Throughout this month, The Mall at The Source in Westbury is serving as host to a high profile benefit that mixes charity with artistry in an effort to raise funds for Catholic Health Services (CHS) Home Care and Hospice programs.

As the site of the first ever Mask Project Gala to take place on the East Coast, the Source will exhibit 500 masks hand-painted by celebrities, politicians and artists, and will host an auction of the top 50 pieces on Oct. 15. The remaining 450 masks will be available for purchase by the public through on-line bidding.

"It is the most unique fund-raising event that has come to the Long Island area," said Kathi Ruland, marketing director for The Source, as the masks were being prepared for display in the mall's center court last Friday.

Local residents who frequent the mall will be able to get a sneak preview of the artwork in the weeks preceding the gala. "Anybody who comes into the center throughout the entire month of October, will be able to see these masks on display," added Ruland.

CHS Home Care and Hospice programs to benefit include Good Samaritan Home Care, Good Samaritan Hospice, Mercy Hospice, Nursing Sisters Home Care and St. Charles Hospice. The programs are provided where patients are unable to leave the home due to illness or disability. Administrators of the program note that the services are becoming an increasingly important part of today's health care system, as hospital stays are becoming shorter and patients are often sent home for the final stages of recovery after surgery or a hospital admission. They added that the hospice services are particularly needed, because these help patients who suffer from a terminal illness to live out their final days in the comfort and dignity of the home with the support of hospice nurses, chaplains, social workers and volunteers. In 1999, the programs provided over $400,000 in charity care, according to administrators.

According to Penny Kassel, a Mineola-based attorney who is on the board of directors of Nursing Sisters Home Care, all the masks originated from a single mold, created by a Port Jefferson-based plastic surgeon, Haim Misholy. Replicas of the mold were sent to hundreds of celebrities, artists and politicians, with a set of paints and a request to express one's self creatively.

Finished masks have been returned by such individuals as musician Billy Joel, actor Tony Danza, television host Katie Couric, and Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli, as well as several local artists.

The Mask Project, which is syndicated, originated as a fund raiser for a children's hospital in Tel Aviv, and has been done twice before in the United States - once in Denver and again in San Francisco. According to Mike Gershenson, vice-president for Paine Webber and chairman of The Mask Project, the most recent Mask Project fund raiser, which was conducted in San Francisco, raised $500,000. "This is the first time that this type of an event will be on the East Coast, and it's going to be quite successful," he said. Gershenson added that the event is unique in that it mixes artistry with philanthropy.

"Here's a way where the celebrity is actually being represented in the event," he said, pointing to the mask by professional basketball player Chris Mullin as an example. "It shows what's inside of him."

The upcoming gala will feature award-winning jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis and a celebrity emcee - News 12 Anchor Trish Bergin. Tickets for the event are being sold at $150 per person, and can be obtained by calling 1-877-895-MASK. To view the masks and participate in on-line bidding, one can visit the Mask Project's website at www.nymaskproject.com.