We Share Foundation “Swaps and Shares” Successful Service Ideas

Sharing is an important part of Quota International's mission. Each year, clubs around the world share thousands of dollars, hours, and other resources with countless people. Through projects, meetings, and other activities, club members share time, support, and good times with one another. And, as members of an international organization, clubs have the opportunity to share resources and ideas with one another.

Our clubs are incredibly innovative in identifying and meeting their communities' needs in creative ways, and the Quota International network offers a unique opportunity to share those projects. Through the We Share Foundation's Great Service and Fund-raising Ideas feature published on www.wesharefoundation.org, clubs have an opportunity to learn from one another's experiences and implement their own versions of these projects. (To visit the Great Service and Fund-raising Ideas page, click here.)

With this in mind, we are pleased to share with members worldwide two Quota service projects that have already experienced enormous success: the Quota Cops 'n' Kids partnership, and the Healthy Hearing Earplug Campaign. These projects have several significant qualities that make them ideal for sharing: they are easy to implement, adaptable to an individual club's needs and strengths, and in line with Quota's mission to serve the disadvantaged women and children and deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-impaired individuals.

The Cops 'n' Kids program allows Quota to partner with local police forces to promote literacy. When an independent organization founded Cops 'n' Kids in Kenosha-Racine, Michigan, U.S.A., in 1997, it immediately garnered Quotarian support in collecting and donating books to disadvantaged children, building a reading room, and developing donation and reading programs. As police forces around the country have adopted the program, their local Quota clubs have continued to be supportive, conducting book drives, volunteering at local reading centers, and developing and implementing programming. Club participation can range from book donations and volunteer hours to conducting book drives and holding fund-raisers to support the program.

The Healthy Hearing Program, created by 2004-2006 Speech and Hearing Committee Chair Linda Morton, can also be adapted in a number of ways, making it ideal for sharing with the international community. Its foundation is simple: Quota clubs distribute Quota-labeled ear plugs. The opportunities are endless, though, as the work of Quota clubs in District 6, Aruba, Curacao, and other areas reveals. The earplugs can be distributed at a wide range of events, incorporated into club fund-raisers and service projects, and offered in partnership with other local organizations.

In the spirit of sharing, we encourage you to learn more about these programs, find the resources necessary to implement them, and learn about creative ways they've been used. Then, share the results with us and Quota's global community! After all, through programs like these, not only do we share, but we also grow.

• To learn more about Quota's Cops 'n' Kids Literacy Program, click here.
  
  
• To learn more about Quota's Healthy Hearing Program, click here.
  
  
• To learn more about all of the We Share Foundation's comprehensive array of service programs, resources, and tools for clubs, click here.

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