MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Quota Club of Morgantown is celebrating its 100th anniversary. A non-profit organization that focuses on empowering women, children and people with hearing and speech difficulties established in 1926, Quota Club of Morgantown provides automated external defibrillators (AED) to schools and venues in the area.
President Denise Palmer says five businesswomen founded the club in 1919 before it was established seven years later.
“They formed the club with the local leaders in the community of Morgantown, charted with about 20 to 25 members and then throughout our 100 years, we’ve continued to grow and serve our community and we are really proud of that,” Palmer said.
Quota Club has partnered up with many organizations over the years to donate AED’s, including Black Bear Organization, BOPARK recreational centers and pools and local public schools. But, the donations don’t stop with AED’s.
“May is “Better Hearing and Speech Month,” Palmer said. “We always do a proclamation to promote better hearing and speech. We’ve done that by donating books on hearing and speech and the deaf and hard of hearing at our local libraries.”
To celebrate their achievements over the last century, Quota Club of Morgantown is hosting a reception on Tuesday, June 2 at the Mylan Park Ice Pavilion. The event begins at 5:30 p.m.
“It’s just really exciting to share our history,” Palmer said. “We’ll have some memorabilia, the people we’ve partnered with through the years. We’re really proud of all our partnerships.”
Quota Club has donated and placed 42 AED’s to date and plan to place their 43rd at Mylan Park Hope Gas Ice Arena in honor of 100 years.
“The units do have a shelf life, so about 10 to 15 years,” Palmer said. “When we first started this, we put 20 units in our community. Mon County Schools and Susan Haselbacher has really led that program and they’ve replaced them when they needed to be replaced.”
The organization’s past and future partnerships are responsible for a large percentage of its success. Quota Club’s work will continue to serve the greater Morgantown area for years to come.
“We’re small but mighty and we are just really excited to serve our community,” Palmer said. “Of course, it’s unique because we’ve been around for 100 years. A lot of organizations don’t survive 100 years, so we’re proud of the fact that we’ve been able to do that.”
For any questions about the reception or Quota Club of Morgantown, contact Denise Palmer at 304-290-1142 or Betty Critch at 304-376-9334.