Zoe Moffatt
When Ashley Woods first contacted Sunbury Rotary in 2018 about a sponsorship for a leadership camp, she said she did not expect much to come from it.
Ashley said her friend encouraged her to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp and contact Sunbury Rotary about sponsorship opportunities.
“I was a bit hesitant … but then I got an email back from Kerry who was the president at the time and they had decided … to fully sponsor me to go to RYLA,” Ashley said.
Ashley said the camp tested her boundaries and comfort zones, and she learned a lot about how she copes.
“It was a big eye opener to basically where my levels were at,” she said.
“Who I was then and what I was dealing with, social anxiety, and just kind of finding where to flow, it was a massive challenge.
“[RYLA] played a big part in my journey of healing and becoming who I am today… throwing myself into the most uncomfortable position possible… definitely got me to where I am today.”
Ashley said she kept in contact with Sunbury Rotary when she returned from the camp and received help to achieve her educational goals.
“All of a sudden I got a call from Kerry saying they had received a fund … and they wanted to pay for my education, what I wanted to do and what I wanted to study.
“I was very shocked [when I was told], I never had gotten a chance before and I didn’t expect them to continue to be that support.
“It was definitely a shock to the system.”
Ashley then went on to study a diploma of counselling and a diploma of holistic counselling, which is something she said she did not think she was ever going to do.
“When you get opportunities like this, that you just feel like you’re never going to have or no one’s ever given you an opportunity to expand, to even find that kind of pathway that’s possible.
“They opened up my eyes to the possibilities that it is possible and people are there to help and listen.”
Through this experience and her ongoing involvement with Sunbury Rotary, Ashley said local groups are important to help and listen to community members in need.
“The importance of them is being someone that offers that listening ear, but also that willpower to do something about it.
“It’s so important to have … people that we know behind the scenes doing what they can for others.
“For people like me, who really just didn’t see the possibilities of a life in all truth, and for them to actually give someone that is a lot within itself.
“They are known to make pathways a lot easier and they continue to do that for people every Tuesday when they meet up.
“That dedication is so important because we need it, we live this life together, it’s definitely important.”
