 | Author's Name: Mary Barry Date: Sun 23 Feb 2025 |
Cynthia Edgell joined the Rotary Melbourne on May 5, 2004. A Speech Pathologist by training, she led the Speech Pathology Department at the Royal Children’s Hospital for 13 years before transitioning to financial services and later finding her passion in Life Coaching.
Cynthia was a dedicated Rotarian, actively participating in numerous committees, including Vocational Service, which she chaired for several years and spearheaded initiatives like the Club Awards and District Shine-On Awards. She played a significant role in projects such as the East Timor building project and the Mentoring Program with the Brotherhood of St. Laurence. Cynthia also contributed as a Club Director and Vice President and was recognised for her service with the Axle Award and reaching the Two-Sapphire Paul Harris level. Cynthia was also the 2020 Wittner Mentoring Awardee. After her passing in May 2023 following a long illness, Cynthia bequeathed $100,000 to Rotary Melbourne. This generous contribution set up as the Cynthia Edgell Empowerment Opportunity Gift will be used to support women and girls, allowing the Club to continue embodying Cynthia’s spirit of service and leadership. Cynthia’s family are extremely pleased that the funding will be used for this purpose.
Cynthia’s Gift will offer annual funding of up to $10,000 to empower women and girls from underprivileged backgrounds to transform their lives by providing the necessary support to unlock opportunities in critical areas such as education, employment, and financial independence. This will equip recipients with the tools and resources to build a brighter and more secure future.
Rotary Melbourne will partner with agencies that support disadvantaged and underprivileged women and girls in our communities (e.g. Afri Aus Care, The Smith Family, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Family Violence Agencies etc.) to seek applicants for Cynthia’s Empowerment Opportunity Gift.
The application process is overseen by the CWC. A CWC subcommittee, Chaired by Kevin Sheehan, will review applications and make a recommendation to the CWC for endorsement. Once endorsed the successful applicant/s will be recommended to the Board for approval.
