REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING OF AN EXTENSION
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING OF AN EXTENSION TO THE CHILDREN’S SUNSHINE HOME, FOXROCK
I am very happy to be with you this morning to celebrate an important milestone for the Children’s Sunshine Home – for the children themselves – for the parents – for the Management Committee – and for the caring staff who work so hard with and for the children. Days like this are always days to celebrate and rejoice – days when we let a little light into our lives - and today is truly a ‘sunshine’ day for all of us. I know that for my part, I am absolutely delighted to be here for the opening – and I am grateful indeed to Leslie Andrews for giving me this opportunity to see the facilities, to meet with the staff, the children and the parents - and for giving me this honour of formally opening the new extension.
- Embarking on an undertaking such as you have just done – requires courage and dedication – a lot of hard work – and a considerable amount of finance. I know that the Management Committee are very grateful indeed for the support they have received from the Department of Health – who have been the main source of the funding – and to the many other groups and individuals who have shown their support for the Children’s Sunshine Home – by giving so willingly and generously. What I have seen here today has totally vindicated the faith and commitment of those who have given their help to see this project through.
- I know too that the construction project must have involved a considerable amount of disruption – and it is to the great credit of the Matron Selina Fausset and all of the dedicated staff – that the level of service was maintained to its usual high standard during the extensive work. Indeed I want to avail of this opportunity to pay a particular tribute to the staff who provide such a loving and caring environment for all of the children who come to the Sunshine Home. You have created and preserved a warm sense of community – a close family atmosphere – where the needs and requirements of the children - and of their parents and families – take first priority. I know that that close sense of family was so important, and such a source of strength, when young Jill Donnelly sadly died recently – just before her eleventh birthday. It was also a great comfort to her two sisters and to her mother - who are with us this morning - that Jilly had received such affection and attention during her last two years here at the Children’s Sunshine Home. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dhílis.
- But this is very much a place of caring and love – and the new facilities that we are opening today – the play room, the dining room and the sensory room – will be a tremendous addition to standard of service that you provide – and will mean a significant enhancement to the quality of the lives of the children who come to you.
- Another very important and commendable aspect of the service you provide, is in the respite care that allows parents and families a welcome break from their daily burden. While everybody naturally wants to care for their own child at home - the job of the carer can at times be such a heavy burden to bear – it can be tiring and draining – and sometimes even frustrating. The facility to take even a short rest from that job – and to do so with the comfort of knowing that their child is being cared for in a loving, professional and caring atmosphere – gives that respite an added value – and is all the more therapeutic for it. That is essence of respite care – and it is something that you do very well at the Children’s Sunshine Home.
- I know that as the years go by there will be new requirements and new situations to be addressed – and that nothing really remains the same. You have been able to respond to the many changes that have taken place since Ella Webb first started with the small wooden bungalow in the 1920s. I have no doubt that you will continue to respond to the needs of children in the future. It is that ability to meet the new challenges and to adapt to changing times that makes the difference between success and failure. Clearly you have been a tremendous success – and have brought happiness and comfort to many many lives.
- In declaring the new extension officially open, I want to wish you well in the work that you are doing for children with learning disabilities – and for their families.