Dear Quota Members,
Our world now faces a global crisis in the form of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Declared a pandemic on March 11 by the World Health Organization (WHO), this disease has now spread to the majority of our countries where Quota calls home.
Quota leadership values the health of its members above all else and so in compliance with state and federal advice, as well as the World Health Organization, we hereby request that all meetings be postponed until a time that is safe for members to gather. If you choose to hold a club meeting, you do so against the wishes of the Quota International organization and at your own risk.
I know all members and leaders were saddened by the decision to cancel Quota International’s 2020 Regional Meetings in this significant year, but, of course, health concerns take precedence over all others. Many thanks to those who have sent emails expressing support of the Board and this difficult decision.
In addition, because of the emergency, we have closed our Quota International Office in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., through the end of March. Our staff will be monitoring all Quota e-mail on a remote basis, and so the best way to contact us about any urgent matter is to e-mail us at staff@quota.org. However, any orders that are received for Quota merchandise cannot be filled until the emergency is over. Our Australian office remains open at this time and merchandise orders received at that location will be filled.
Because Convention 2020 is about four months away, we are hopeful that our meeting will be able to take place as scheduled – July 8 for pre-convention activities and tours, and July 9-11 for the general session as well as more tours. All registration fees are refundable and hotel rooms can be canceled in the event that our meeting is unable to be held. We will monitor the situation in coming weeks and will provide plenty of notice on our plans
With COVID-19 taking over our news, it might be easy to overlook the deadline to submit ballots containing votes on the Board of Directors’ proposal to dissolve Quota’s international structure. Our due date for receipt of ballots is March 26, 2020, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time in the United States. Ballots will be counted the next day, March 27. We have a plan in place for our ballot committee to oversee the counting virtually so that they do not have to travel to Washington, D.C., USA for this activity.
"Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” -Mark Twain, Author
Do you remember a time when someone was kind to you? Think about it. Maybe it was just a smile from a stranger on the street, a door held open for you, or someone who listened when you wanted to speak. How did those quiet kindnesses make you feel?
When Quota International was founded in 1919, the founders decreed that the Golden Rule would become the organization’s code: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
One hundred one years later, our world has changed in dramatic ways. In 1919, the pop-up toaster and short-wave radio were highly acclaimed inventions. Since then, technological advances have changed every aspect of how we live, work, and communicate. In today’s fast-paced and frequently turbulent world, kindness is sometimes forgotten in the chaos of day-to-day living.
My message to you is this: Every Quotarian reading this message has worries – our jobs, our health, our families, our finances. We each have our good days and our bad days. We are all doing the best we can in a world that has become increasingly divisive and polarized. I ask you to remember this in your daily interactions, and choose kindness.
Kindness can be proactive – such as helping someone in their time of need – or reactive – choosing kindness and compassion in our responses instead of anger or discouragement.
We Quotarians are a family, and the way we treat each other will always be remembered. We are here to serve, and serving up kindness is one way to honor our beloved Quota organization and the code that our founders set for us to follow 101 years ago
Yours in Quota,
Emilie
Emilie Simon
2018-2020 Presiden