[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 2 (Thursday, January 6, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E26]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING THE GRAND OPENING OF TERRY'S HOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 6, 2011

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Community Regional 
Medical Center on the occasion of the grand opening of Terry's House, a 
new, state-of-the-art facility in downtown Fresno, California, which 
will provide much needed support and housing to allow families to stay 
close to sick and injured loved ones in the hospital. Located in the 
heart of the Fresno medical district, this new 15,874 square-foot, two-
story family house with twenty guest suites will be the first 
hospitality house in the Greater Fresno Area.
  This residential facility is named in honor of Terry Richards who 
suffered and survived a serious trauma at the age of five when he was 
injured in a car accident. For nearly five months, his mother was 
forced to travel nearly 80 miles a day to see her son while he was 
recovering in the hospital. Currently, family members of patients must 
seek accommodations miles from the hospital, and many who cannot afford 
lodging sleep in waiting rooms, in their cars or try their best to find 
a spot in a busy hospital. Often, patients' loved ones have no 
alternative but to leave the hospital and make the long drive home. Now 
families have Terry's House, their home away from home, while their 
loved ones receive care.
  Terry's House was made possible by the tireless work of Terry 
Richards' brother, Tom Richards, a local community developer and CEO of 
the Penstar Group. With the dedication of Tom Richards, Leta Ciavaglia, 
the Terry's House Development Council, the Community Regional Medical 
Center Foundation and many generous members of the community, a family 
dream has become a reality.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud Terry's House and its many supporters for 
their efforts to create a facility which keeps families together during 
times of need. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Tom 
Richards and the community members of Fresno who have worked 
unremittingly to make the opening of Terry's House possible.

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