[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 124 (Thursday, September 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1888]]
  IN HONOR OF SISTER DIANE DONOGHUE ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT

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                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2006

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, it is with utmost pleasure and privilege 
that I rise today to pay tribute to Sister Diane Donoghue, a uniquely 
committed individual who has contributed over 50 years of her talents 
and passion toward helping others. On October 5, 2006, community 
members and leaders throughout Los Angeles will be honoring Sister 
Diane at a ``Legacy Celebration'' in recognition of her retirement from 
the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation.
  ``Esperanza''--a Spanish word that rolls off the tongue with a 
powerful vibration--in English means ``hope.'' Throughout the scope of 
her public service career, Sister Diane has looked into the eyes of 
those losing hope--teenagers struggling with mental health issues, 
heroin-addicted women, ailing garment workers without health insurance, 
and parents with housing eviction notices--and offered the gift of 
hope. But, as Sister Diane personally knows, offering the gift of hope 
is not an easy or simple task--it's a grave and serious responsibility 
that demands the hard work of collaboratively developing real, feasible 
solutions and tools for success.
  Diane Catherine Donoghue entered the Sisters of Social Service in 
1955 and began her journey of challenging unjust social and economic 
forces that has now spanned over 50 years. Her journey led her to the 
heart of my congressional district and in 1985 Sister Diane became the 
community organizer for St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church at Adams 
Boulevard and Figueroa Street in South Central Los Angeles. When she 
heard the plea of a family who was about to be evicted to make room for 
another garment factory, and she listened to other families' troubles 
finding safe and affordable housing, she took action. Sister Diane 
worked with the local community to form the Esperanza Community Housing 
Corporation and within 9 years they completed a $6.5 million project, 
Villa Esperanza Apartments, which offers 33 units of affordable housing 
for large families, a community center, and an onsite Head Start 
program. Nine additional housing projects, now totaling 165 units of 
safe, affordable housing, followed as a result of the work of Sister 
Diane and the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation.
  Building on its success, the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation 
expanded its mission to become a multipurpose social service agency 
featuring five program areas that address the neighborhood's most 
pressing needs: affordable housing, community health, education, arts 
and science, and economic development.
  As an economic development project, Sister Diane and Esperanza 
undertook the task of creating the Mercado la Paloma in South Los 
Angeles. This dynamic neighborhood-based public market site allows 
close to 20 low-income entrepreneurs to realize the dream of owning 
their own business, gives 110 individuals jobs, and provides community 
gathering space and offices for local non-profits. The Mercado today 
functions as a vibrant neighborhood center and marketplace because of 
the leadership and efforts of Sister Diane. The Mercado provides a 
fitting location to hold her Legacy Celebration.
  Not surprisingly, Sister Diane's 50-year public service career has 
been marked by numerous awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award from the 
Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing, the UCLA Alumni 
Award for Community Service, the Empowerment Award from the Los Angeles 
Archdiocese, an Honorary Doctorate from Occidental College, and the 
Courage in Community A ward from the McAuley Institute. I would argue 
though that her greatest achievements are not marked by awards, but by 
the vastly improved living conditions of those she has served in the 
community. Her greatest awards are not plaques, but the faces you see 
entering the Villa Esperanza apartment complex or behind the counter at 
a shop within the Mercado.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great admiration and pride that I ask my 
colleagues to join me today to salute this exceptional woman. Romans 
iv.18 states, ``Who against hope believed in hope.'' Sister Diane 
Donoghue and her legacy embody this New Testament scripture. Throughout 
her 50-year public service career, when faced with the needs of the 
destitute and downtrodden, she believed in hope, helped others believe 
in hope, and created a path toward positive change in countless lives.

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