[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 286-287]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE WORK OF CAROL J. FRIEDMAN

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                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 7, 2009

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Carol J. 
Friedman of Point Reyes Station, California. Carol is retiring as 
Executive Director of the Dance Palace Community Center after 37 years 
at the helm. From the founding of the organization in 1971 to the 
present, she has been the force that has made the Dance Palace an 
integral part of the West Marin community.
  Born and raised in Rye, New York, Carol was a dancer from her 
youngest days, whether it was the Nutcracker Suite in her living room 
or formal study with a number of modern dance teachers. She 
matriculated at Radcliff College but took time off in 1971 after two 
years as dance was not part of the Harvard curriculum. She came to the 
Bay Area and connected with fellow dancers who had rented a perfect 
dance space with apartments above in a building in Point Reyes that had 
previously housed the Palace Market. As described by Carol, ``So we 
moved into the Dance Palace--7 of us--dancers, musicians, hippies, 
idealists, and all completely naive about the community and about going 
about business.''
  From those early beginnings, the Dance Palace evolved into a multi-
use facility with input and ideas from all segments of the community 
and Carol as the guide. She made the ideas into reality, whether it 
took building a whole new building, constantly securing funding, 
running day-to-day operations, programming events, reaching out to new 
people, or plunging toilets. When she saw a need in the community, she 
worked to fill it. And she did

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it all with her own personal warmth, style, and creativity.
  Today the Dance Palace Community Center has an annual budget of 
$475,000, presents 100 special events a year, offers 30 classes weekly, 
has 200 regular volunteers, and serves 27,000 people of all ages 
annually--providing a wide variety of services including a summer day 
camp, senior meals program, teen theater activities, after-school 
classes for kids, English as a Second Language instruction, and weekend 
performances and concerts. Carol personally participated in many of 
these activities, claiming, for example, ``I am personally responsible 
for introducing the ever-popular Bubble Wrap Day plus the Russian hand 
jive dance to generations of Dance Palace Campers.''
  Carol expanded the Dance Palace's role by actively promoting 
collaboration among other local and County-wide organizations. She 
herself became an expert on non-profit and community work and gave 
unstintingly of her time and knowledge wherever it was needed.
  Along the way, Carol had two sons, Abraham and Eli, whom she raised 
as a single mother. The Dance Palace was their second home, and they 
were early performers in community productions. Carol continues to 
dance and teach dancing as well as sing, and has volunteered in many 
capacities including as an elephant seal docent and hospice bereavement 
supporter. She also stars in a weekly soccer pickup game where she has 
evolved into a formidable talent. Clearly, she will not be sitting 
still after retiring from her Dance Palace duties.
  Madam Speaker, Carol Friedman will be missed at the helm of the Dance 
Palace Community Center but will continue to be involved in her 
community, as long as it doesn't interfere with her soccer schedule. As 
the heart and soul of the Center for so many years, Carol's spirit will 
shine at the Dance Palace Community Center for generations to come.

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