[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 15 (Thursday, January 24, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S583-S584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      TRIBUTE TO LAINY LeBOW-SACHS

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Lainy LeBow-
Sachs, a Baltimore icon whose name has rightly become synonymous with 
public service and philanthropy. After 23 years at the Kennedy Krieger 
Institute and 16 years before that as one of then-Governor William 
Donald Schaefer's key special assistants, Lainy has announced she is 
retiring. My wife Myrna and I are proud to have Lainy as one of our 
dearest friends and closest advisers. So today, I would like to pause 
to reflect on the remarkable legacy she has created.
  Lainy was born in Newton, MA, but moved to Baltimore in 1970, where 
she spotted a flyer for someone who was running to be the city's next 
mayor. Intrigued and looking for a way to engage in the community, she 
began volunteering on the campaign. The candidate in question was 
William Donald Schaefer, who, with Lainy's help and knack for 
connecting with people, went on to win that election and several others 
after it until becoming the Governor of Maryland in 1987. Lainy was by 
his side throughout it all, serving as one of his closest advisers and 
confidants. She became known around Maryland for her strength of 
character, work ethic, and uncanny ability to facilitate meaningful 
connections between State and local officials with shared goals and 
ideas for making Maryland a better place in which to live and work.
  After Governor Schaefer's retirement, Lainy's talents were widely 
sought-after. She was approached regularly by public officials, 
businesses, and nonprofits, all of them eager to have one of Maryland's 
most influential and effective public servants on their team. None of 
the opportunities resonated, until she was approached by Dr. Gary 
Goldstein, the president and chief executive officer of the Kennedy 
Krieger Institute. For those outside of Maryland who may be unfamiliar 
with Kennedy Krieger, the institute is, as its website states, ``an 
internationally recognized institution dedicated to improving the lives 
of children and young adults with pediatric developmental disabilities 
and disorders of the brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal system, 
through patient care, special education, research, and professional 
training.''
  The chance to work on behalf of children with developmental 
disabilities, to raise their profile, to put their needs and care in 
the spotlight and devote her time to something so worthwhile and 
meaningful, the opportunity called to Lainy. She began directing 
Kennedy Krieger's external relations, leading the institute's 
philanthropy, public relations, and government relations efforts into a 
new and prosperous era. Her penchant for inspiring others to care as 
deeply as she did, combined

[[Page S584]]

with her famous Rolodexes full of contacts and friends from across the 
State, made her an indomitable force of good will. Kennedy Krieger's 
fundraising skyrocketed under her leadership, as did the institute's 
profile, allowing it to invest in groundbreaking medical research and, 
above all, to care for more children. Over the course of her tenure, 
she led three capital projects that raised a combined total of more 
than $117 million, all in the name of improving and expanding 
healthcare for our children and grandchildren. She built the 
institute's new external relations department from the ground up; it 
started with only her; today, it employs a staff of 34 like-minded 
philanthropists dedicated to keeping Kennedy Krieger growing. Dr. 
Goldstein, the man who convinced Lainy to join Kennedy Krieger, says it 
best: ``She has been phenomenally successful. We are quiet, nerdy 
academics around here. She took us up a step by a factor of ten.''
  Lainy has been so successful throughout her career both because she 
works hard and because her compassion and empathy shine through in all 
that she does. When she asks someone for help or for resources, it is 
always clear that the ``ask'' comes from a place of deep, heartfelt 
sincerity. When she uses her influence to connect people, it is because 
she genuinely believes in them and in the work they are trying to do. 
Everyone has always understood Lainy to be extraordinarily thoughtful, 
earnest, effective, and empathetic, and that character has inspired 
immediate trust from everyone she meets. That trust has been her 
currency, and she has spent it on helping others.
  What makes Lainy so remarkable isn't just that she is so talented; 
many people are. Rather, it is that she has always used her talents to 
improve other people's lives. In his book ``Wishful Thinking,'' 
Frederick Buechner wrote, ``The place God calls you to is the place 
where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.'' From the 
day Lainy first arrived in Baltimore nearly 50 years ago, she has found 
that place in her life, and all of our lives have been enriched.
  When I say that Lainy is retiring, I need to add some caveats. She 
currently serves on the boards of Beth Am Synagogue, the Associated: 
Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, the Baltimore Jewish Council, 
the BB&T advisory board, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Serving 
for Lainy comes as naturally and, apparently, as necessarily as 
breathing.
  Lainy has come to define the best of Maryland, and her legacy is now 
and forever woven into our State's history. She has channeled her 
considerable skills and connections into work that has changed lives 
and facilitated incredible progress in caring for some of our most 
vulnerable children. On behalf of those children, their families, and 
the entire State of Maryland, I extend to her my sincere and eternal 
gratitude.

                          ____________________