Remarks by President McAleese at the Official OPENING OF THE RE-FURBISHED PROSPER FINGAL CENTRE
Remarks by President McAleese at the Official OPENING OF THE RE-FURBISHED PROSPER FINGAL CENTRE AT RUSH
I am very happy to be with you this morning as you celebrate the official opening of your re-furbished Prosper Fingal Centre, here at Rush. I wish to thank Pat Reen, Director of Services for the kind invitation. I would also like to thank you all for your warm welcome.
Prosper Fingal has been providing an important and wide range of services to people with intellectual disability for almost a quarter of a century. What you do here and do so well is to offer opportunities to people to grow and develop and to explore their truest potential. Helping that potential to blossom is a complex and long-term undertaking with many different dimensions, each important in its own way and each making its own demands. The education and vocational training you provide are obviously crucial aspects of the life journey of our brother and sister citizens with learning disabilities. But essential too are employment placement, care provision, community outreach, respite care, sports and recreation activities and adult education programmes. When these things form part of an integrated and holistic package as it does here, then family, friends and community can all be reassured that the best is being done and from it will come the best life possible.
As the main base for your employment division, this Centre in Rush provides two complimentary services of sheltered work and supported employment. Its record of achievement speaks for itself with many of those who avail of the services progressing from vocational training to employment having acquired the necessary skills here. I had the opportunity to meet people and to see at first hand the lovely handcrafted pottery, the high quality screen-printed craft range and some of the children’s clothing and baby wear that are produced to the highest standards here. The level of achievement is heart-warming to see and all those who have produced such a story of success deserve our praise, support and encouragement.
Life is far from easy for those with special needs and for those who love them and who face relentless responsibilities. But it is reassuring to see how much progress has been made in the care and treatment of people with learning disabilities over recent years. The emphasis has shifted from a culture of complete dependence to one of effectively supported independence. Organisations like yours have educated us about the human rights and human potential of those with learning disabilities and at the same time you have helped to achieve this very important level of independence for the people of North County Dublin. People cope better because you are here and they have higher hopes because you are here.
This Centre and Prosper Fingal in general have much to be proud of and the rest of us have much to thank you for. May the new facilities give you more energy and may today renew and reenergize your own commitment to the work of Prosper Fingal. May your work and faith be vindicated by the many people whose lives you change here – for the better. I now declare the re-furbished Prosper Fingal Centre, Rush officially open.
Go raibh maith agaibh.