NORFOLK, Va. – Benjamin Goldberg was a boy who loved music, dancing, and life. He also had a rare type of cancer, which he died of in 2016 when he was 8 years old.

Thanks to a foundation his mother, Wendy Goldberg, created in his honor, the Virginia Beach boy’s spirit lives on, most recently in a playroom that was named for him on CHKD’s new inpatient hematology and oncology unit.

Right: Wendy and Benjamin Goldberg.

A $100,000 donation from the Benjamin Goldberg Foundation helped create a place where kids can play and explore and feel like a normal kid again, and also experience dance and music therapy, yoga, and guided meditation.

“When you allow creativity in through these healing resources, it can change the story,” says Wendy Goldberg.

Benches along the windows provide a quiet place for kids to daydream, and floor-to-ceiling glass panels provide both light and a viewing spot for staff and families to watch their fun.

Benjamin was diagnosed in 2013 at CHKD with neuroblastoma, a rare type of tumor that almost always affects children. He was known for tapping into music to find solace during his journey, his ever-present headphones transporting him to a place of calm. Wendy Goldberg, a longtime volunteer for CHKD, and former chair of the health system’s Development Advisory Board, wants other children to be able to find the same peace.

The playroom is a feature of a newly designed inpatient hematology and oncology unit that opened at CHKD in late 2020. For the first time, all 16 rooms are private, and also have “positive pressure,” which means air pressure inside is higher than outside the room, so airborne particles in the room are filtered out, to protect patients with fragile immune systems.

The $100,000 donation was the second the Benjamin Goldberg Foundation made to improve the lives of CHKD cancer patients. In early 2020, a $20,000 gift was made to purchase infusion backpacks that allow patients to receive drug therapy in the comfort of their home rather than spending days in the hospital. So far, the backpacks have provided 224 days of home treatment for five patients.

Whether through music, play, or infusion backpacks, the spirit of Benjamin Goldberg continues to lift the spirits of children with cancer and blood disorders.

The Benjamin Goldberg Playroom is part of a new inpatient hematology and oncology unit at CHKD.

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About The Benjamin Goldberg Foundation

The Benjamin Goldberg Foundation was established in 2018 to empower and support families on their medical journey.

About CHKD

CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region. In 2019, CHKD broke ground on a 60-bed, 14-story mental health hospital and outpatient center on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth. The new tower being built on CHKD’s campus in Norfolk is scheduled to open in 2022. Learn more at CHKD.org.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. –   Dominion Energy has donated $250,000 to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters to support the new mental health hospital being constructed to address the mental health crisis in youth.

Dominion Energy is a longtime supporter of community improvements. The company’s generous donation is a testament to the value Dominion Energy places on the children and families of Hampton Roads and the entire commonwealth.

“We’re honored to support the construction of this much-needed facility,” said Bonita Billingsley Harris, regional policy director at Dominion Energy. “The new hospital will offer critical support for children and families in our community for years to come.”

When the $224 million building opens in 2022, it will provide a full spectrum of mental health care for children, providing both inpatient care and a robust outpatient care program.

The  60-bed mental health facility will bring together aspects of the best pediatric psychiatric facilities in the country, including inpatient rooms with sleeping accommodations for a parent, a rooftop recreation area where hospitalized children can get exercise and fresh air, and therapeutic rooms for art and music therapy.

The 14-story facility is expected to ease a statewide shortage of psychiatric beds for children, and will also provide a “partial hospitalization” program that provides care to children who will spend most of the day at the hospital, but still reside at home.

The CHKD mental health hospital will employ 415 doctors, nurses, therapists, and other mental health professionals who will treat children across the state and beyond. 

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About Dominion Energy 

More than 7 million customers in 16 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and to achieving net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050. Please visit   to learn more. 

About CHKD

CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region. In 2019, CHKD broke ground on a 60-bed, 14-story mental health hospital and outpatient center on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth. The new tower being built on CHKD’s campus in Norfolk is scheduled to open in 2022. Learn more at CHKD.org.

NORFOLK, Va. –  94.9 The Point’s annual Radiothon raised more than $240,000 for CHKD during a three-day campaign, the first in 19 years to be broadcast during a pandemic.

Rather than the usual live broadcast from CHKD’s lobby, The Point’s morning show hosts Mike Powers and Woo Woo aired inspirational interviews with patients and CHKD professionals from the radio station’s Virginia Beach studio to reduce risk of COVID-19 exposure to the children and others.

Since its beginning 19 years ago, 94.9 The Point Radiothon has raised more than $5 million to purchase equipment, fund research, support patient care programs, and expand our mental health program.

Many thanks to this year’s Radiothon sponsors: Stihl, Langley Federal Credit Union, GEICO Cares, Southern Virginia Ford Dealers, Kroger, Cavalier Ford Greenbrier, The CHAS Foundation, and Precision Measurements.

The community’s outpouring of support of CHKD through the Radiothon is a testament to your trust in our team of doctors, nurses, social workers, child life specialists, and many others dedicated to providing the best care to children of all ages.

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CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region. In 2019, CHKD broke ground on a 60-bed, 14-story mental health hospital and outpatient center on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth. The new tower being built on CHKD’s campus in Norfolk is scheduled to open in 2022. Learn more at CHKD.org.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. –   The James M. Cox Communications has donated $100,000 to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters to help the hospital system cope with expenses related to its response to COVID-19 while continuing to improve services to the region’s children. The foundation is affiliated with Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications and Cox Automotive, and provides support in communities where its businesses operate. 

CHKD and Cox Communications have a longstanding relationship in the Hampton Roads region, most recently through a Cox Charities grant on behalf of Cox Virginia employees.

Since the pandemic emerged locally in March, CHKD has expanded its testing capabilities, developed screening and monitoring protocols, searched for supplies of personal protective equipment, and treated children with COVID-19 and the associated condition, multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Training and education also increased in response to the pandemic.

Additionally, the health system created an environment for safe delivery of treatments to children facing health crises, such as traumatic injuries, cancer and premature birth, along with ongoing chronic conditions. Telehealth platforms have been expanded to give families more treatment options.

CHKD also has continued facility improvements, including a renovation of its neonatal intensive care unit and construction of a $224 million mental health center to treat youth in crisis, a population that is expected to grow in these times of isolation and uncertainty.

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About the James M. Cox Foundation 
The James M. Cox Foundation is named in honor of Cox Enterprises' founder and provides funding for capital campaigns and special projects in communities where the company operates. James M. Cox was Ohio's first three-term governor and the 1920 Democratic nominee for president of the United States. The Foundation concentrates its community support in several areas including: conservation and environment; early childhood education; empowering families and individuals for success; and health.  

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. The largest private telecom company in America, we proudly serve six million homes and businesses across 18 states. We're dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that make each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in1898 by Governor James M. Cox.

About CHKD

CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region. In 2019, CHKD broke ground on a 60-bed, 14-story mental health hospital and outpatient center on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth. The new tower being built on CHKD’s campus in Norfolk is scheduled to open in 2022. Learn more at CHKD.org.