could help some of our nearer rural areas. Two Quota clubs in District 30, our district, are in badly impacted areas and both clubs were contacted. The presidents of QI of Warwick and QI of Boonah both independently suggested the Country Women's Association (CWA) as the appropriate avenue.

The funds will be distributed by way of vouchers that can be redeemed for cash from the CWA. This not only assists the farmers in these drought areas, but also those in the business community where the vouchers can be redeemed.

The QI of Gold Coast also supports a small school with 20 students in Hebel, western Queensland, and they were contacted to see what we could do for their community. With the additional funds raised by the race day we will be purchasing a refrigerator for the Hebel Community Center.

The celebration of our success will be at our Change Over Dinner on April 23 when a representative of both the Warwick and Boonah clubs will be presented with a check to take back to their respective clubs and communities.

It is a very rewarding feeling to be able to help at such a grassroots level, especially by sharing through other Quota clubs, and it epitomizes our club's "Quota Thanks" said in unison at our monthly business meeting.

RELATED RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES
There was no specific recruitment activity associated with the Race Day. We always include a contact number on our fliers and in any newspaper articles to ensure that any interested party can contact us. This has brought a number of new members to our club.

MEDIA/COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Our Club Publicity Officer sent letters on Quota letterhead to all local radio stations, and a Media Release was forwarded to the local newspapers. We were pleased that the function was mentioned on air, and it was included in the Weekend Bulletin, our local newspaper, and in the community notice board of our free local newspaper, The Sun.

BENEFITS TO CLUB, COMMUNITY
The profile of our club continues to rise in the community as more of our achievements are acknowledged in the local media. We have requested coverage of the presentation of the checks at our Change Over Dinner.

As previously stated, our club members have experienced a very rewarding feeling by being able to help in such a direct manner. By providing the funds to the CWA, who are very in-tune with the needs of their local community, and by assisting two communities in such close proximity, our contribution seems to be much more personal.

By providing vouchers to be spent in the two towns, we have not only assisted the farmers but also the business community. During a drought we are all made very aware of how tough it is for farmers; but often the local business community suffers just as much. We feel we have been able to assist both areas.