(Left to right) William Forman, MD, President of the Friends of Mercy, congratulates Edward Siems, MD, Ball Chairman Mercy Medical Center is getting ready for its 69th Annual Mercy Ball. The event is sponsored by the Friends of Mercy and will be held on Saturday, December 3 at 6:30PM at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. Over 500 participants are expected. This year all proceeds will be donated to Mercy Medical Center's new North Pavilion.

This year's Ball Chairman is Edward Siems, MD, the director of anesthesia at Mercy and a resident of Garden City. Mercy Ball 2005 Award Recipients include: Catherine Lynch, Care Management Supervisor at Mercy, who will be honored with the Sister Mary Nadine Casey, CIJ Award from the Sisters of the Congregation of the Infant Jesus; Robert Daly, MD, President of Long Island Medical Imaging Associates, who will be honored with The Bishop John R. McGann Lifetime Achievement Award from the Friends of Mercy, and the Congregation of the Infant Jesus, who will receive the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council's Theodore Roosevelt Award for Outstanding Service.

One of the great annual traditions at the Ball is the Mercy Honor Guard comprised of senior high school students, who escort the Grand March of dignitaries into the ballroom. The Honor Guard members are then presented to the Bishop. They will be preceded by a Color Guard from the U.S. Marine Corps. Following the program, guests will enjoy a delicious meal and dancing into the night with music by Current Affair. For tickets or more information, please call the Development Department at (516) 705-2622.