Last month, members of the Rotary Club of Tryon heard a presentation from Hendersonville Rotarian Sarah Leatham about her recent adventure to climb one of the world’s highest mountains.

In 2018, Leatham and a group of seven other women accepted the challenge to climb Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to fight polio. During the adventure, Leatham and her group raised over $75,000 to support Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign.

The six-day adventure for Sarah and her group started in the Kilimanjaro National Park at about 2,000 feet above sea level. The first four days of the trip involved short hikes to help the group acclimate to the lack of oxygen at the higher elevations. The fifth day of the trip included the 18-mile ascent of the summit (19,340 feet) and descent back down to a safe elevation.

Throughout the presentation, Leatham shared stories about her experiences with the guides, porters and other group members.

Rotary International has been working for many years on eradicating Polio from the world. Each donation to the End Polio Now campaign is tripled with a double match from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. More information on Rotary’s fight against polio can be found at the Tryon Club of Rotary’s website, rotarycluboftryon.com.

The Rotary Club of Tryon meets at noon on Thursday in the Tryon Presbyterian Church. Those interested in joining the club may contact the club’s president, Fred Hartley, at 423-341-4965 or hartleyfred46@gmail.com.

– Submitted article