The St. Mary's Children & Families Foundation 19th Annual Golf and Tennis Classic will be held on Monday, Aug. 23 over the 27 holes (three nine-hole courses) and on the 14 tennis courts of the Old Westbury Country Club. Participation in the event is open to men and women golf and tennis players of all abilities, and guests also have the option to attend just the lavish post-tournament cocktail reception, dinner buffet and silent and live auctions.

The event sponsor is North Fork Bank. Additional sponsorships of the function, the golf and/or tennis portions of the day's activities, the dinner and the reception are now available to companies, organizations and individuals by contacting Kerri Sneden of mercyFirst at 921-0808, ext. 114. Golf entry fee is $475 and the tennis registration fee is $325.

Among the celebrities who have accepted invitations to play in the tournament are former NY Giants star Karl Nelson; all-time great NY Mets player Ed Kranepool; retired NY Jets running backs Bruce Harper and John Nitti; former top world-ranked tennis players Gene Mayer and Leslie Allen; Kenny Kramer, the Úquot;Original KramerÚquot; on whom the Úquot;SeinfeldÚquot; character is based; Yes television network sportscaster Fred Hickman; television and radio personalities Ann Liguori and Ed Randall; current pro lacrosse player Joe Ceglia of the NJ Pride; and former Dodgers and Mets catcher Joe Pignatano.

Breakfast is set for 9 a.m.; golf and tennis will begin at 10:30 a.m.; and the reception and dinner are scheduled to kick-off at 4:30 p.m. Lunch will be served on the golf course and at the tennis courts.

All proceeds from the function will benefit mercyFirst - which was formed in 2003 via the merger of two of New York's leading child welfare agencies, St. Mary's Children and Family Services, headquartered in Syosset and Angel Guardian Children and Family Services, located in Brooklyn. United as one, this recently-formed organization captures the respective strengths of both agencies, offering an unparalleled range of care - from loving, nurturing foster homes to highly structured residential programs. MercyFirst is located at St. Mary's Campus, Convent Road in Syosset. For additional information, call 921-0808.