Twenty-six of its 27 members are women, and many of them influential figures in the community. From Barbara Rogers, the city's three-time mayor to Nicôl Lea, a business leader and Quota's current International president to Barbara Nunes, a lifelong educator and now a member of the Fremont Union High School District board, these are women who wield considerable power in their circle of influence. And last year, the circle grew larger when a few Quota members from Sunnyvale joined hands with the Cupertino division, after the Sunnyvale club dissolved.

To understand Quota's high-voltage, woman-power culture, one has to travel back in time to the early 1900s when the women's liberation movement was at its nascent stage. Wanda Frey Joiner was a successful immigrant businesswoman from Buffalo, New York who had risen up the ranks in a glass factory. Pictures of her show a woman with steely determination in her eyes, who conducted her business in long flowing dresses with hugely puffed sleeves and perfectly coiffed hair. When she decided to give back to her community, she approached the Rotary Club. But the Rotary in those days was an all-male group. Women were not allowed--even influential ones like Joiner.

But Joiner saw this rejection as a mere step in the fight for women's rights. In 1919, along with a few other businesswomen, she started Quota--the first all-women's service organization that, while geared towards humanitarian service, would also act as a venue for networking among businesswomen. Quota remained exclusively for women until the late 1980s, when the United States Supreme Court mandated that all service organizations in the U.S. become gender neutral. Quota was then forced to open its doors to men--an ironic twist for hard-core feminists. But even today with clubs and memberships in 14 countries around the world, Quota International remains true to its roots. While there are several male members holding high positions in its governing bodies, the organization is still identified for its feminist values.

"As a predominantly women's organization there is a different focus, a different energy and a different way of doing business here," said Cupertino resident Nicôl Lea, Quota's current International president. Lea is also a charter member of the Cupertino branch, which was started in 1985.

"If I go to another predominantly male organization, I will end up only in a supporting role. Yes. I can fight the battles. But when you are in a mostly women's group there is a camaraderie and kinship that comes automatically. You make friends for life. You can address issues like that of abused women and children from an emotional and practical angle and be on the same page with every one," said Lea, who is also one of the founders of the Cupertino National Bank.

So is there some kind of ageless rivalry between Quota International and its original counterpart, the Rotary? "No", said Barbara Rogers, her face breaking in to a smile. "We in fact work together on some of our projects. But there is a distinct cultural difference in the way we approach issues. A few years ago I also became a member of the Rotary. I found that the members there were people who had lucrative businesses and they would meet every week and start passing the hat around for this and that. I had retired from my job by then and could not afford to do that," said Rogers. She also remembers that one of their biggest fundraisers for the Rotary was a golf tournament. "And I hated golf", she said "At Quota we meet just once a month. We have our schedule for the entire year all chalked out. And most of the money for all our projects comes from fundraisers. It works wonderfully for all of us," she said.

For each one of its members, being a Quotarian has also helped define a part of their personal lives. Linda Hubby is an insurance broker who has been with the club for less than a year. "For some time now, I have felt the need to give back to my community and when I heard that Quota works with people with hearing disabilities, I was particularly drawn. Both my grandparents were deaf, and I empathized with that cause," said Hubby. There was also another reason, which drew her to Quota. "The insurance brokerage business is a heavily male dominated business. There is an extreme pressure on women to perform and be ahead of the game. So I found it refreshing to be in a group full of women and not having to go through the gender struggle," she said.

Barbara Nunes was the Principal at Cupertino High School when she joined Quota in 1986. "To me initially it was an opportunity to meet people outside the field of education. During the weekdays sometimes we would get together for lunch. But these meetings became tiny windows when I could totally forget the pressures of being a principal and talk of something besides school," recalls Nunes. Now that she has retired from active education, Nunes is more involved in some of Quota's projects.

Around this time every year, Nunes's house is a field of blooming Poinsettias. "Every year a huge truck comes by and drops of close to 1500 poinsettias at my garage. And it is quite an experience," she said. The sale of these Christmas plants finances some of Quota's projects.

One of the biggest projects that Quota of Cupertino undertakes in collaboration with the Rotary club is called "Kiddies Christmas Shopping." This year on Dec. 9th, Quotarians took 25 underprivileged elementary school children from the Cupertino Union School District for a shopping spree in JC Penny at Vallco Fashion Park.

"These children are recommended by the schools. On the day of shopping the store opens early just for us and each one of these kids gets to spend $125. The mothers usually send a list of what is required for the children and we help them buy it. Some of their stories are very touching. I remember one child a few years ago told me that the socks she was wearing were the only good pair she had," said Lea.

"Hearing Dogs" is another crucial project these women work on. "It is a wonderful project for the hearing impaired," said Bess Whitaker, a former member of the Sunnyvale chapter of Quota. Whitaker became a Quota member in 1980. "But we had to dissolve [the Sunnyvale group] last year after the membership sunk too low. But I did not want to quit this organization. So I joined the Cupertino ladies," said the 85 year-old Quotarian who enjoys the "pet project".

Every year around January, Quota (in conjunction with SPCA) trains two dogs to assist the deaf. "These dogs are trained to alert their masters to various sounds. If the doorbell or phone rings or if the kettle whistles or whatever be the sound, these dogs will jump on them or up and down and alert these people," said Whitaker.

Not all Quota members come from affluent positions. Quotarian Christine Pham is a manicurist in a salon in San Jose. But twelve years ago, her situation was much different. "At that time I was a recently divorced single mother of three children, and it was difficult to make ends meet. During those times Nicôl Lea and the other Quota members would take one of my children for the Christmas shopping and it made the season so much easier and happier at our house," she said.

Pham has come a long way since then. "My situation is much better now. I am the manager at a family run salon. But I will always be thankful [for Quota's] help. So I recently joined Quota. It is a way of giving back what I have received," she said.

Quota International has come to symbolize different things to its various members. From a simple house of charity to an organization that promotes women's empowerment, it reaches out to women of all cultures across the globe. But what does it mean to its minority population, the men? Pat Rogers is a retired aerospace engineer and the husband of Barbara Rogers. "I have been helping out Barbara and attending many of Quota meeting even before I became a member. So when I retired it just made sense to join this group, as I knew all the people there and liked all these talented women."

Pat said he never feels left out because he's a man. "Never. In fact I always feel more important," he said smiling. "Racially and religiously, the organization might be diverse. But as I tell all these women, without me they would be considered a sexist organization," he said, breaking out into laughter.