Our Honorees

Michael & Nicole Graziano, Rockville Centre neighbors

Thank you to Michael and Nicole for their generous support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mike & Nicole live a few blocks away from Mercy Hospital and heard the daily never-ending blaring of the ambulance sirens heading to Mercy Hospital during COVID.  They then decided that they wanted to help – and they very generously did. The Friends of Mercy were humbled, and quite moved, by their extraordinary generosity and commitment to both the Friends of Mercy and Mercy Hospital. They are the embodiment of a good neighbor.

Dr. James Lentini & Edward Thompson, Molloy College

Thank you to Dr. Lentini & Mr. Thompson for opening up their home (Molloy College) and offering a temporary place to stay in the Molloy College dorms during the COVID-19 pandemic last April. In an effort to combat the coronavirus, Molloy College agreed to host as many as 40 health care workers over a couple of months, who were unable to go home due to the coronavirus. Housing availability was a valuable asset not just for the visiting nurses but also for Mercy staff members who needed to keep their families separated from their daily work   challenges. This was a model interaction between two great neighbors who are an asset to the community; and we are excited about the future as these two neighbors get closer and stronger together.  

James D’Addario, D’Addario & Company

Thank you to Mr. D’Addario, Pat Zerbo,and team for their creative thinking during a time it was most needed. When the Covid pandemic broke out, and NYS closed all office and manufacturing facilities, D’Addario and Company, a recognized world leader for strings and music accessories, quickly pivoted and changed their drum-head production to state of the art face shields. Jim D’Addario is well recognized for his business acumen and vision, but those that know him will tell you his engineering skills are an equal match. If Jim was going into the shield business, it was going to be the best on the market – and his design capabilities led to that very result. And what followed was an extraordinary act of generosity as D’Addario and Company donated thousands of face shields to Mercy Hospital, as well as Catholic Health. We are deeply grateful for both his ingenuity, determination, and generosity.