REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE BALLYFERMOT FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE BALLYFERMOT FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR THEIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
I’d like to start by thanking Angela Copley, the manager of the Centre - for inviting me to join with you in celebrating ten years of serving the community and parishes of Ballyfermot. Of course, this is not my first time coming to Ballyfermot as President. I was here earlier this year when I opened St. Matthews Parish Centre – a new addition to the facilities available to the people of Ballyfermot – and I am delighted to back today to give recognition to the achievements of the community over the last decade since the Resource Centre was first opened.
Part of the process of celebrating and commemorating the landmark that the resource centre represents, is to compare your community then and now. I have no doubt that when you do that you see tremendous changes taking place – with people coming into the area to live, and people leaving – with changes in economic fortune – and fresh challenges and circumstances having to be addressed by individuals and communities. Those changes – and the needs and requirements that they give rise to – have been reflected in the services and facilities that the Resource Centre now provides. It is very much the focal point of the communities – and this is reflected in the wide range of activities and facilities that you provide in such things as the Community training workshop – the centre for adults with learning disabilities – the counselling services – the play schools – the restaurant – and the very comprehensive range of group activities that address the personal and recreational needs of the people of Ballyfermot. I know too that there’s a strong concern for the less fortunate members of your community – the unemployed, the marginalised – and those who feel left out - and that the Centre provides support, help and encouragement to those who are most in need.
I am sure that in 1988 some of the very wide range of services that you provide was not even dreamt of. So your real achievement in that time has been your ability to recognise a need – and then to work to address that need by forming links and alliances with the appropriate statutory and voluntary organisations who provide the required services – and then channelling those services to those who need them.
As I said – the ten-year point is a good time to take stock – to appreciate what you have done – and perhaps to speculate on where you might be in ten years time. As you know, Ireland has seen profound changes in the last ten years – and the pace of change seems to accelerate rather than abate. So it stands to reason that there will be new requirements and new challenges to face – and new opportunities to be grasped.
For example, in many of the communities that I have visited since my inauguration – the recurring theme at this particular time is the provision of training and education services to people who find that they are in danger of being left behind - as the tide of prosperity and progress gives rise to new skills requirements. Often, they are catering for women who have worked for years in the home – giving their children the best that they could – and keeping home and family together. Many too are single parents who find it difficult to be both parent and provider – and who can become relatively isolated in the community because of the demands on their time. It is women like these – women who want to return to work – or to start a new career – and need child support, training and education – that are being catered for within their own communities – where community resource centres are linking up with the relevant agencies to meet their needs.
Change is the only constant – and the ability to meet change and to cater for differing and evolving circumstances is the mark of a successful community. A resource centre like you have here, requires the commitment and dedication of many people – it requires hard work and generosity – and it requires the flexibility to keep pace with of the evolution of society – so that it can continue to be the resource for the community.
This is a great occasion – an occasion when you have come together to celebrate a tremendous community achievement – an occasion when you can appreciate what can be done through determination and hard work, but mostly through faith in yourselves and your ability to make it work! In joining with you for this celebration, I want to congratulate you on what you have done – and on how you have come together to work for your own community. I want to commend the vision of those who started the Centre – and the commitment of those who have contributed to its success over the last decade. I also want to pay tribute to the many people who have given their support – the business community - the statutory and voluntary bodies – and the many individuals who have made a contribution to the important work that you do. The focus of the Centre is indeed its investment in the people of Ballyfermot – the people of your community.
Ballyfermot Resource Centre is itself a living tribute to all of your work and commitment.