Winning Beyond Winning of Farmingdale will host its Fifth Annual Winners' Circle Awards Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 21 at Chateau Briand in Westbury. A reception, where guests can mingle with professional athletes, will begin at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:15 p.m. Dress for the event is business attire.

The honorees for 2002 include Winners' Circle inductees Bobby Murcer (NY Yankees), Mickey Mantle (NY Yankees) and Merlyn Mantle; Gil Hodges Community Service Award recipient Bud Harrelson (NY Mets, LI Ducks); Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award recipient Luis Martinez; Rusty Torres Defensive Excellence Award recipient Teen Challenge (award for Defense Against Alcohol Abuse) and Great Americans Awards to Msgr. Tom Hartman and Rabbi Marc Gelman (The God Squad).

Winning Beyond Winning's primary mission is to address the needs of children and athletes of all ages, amateur and professional, through career preparation and all phases of their careers, including preparing them for life after sports. The organization stresses the need for athletes to be independent of drugs and/or alcohol and places special emphasis on the benefits of competing beyond just winning. In accomplishing its mission, Winning Beyond Winning employs the talents, life skills and experiences of former professional athletes and features them in programs, clinics and one-on-one presentations.

In recognition of its primary mission, guests will not be provided with alcoholic beverages as part of this event. However, a cash bar will be available. Winning Beyond Winning asks guests who drink to act responsibly and not drive. They want all guests to be safe and have a great time and they want them to come back and join them in the future.

Residents are invited to join dozens of former professional athletes, including world champions from several different sports, at the dinner. Souvenir baseball will be provided to guests for autographs. Baseball bats will not be allowed at the event. Guests may decline to autograph memorabilia which they feel is not being collected for private use.

For more information regarding this event, please call 845-4585.