A civic reception is set to be bestowed on Cara House founder Susan Mc Cauley in recognition of her outstanding community work in Letterkenny.
Ms Mc Cauley retired from her role as Cara House Coordinator at the beginning of the New Year, following 17 years at the helm of the family resource centre.
Originally from Solihull outside Birmingham, Susan came to Ireland and worked as a primary school teacher in Derry and Strabane. She set up Cara House in 2004 to provide social, recreational and educational activities to families and individuals in the heart of Letterkenny.
Her dedication to helping adults and children alike will be formally celebrated at an upcoming reception following the successful passing of a motion at today’s Letterkenny-Milford MD meeting. Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who led the call for a civic reception, received unanimous support for his motion.
“Cara House has been a remarkable success story,” Cllr Brogan told members. “Susan has been the heartbeat of that.”
Cllr Brogan paid tribute to Susan’s legacy and said Cara House “have been right at the heart of everything that’s good about the community and the needs of the people in the area.”
Cllr Brogan said Susan was always modest about her contributions: “If I was to tell Susan I was putting down this motion, the first thing she would tell me is not to do it. It was never about Susan, it was always about the people that she accommodated and the needs of the people that she was providing a service for, whether it was providing dinners for them, helpong them in so many ways.
“The best thing I can say about Susan is, in her time at Cara House, she has made a huge significant change to people’s lives, for health and wellbeing by being there. People like her are special and deserve to be recognised.
“Hopefully now she leaves a lasting legacy that will be there for a long time in Cara House in the model that was established.”
Cllr Brogan’s motion was seconded by Cllr Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly, who commented that Susan is a “remarkable person and deserves to be recognised for all that she has done.”
A date has yet to be yet for Ms Mc Cauley’s event, as the council must wait until Covid-19 restrictions are eased. It is hoped that civic receptions can begin again from March or April 2022.
