Hundreds attend 80th Mercy Ball

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More than 500 people attended the Friends of Mercy Medical Center 80th Annual Mercy Ball on Dec. 3 to celebrate the hospital’s accomplishments and dedication towards The Year of Mercy.

Proceeds from the event, which took place at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, will support the planned expansion and renovation of the center’s Patio Grill. The renovations will include the doubling of dining space and the additions of new furnishings and décor to enhance the visitor experience.

The chairpersons for the event were Rockville Centre mayor Francis X. Murray and Gloria DiSciullo. Performers included the band Current Affair and the Holy Trinity High School Choir, who sang a number of holiday selections.

The night began with the traditional Mercy Honor Guard introductions, comprised of high school students who escorted the Grand March of dignitaries into the ballroom preceded by a Color Guard from the United States Marine Corps. They were then presented to Bishop Andrzej Zglejszewski (pronounced and-res glez-SHEF-ski).

Three awards were presented that night to Dr. Theirry Duchatellier, Sr. Mary Alice Aschenbach and Dr. William Forman.

Duchatellier received the Theodore Roosevelt Award for Outstanding Service, which is presented by the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council to an individual contributing to the development of Long Island’s community hospitals in the spirit of the renowned former president and Long Island resident’s lifelong devotion to public service.

Aschenbach was given the Sister Mary Nadine Casey CIJ Award that honors a member of the Mercy staff who best personifies the values of Mercy Medical Center and the Congregation of the infant Jesus, whose members founded the hospital in 1913.

Forman was presented with the Bishop John R. McGann Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to a distinguished individual dedicated to volunteering time and effort in support of the Friends of Mercy.