[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 38 (Thursday, March 30, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E459-E460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   HONORING KURTH COTTAGE OF VALLEY HOSPITAL IN RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 2000

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Kurth Cottage of Valley 
Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey on its 50th anniversary of

[[Page E460]]

service to the hospital and surrounding community.
  Kurth Cottage is the gift shop and restaurant/tea room at Valley 
Hospital. It once was an actual cottage, however, and the rooms it 
occupies in the hospital building today have been renovated to closely 
resemble the lovely surroundings of the original cottage.
  Valley Hospital has put so much effort into what might otherwise be a 
simple, utilitarian facility because of extra level of comfort that 
warm, friendly surroundings can bring to patients' families. Family 
members visiting seriously ill relatives have many worries on their 
minds. A good meal in comforting surroundings can help ease those 
worries and make their outlook more optimistic. A positive outlook 
among family can, in turn, offer encouragement to patients themselves 
as they face recovery from surgery or illness.
  Kurth Cottage has its origins in 1948, when the Women's Auxiliary of 
Valley Hospital decided that the hospital, which was still under 
construction, should have a ``small gift shop and snack bar.'' Rather 
than include the shop and snack bar in the hospital building, a small 
house on the hospital grounds was chosen as its site and named for Mr. 
and Mrs. Wilfred Kurth, major benefactors of the project. The cottage 
opened for business May 1, 1950, five months ahead of the opening of 
the hospital itself.
  Kurth Cottage proved to be much more than the typical stainless steel 
and Formica hospital snack bar. The cottage included an 18-seat Snack 
Bar, a 40-seat Tea Room and a 28-seat Fireside Room, which also 
included the gift shop.
  The Kurth Cottage facility became part of the main hospital during a 
1963 expansion and the original cottage, unfortunately, was demolished 
to make room for a parking lot in 1963. The new facilities included a 
beautifully appointed, Williamsburg-influenced Tea Room, Snack Bar and 
Gift Shop, a new kitchen and a gracious Fireside Room incorporating 
many features of the original. Furnishings included Mrs. Kurth's 
Victorian sofa, chairs, a drop-leaf table, fireplace andirons and white 
birch fireplace logs. Fresh flowers in the Tea Room were donated twice 
weekly by local florists, as they still are today.
  The cottage underwent major renovations in 1990, adding a Colonial 
blue color scheme to the woodwork, new wallpaper, swag draperies, new 
tables and chairs and handsome new flooring. The china has matching 
blue borders and volunteers wear matching blue smocks. A canopied 
walkway leads to the entrance of the facility and a new waiting area 
has been designed around the former Fireside Room.
  Throughout its history, Kurth Cottage has always been a profitable 
enterprise, helping fund the many charitable activities of the Ladies 
Auxiliary.
  None of this success would have been possible, of course, without the 
untiring dedication of the hundreds of volunteers who have served over 
the past half-century. These women have done more than simply run a 
``snack bar.'' They have made the emotional trauma of injury and 
illness more bearable for the families of patients at Valley Hospital 
for decades. They deserve our deepest gratitude for all they have done 
to lighten the burdens of patients and families. Most especially, we 
bow in deepest admiration and respect for the many volunteers who have 
given of themselves, both in time and personal dedication.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join me in congratulating Kurth Cottage on its 50th anniversary and 
thanking everyone involved with its success for their hard work.

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