“If you’ve lived here for more than a couple of years and been involved in our community, you’ve undoubtedly heard that name, and been impacted by her many contributions, “said Suthers to the crowd of nearly 700 at the State of the City Address.
McNally has volunteered on numerous boards, and has raised funds for multiple local non-profit organizations including School District 11, Cheyenne Village, Citizens Project, the Southern Colorado AIDS Project and many more.
The Spirit of the Springs awards program was created to celebrate the positive achievements of citizens in our great community. The lifetime achievement award has only been presented on three prior occasions to Nancy Lewis, Mayor Harry Hoth and George Fellows. Click here to find out about the Spirit of the Springs program.
Video Tribute to Mary Ellen McNally
Mayor Suthers' Comments
It’s my pleasure to begin one of my favorite parts of this event … the presentation of the Spirit of the Springs Lifetime Achievement Award
This awards program was created to celebrate the positive achievements in our great community and it is my pleasure to honor one of the most dedicated resident of Colorado Springs
Mary Ellen McNally … if you’ve lived here for more than a couple of years and been involved in our community, you’ve probably heard that name
Mary Ellen and her late husband Michael met at her family’s Italian restaurant in Scanton, PA. Her parents were the owners and his parents were customers!
After they were married, they decided to make the move to Colorado Springs in 1964. Lucky for us!
Mary Ellen jumped right in as a District 11 school board member, City Council member and ran for Mayor in 1991
She didn’t win the race for Mayor, but she also didn’t stop making an impact in our community
Mary Ellen has volunteered on so many boards, raising money for so many organizations, we can’t possibly list all of them
She is still actively involved with almost a dozen different groups and while I know it’s not polite to reveal someone’s age, let’s just say she’s in her 8th decade of showing compassion for others
I would now like to invite you to hear from some of the people who can best describe Mary Ellen McNally and her outstanding service to Colorado Springs.
(Video Tribute Plays on Screen)
Mary Ellen, thank you for your inspiration, passion and commitment. You have given your time, talent and performed superior community service
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to present the Spirit of the Springs Lifetime Achievement Award to Mary Ellen McNally