The inauguration of a Junior Quota Club at Estevan's Hillcrest School was a first for Canada.
Valerie Hall, Quota International District 11 governor, was on hand at the school on Nov. 13, formally anointing the group of 12 students as Junior Quota members.
"You girls all know you're making history today, don't you?" asked Hall, with the group of girls gathered around her in the school's library. "You'll be the first JQs in Canada involved in the club."
The girls make up the Hillcrest JQ club, and after each student was given their blue T-shirt, elections were held for the positions of president, first vice-president, secretary and treasurer.
All of the students were eager to take leadership roles in the club, with four stepping forward to be candidates for president and three for vice. The group quickly elected Nelly Fast as the club's first president. Hall handed her Robert's Rules of Order after the election. Brooke Wilson will be the first vice-president, taking over as president next year, while Tyrae North will be the club's secretary and Madison Carlson will take on the role of treasurer.
The Quota Club has been planning to start the junior clubs at schools since April, Hall said the local group is thrilled that students are so eager to get involved in the service club.
The first initiative Hall hopes the students get involved with is the cupboards that the Quota club donates to schools around the city. Food is then donated for the cupboards so no students in Estevan go without a lunch.
"When we started up, our Quota cupboards in all the schools here, we figured it would be a wonderful start for communication and getting to know our young people here in the city," said Hall.
The students appeared very excited about the possibilities before them as they founded the new club during a brief ceremony earlier this week.
"This was their choice," noted Hall. "When I spoke, I spoke to all the school. These (students) are the ones that were excited and wanted to be part of the beginning of a new club. Helping their school and their community is what they're fired up about. They're excited to start doing things. They're our future. They're our legacy, and we want them to know that we're proud of them for stepping up.
"This is something that's going to lead to greater things, so they know that they can choose their projects and make that impact. We've asked them to communicate with us. They are going to follow our model, learning it and feeling proud to be part of that."
Hall said the students will decide on the projects they support so they can do something that they will feel good about.
The club will meet on the first Monday of each month after school and will be guided by members of the local Quota Club as well as teachers from the school.
"For the first year, I'm sure there will be Quota members at every meeting to help guide them in the leadership that they want to play in the community," added Hall.
She invited the new club members to get involved with the Santa Claus parade on Dec. 1, encouraging them to decorate their own float and help out by serving hot chocolate.
"They can come to our conferences and our conventions. They will be our inspiration as Quota International of Canada is looking for this new impact. It is the Quota spirit that they're going to have," said Hall.
Hall noted that other elementary schools in Estevan will be forming Quota Clubs shortly.
