The Friends of Mercy Medical Center will hold their 27th Annual Golf Classic on Thursday, September 18th at the Rockville Links in Rockville Centre and the Hempstead Golf and Country Club in Hempstead.

The event will honor Charles R. Joyce of Rockville Centre for more than four decades of community service as a member of the Rockville Centre Volunteer Fire Department. Mr. Joyce, who currently serves as a Trustee and Deputy Mayor of the Village of Rockville Centre, has responded to more than 500 Fire Department calls in each of the past 20 years and recently was selected as a 2008 "Volunteer of Valor" by State Senator Dean G. Skelos and recognized as such in a special ceremony in Albany.

This year's Golf Classic is chaired by Joe Tarulli of Garden City, president of County Carting. It will include a full day and evening of fun, culminating with cocktails, dinner, awards, and the Friends' infamous live auction at the Rockville Links. Proceeds will support Mercy Medical Center's capital improvements and equipment needs.

For more information on tournament and individual packages contact Jodi Ottaviano in the Development Office at Mercy Medical Center at (516) 705-2622.

The Friends of Mercy Medical Center was founded in 1935 as an organization of men dedicated to volunteering their time and efforts to raise funds for the construction of the new Hospital and advancement of medical and surgical care for the patients. The group sponsors several fund-raising events each year, including a black-tie St. Patrick's Dinner in March and The Mercy Ball in December.

In the past three years, The Friends have raised over $1 million to support the medical center's Emergency, Trauma and Express Care facilities, including a new Express Care radiology suite, and the 2006 completion of the North Pavilion that allowed Mercy to transfer 160 of its patient beds into a facility housing state-of-the-art technology and the latest features in hospital design to promote patient safety and comfort.