Phelps Hospital Raises $640,000 at 34th Annual Champagne Ball

Hundreds of supporters, friends, and colleagues joined Phelps Hospital, Northwell Health Friday, October 22 for its 34th annual Champagne Ball – this year virtually. The evening celebrated Westchester business leader and philanthropist Thomas E. Hales with a special posthumous tribute, raising more than $640,000 in support of the hospital’s services for the community.

A Westchester native, Hales was highly regarded as the leader of Union State Bank. Under his direction, the bank grew from $23 million to more than $3 billion in assets. Hales and his wife, Alice Marie, were also compassionate philanthropists who contributed to numerous organizations, including major support for the Thomas E. and Alice M. Hales Endoscopy Unit and the Alice Marie and Thomas E. Hales Pediatric Treatment Area of the Emergency Department at Phelps Hospital, Northwell Health.

“Phelps was a very special part of my parents’ lives,” said Lianne Hales Dugan, Hales’ daughter and co-chair of the Champagne Ball. “My dad and mom grew up in the Tarrytowns. Their six children were born here at the hospital, as well as some of their grandchildren. Phelps was a huge part of their lives. And what Phelps did for my dad after his lung transplant – they kept him alive for 12 years. We had attention from the most wonderful people, you would have thought they were taking care of their own parents. If there’s one word to describe Phelps, it’s family. When you need them, they’re there.”

The evening began with a special message about Hales and his selfless generosity from His Eminence, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York. “Whether it be wisdom, encouragement or asking him to dig deep and come through, Tom not only said ‘you bet I will,’ but he said ‘thanks for asking.’ That’s the kind of great man that he was,” Cardinal Dolan said.

In addition to enjoying a musical performance from Carol and Ray Arrucci of the Cortlandt School of Performing Arts, guests toasted Hales and Phelps’ legacy of healing with Champagne Toast at Home kits featuring premium champagne from Best Wine Purveyors and a four-course meal provided by Sleepy Hollow Country Club.

“I met Tom as a young boy in Tarrytown,” said Champagne Ball Co-Chair Kevin Plunkett of Simone Development Companies. “I got to know him in the community and, eventually, he became my mentor when I joined the bank board at Union State Bank, where he was president and CEO. Tom was a man who gave back to the community, making sure that his resources could help people. For that reason, I believe not only are we honoring Tom as the man, we’re honoring his family and legacy.”

Another highlight of the Champagne Ball is its annual Fund-A-Cause, an effort Hales was always eager to support. This year, the evening raised funds for the Caregivers Center at Phelps Hospital

Launched virtually in 2020, the Phelps Hospital Caregivers Program provides emotional support, counseling, and the resources to navigate the health care system. The new Caregivers Center will be a dedicated space in the hospital that offers caregivers access to social workers and nurses to help navigate their journey in a calming and comfortable environment. Centrally located adjacent to the Phelps Riverview Café, it will include a private space for confidential consultations as well as a resource center and respite area with a massage chair.

Phelps Executive Director Eileen Egan, RN, Esq. announced that the new Caregivers Center will be named “The Thomas E. and Alice Marie Hales Caregivers Center” and said “On behalf of Phelps, I want to thank the Hales family for their incredible generosity and all the other donors that have made it possible for us to grow our programs and services. These vital programs and services are our future, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The 34th annual Champagne Ball honorary chair was Alice Marie Hales with event co-chairs Lianne Hales Dugan and Sean F.X. Dugan; Ingrid and Jack Hershman, MD; and Rosemary and Kevin Plunkett. Committee members included Lynne Allan; Tobe Banc, MD; Eileen Egan, RN, Esq.; Allison Hales Gheen; Katherine Mackie; John Manuele; Melissa Melvin and Debra Perlo.

The event gained major support from the following sponsors:

Legacy of Healing Sponsor: Alice Marie Hales and the Hales Family Champions of Health Sponsor: Joe Simone and Simone Healthcare Development Phelps Strong Sponsors: Connie Curran, Lianne Hales Dugan and Sean FX Dugan, Melissa Melvin and John Deegan, Ellen Melvin, Rosemary and Kevin Plunkett, Jim Reidy and Pat Jehle, Judith M. and Michael D. Sullivan

Phelps Hospital, Northwell Health is located at 701 North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. and can be reached by calling (914) 366-3000 or visiting www.phelps.northwell.edu. Follow @PhelpsHospitalNorthwell on Facebook, @Phelps-Hospital-Northwell on LinkedIn and @PhelpsHospital on Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

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About Phelps Hospital

Phelps Hospital, part of Northwell Health, is a full-service 238-bed acute care community hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. With more than 1,700 employees and 1,100 medical staff members representing 60 medical specialties, Phelps offers one of the broadest ranges of community hospital services in Westchester County. Caring for the community is at the heart of what Phelps does. Patients benefit from distinguished physicians, many of whom are pioneers in their field, offering the most advanced procedures using the latest technology. Phelps is one of approximately 500 hospitals nationwide to achieve Magnet Recognition® status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for its commitment to nursing excellence and compassionate patient care. The hospital is supported by Northwell Health Physician Partners, a primary and specialty care medical group, with practices located on the hospital campus and in the surrounding communities. For more information, visit www.phelps.northwell.edu.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 76,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,800 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

http://www.phelps.northwell.edu – Phelps Hospital, Northwell Health