Rock legends didn’t show up to the New York Methodist Hospital’s annual gala — but their backup musicians did.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp All-Stars — led by Aerosmith producer Mark Hudson, Monkees drummer Sandy Gennaro, Bad Company guitarist Simon Kirke, and Utopia bassist Kassim Sulton — jammed out before a crowd of 500 surgeons, physicians, nurses, and guests at the hospital’s annual star-studded fund-raising party at the Brooklyn Museum on May 12.
The borough’s elite even got to rub elbows with the performers before they took the stage, but the party wasn’t all fun and games.
New York Methodist Hospital CEO Mark Mundy said donations from the event help cover the costs of the Seventh Avenue hospital’s robotic surgery program, new lung cancer screening program, women’s pelvic surgery program, and other health services.
“Each year I wonder if there will be any ‘new’ good news,” Mundy said. “But our hospital community continues to [succeed].”
The hospital also recognized board members for their leadership and service.
Charles O’Neill, a member of the hospital’s board of trustees, received the James Monroe Buckley Award. Emil Baccash, the president of New York Methodist Hospital’s medical board, received the Lewis S. Pilcher Award — and surprised the audience by crooning Van Morrison’s classic rock song “Moondance.”
The event raised $600,000 for the hospital.
Reach reporter Daniel Bush at dbush@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-8310. Follow him at twitter.com/dan_bush.
