[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DIANA L. GOLDBERG

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Diana Goldberg, one of 
my closest friends. Diana is stepping down as Chairman of the Board, a 
post that she has held since 2002, for the Children's National Medical 
Center in Washington, DC, one of the finest pediatric institutions in 
the Nation.
  The leadership, work and generosity of Diana and her husband, 
Stephen, have helped to make our Nation's Capital a stronger, healthier 
community. Diana has been heavily involved with Children's Hospital for 
the past 20 years. She has served on the Child Health Center Board, of 
which she was president from 1994 to 1996, and the boards of Children's 
Hospital Foundation, of which she was chairman from 1999 to 2001, 
Children's Hospital, and, eventually, Children's National Medical 
Center. However, her dedication to the health of children in the 
Washington Metropolitan region extends far beyond her leadership 
positions. Diana has taken a hands-on approach to volunteering and 
given countless hours of her time to ensuring that the patients receive 
the care that they need, while Diana herself has continued to be 
personally involved with many of the organization's operations.
  Furthermore, Diana has truly been a philanthropic leader in 
Washington, DC, especially for Children's where Children's School 
Services, a child health data lab, and Jazzmatazz, which is a major 
benefit to raise money for Children's, are among the programs and 
fundraising events that she has generously supported. However, Mr. 
Speaker, most laudatory are Diana's efforts to set up health centers 
across the city. In 2001, Diana and Stephen donated an astounding $25 
million to Children's National Medical Center for the Diana L. and 
Stephen A. Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health. This 
significant gift allows the Center to maintain community-based health 
centers in Shaw, Adams Morgan, and Anacostia and three mobile vans. The 
Center provides immediate healthcare needs, with special attention 
given to primary care, HIV and AIDS, asthma, sickle cell disease, child 
abuse, childhood injuries, lead poisoning, and violence prevention. The 
Goldberg Center is also focused on the greater neighborhood by 
sponsoring programs like the Adolescent Employment Readiness Center, 
which prepares disabled adolescents and young adults to enter the 
workforce.
  The Goldbergs' benevolence also includes work with the Edmund Burke 
School, the Black Student Fund, the Washington AIDS Partnership, a 
scholarship for the Frederick B. Abramson Memorial Foundation, the 
National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area, Arena Stage, 
and numerous other worthy causes and organizations. Notably, when the 
Centers for Disease Control, CDC, was forced to cut its funding for 
important HIV prevention programs in the District, Diana stepped in and 
made a sizeable financial gift to make up for the shortfall. Diana 
Goldberg is a shining model for the good that can be accomplished 
through the power of giving and a passionate dedication to public 
service.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the thousands of children that Diana has 
helped over the years as a member of the greater Washington community, 
I would like to congratulate and thank Diana Goldberg for her 
leadership as the Chairman of the Board of Children's National Medical 
Center and for all her projects. I look forward to seeing what exciting 
new challenges Diana will undertake next. Undoubtedly, she will 
continue to give back to the community and help make Washington, DC a 
better place for all its citizens.

                          ____________________