ROTARY ROUND-UP: Here comes the Three Forts Challenge

Club vice president Mike Kavanagh welcomed Katie to the clubClub vice president Mike Kavanagh welcomed Katie to the club
Club vice president Mike Kavanagh welcomed Katie to the club

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This week, Gerald Illsley, from the Rotary Club of Worthing Steyne, gives an update on the latest and future goings-on.

Prizes all round – we hope – as the clock ticks down towards this year’s Three Forts Challenge.

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The weather forecast could be better – overcast, 13 degrees C, with a chill northerly wind.

Known as ‘The Tough One’ the Three Forts Marathon is a 27-mile route starting at Hill Barn and taking in Cissbury Ring, Devil’s Dyke and Chanctonbury Ring.

The challenge takes place on Sunday, May 7, starting at the Rotary Ground, Hill Barn Lane, Worthing, BN14 9QF.

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The marathon starts at 10am and the half-marathon at 10.30am.

Many club members will be turning out to help register this year’s runners and act as stewards. Hope to see you there.

Earlier this month we hosted a Rotary Ambassador at the club.

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This year we were delighted to meet Katie DeRosa from Canada and sponsored by the Rotary Club Oak Bay, Vancouver Island.

The Oak Bay Club has sponsored two Rotary Ambassadors, by matching their travel costs with a 50 per cent contribution.

These scholarships are for graduate-level coursework or research for one to four academic years in one of Rotary’s six areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention/resolution; disease prevention and treatment; water and sanitation; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; or economic and community development.

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Journalism ran strong through Katie’s school and later activities, from being the editor of her student newspaper and on to Harvard.

Katie cut her teeth in her local press in style, winning quick recognition with scoop stories about homelessness in Victoria.

Two years ago, Katie moved on to reports about and raising funds for treatments for child cancers.

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And having obtained a scholarship for investigative journalism on human rights, Katie visited Australia and Christmas Island to report on immigration there, publishing her reports on the web.

These visits ignited an interest in refugee rights and with an Amnesty award, Katie took a sabbatical on a Rotary Scholarship and investigated these rights, official positions and the social pressures, reporting the various views to let her readership decide.

In January 2016, Katie visited the refugee camp at Calais, to gather information on individual expectations and conditions.

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Her articles stimulated reader feedback and social assistance programmes

A very interesting evening for the club – good luck Katie.

We are pleased to report that Guild Care’s recent ‘Pedal along the Prom’ event raised £500 for their Ashdown Centre for children with disabilities and people with dementia.

Although the sun shone, riders had a 50/50 trip with a strong westerly wind following them one way and against them on return. Well done everyone.

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In the next few weeks we are bringing together our plans for the new Rotary Year, which starts this July.

If you would like more information and join in some of our activities, please come along to our HQ at The Ardington Hotel, Worthing, on a Monday evening.

Please let us know on 07788 638757 if you will be coming along.

Details of Worthing’s three Rotary clubs are:

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• Worthing Rotary Club meets Monday, 12.55pm, at the Chatsworth Hotel, in The Steyne, Worthing, 01903 262222.

• West Worthing Rotary Club meets Tuesday evening at Tudor Close, Ferring, 01903 501961.

• Worthing Steyne Rotary Club meets Monday evening at The Ardington Hotel, in Steyne Gardens, Worthing, 01903 234957.

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