Three Port Stephens women have been awarded scholarships to help them achieve their sporting, fashion and business goals as part of an International Women's Day celebration.
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At Salamander Bay Rotary Club's International Women's Day luncheon on Friday, Grace Hewitt, Asha Larkin and Chontelle Grecian were each awarded a $1000 Port Stephens Council scholarship.
It is the third year the council has offered Port women aged 16 and above scholarships as part of the international celebration. The funds are aimed at helping recipients achieve an "important goal and contribute to their community".
"These scholarships support council's efforts to create a community where women are safe, healthy, equally represented and valued for their contribution to society."
Grace is a year 11 student who has represented Fingal Beach Surf Lifesaving Club at state and national titles.
Her long term goal is to qualify in athletics for the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The scholarship will help Grace with costs associated with her ongoing training.
Asha has a diploma in fashion business and has completed a styling course, currently studying event management at TAFE NSW. Asha's goal is to present a sustainable fashion runway event which would help to educate us all about the environmental impacts of the fast fashion industry.
The scholarship will allow Asha to organise and run a free sustainable fashion event for Port Stephens residents.
Chontelle runs a Facebook group specifically for Port Stephens mothers with a business idea or fledgling business. Chontelle has found in the past that childcare needs have been a major barrier to women attending training and networking events.
She intends to use the scholarship to offer free business workshops which would include qualified child care onsite.
The popular International Women's Day celebration welcomed Rotarian Wendy Stein as the guest speaker.
In 2019, the Taylors Beach grandmother was awarded the Australia-wide 'Outstanding Rotarian of the Year 2018-19' recognising her 14 years of work in Papua New Guinea.
The Salamander Bay Rotarian has waged, almost single-handedly, her own war on that island nation's abject poverty by initiating a range of health and family planning programs that are saving lives. One of those program is Save the Kula Babies.