[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF HANK CARTER ON THE OCCASION OF THE COLER-GOLDWATER 
  SPECIALTY HOSPITAL AND NURSING FACILITY'S NAMING OF THE HANK CARTER 
                   REHABILITATION CENTER IN HIS HONOR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 2004

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Hank Carter, who 
has single-handedly transformed the Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital 
and Nursing Facility's Rehabilitative Medicine Department into one of 
the best-equipped in the nation. In honor of his remarkable 
achievements, the hospital has decided to rename the department the 
``Hank Carter Rehabilitation Center.''
  New Yorkers are truly fortunate that Henry ``Hank'' Carter chose to 
devote his life to raising money for wheelchairs and other equipment 
for the disabled, but it was a tragedy that led him to that decision. 
In 1968, his best friend Al Fogle was shot and left paralyzed from the 
waist down. Mr. Carter stayed with his friend through his recovery and 
rehabilitation. When he discovered how difficult it was for him to 
obtain a wheelchair, Mr. Carter raised the money to pay for it. For 
some, the effort would have ended there. Hank Carter looked around the 
hospital and saw dozens of other individuals whose lives had been 
struck by tragedy, and he made it his life's mission to help them.
  To the surprise of the hospital administrators and doctors, he asked 
if the hospital could provide him with a space for his fundraising 
efforts. Asking nothing in return, he has selflessly raised millions of 
dollars to help the hospital and its residents. A large portion of the 
funding comes from the Wheelchair All-Star Basketball Classic he 
organizes at Madison Square Garden each year featuring top NBA 
basketball players.
  Over the last 30 years, he has made the difference for thousands of 
people--helping them to become independent, and providing the means for 
them to connect with the world.
  He has helped make Coler-Goldwater Hospital one of the premier 
centers for rehabilitation. Thanks to Hank Carter, Coler-Goldwater 
gives more wheelchairs to patients than any other facility in the 
country.
  Realizing that rehabilitation requires more than wheelchairs, Mr. 
Carter branched out, raising funds for exercise and physical therapy 
equipment, computers that can be used by the severely handicapped, 
technology that enables machines to speak for those who have lost the 
capacity to communicate, four wheelchair accessible buses and a 
rehabilitative greenhouse. His enthusiasm and hands-on attitude toward 
philanthropy make him a beloved fixture at Coler-Goldwater, recognized 
by every patient and staff member in the hospital. Best of all, he has 
spent time with them and knows most of them.
  It is truly an astonishing record--one all Americans should be very 
proud of. For the disabled, a wheelchair means independence, 
selfreliance and the freedom to explore the world. There is nothing 
more important than giving someone the gift of mobility or giving them 
back their voice.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to rise to pay tribute to Hank 
Carter. He is truly an American treasure.

                          ____________________