The Stars of Wysteria Lane and the First Family of Beverly Hills Set to Sparkle at the maple counseling center's 32nd Annual Crystal Ball

The Stars of Wysteria Lane and the First Family of Beverly Hills Set to Sparkle at the maple counseling center's 32nd Annual Crystal Ball

Desperate Housewives' Star Marcia Cross, the Honorable Mark Egerman and Dr. Lynn Egerman to Be Honored at the Event Set to Take Place on October 19, 2005 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- the maple counseling center (tmcc), a nonprofit community mental health counseling center, which provides low cost counseling to people in need, announced today its honorees of their 32nd annual Crystal Ball. This year's event will pay tribute to TV's star of the hit ABC show, Desperate Housewives, Marcia Cross, along side two community pillars, two-time Mayor of Beverly Hills, the Honorable Mark Egerman and his wife Dr. Lynn Egerman. The event to be held on October 19, 2005 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel will raise funds to help tmcc continue its rich history of providing affordable mental health care and services in the Greater Los Angeles area.

"This year's incomparable Crystal Award recipients, have done so much to raise awareness and resources to help support the maple counseling center and the important cause of mental health care," says Event Chair, Steve Fenton. "The Crystal Ball raises over 20 percent of the Center's annual operating budget and it is because of the work of people line Mark, Lynn and Marcia that many individuals in need are able to utilize the special services and programs tmcc has to offer."

Sharing in the good samaritan spotlight with the Egermans is a woman of many gifts, Marcia Cross, star of ABC's Sunday night sizzling show Desperate Housewives, who will be receiving the 2005 Crystal Award for Creative Excellence, to honor her dedication to her craft, community service and desire to create improved mental health care for all. With a versatile background in theater, television and film, Marcia also completed her clinical training (in part at the maple counseling center) to earn a Masters Degree in Psychology.

Receiving the 2005 Crystal Award for Community Spirit are Mark and Lynn Egerman who are being honored for their many years of involvement within the Beverly Hills community, both personally and professionally. During his two terms as mayor of Beverly Hills, Mark made it his mission to find a new home for tmcc, a necessity for the Center in order to successfully accommodating their rapidly growing patient load. Lynn has been a long time supporter of the center, having served on tmcc's Board of Directors for years. Together they form a dedicated philanthropic team helping both tmcc and the community at large.

"The number of clinical hours provided by the maple counseling center annually has increased by 1/3 this past year -- going from 640 to 940 clinical hours per week in one-to-one therapy alone, not to mention the exceptional assistance provided by the Crisis Response Team and all the other impactful programs offered by the Center," says tmcc Board President, Tom Korey. "Because of fabulous philanthropists like this year's honorees and the funds raised at this event the hope of wellness can become 'crystal' clear for many Southern Californian residents."

The 2005 Crystal Ball will begin at 6:00 pm with a hosted cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a special presentation of the 2005 Crystal awards. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call (310) 271-9999 x481.

About the maple counseling center

For more than three decades the maple counseling center (tmcc) has helped tens of thousands of people, young and old alike, manage the hurdles of emotional times. The Center is considered one of the most comprehensive community counseling centers in the United States. As a private, nonprofit community mental health counseling center, tmcc offers a gamut of services from family therapy to crisis debriefing, and provides an array of psychological counseling services for a wide range of individuals, from senior citizens to infants and from couples to entire families. The Center's philosophy of "never turning anyone away for lack of funds," has extended the reach and hope of wellness to those who cannot afford other counseling. Among tmcc's clients, 25% are unemployed, disabled or retired, 47% earn below $20,000 per year. For more information, visit www.tmcc.org.

Source: the maple counseling center

CONTACT: Ann Moreno, amoreno@ppmgcorp.com, or Stefan Pollack, both of The Pollack PR Marketing Group, +1-310-556-4443, for the maple counseling center

Web site: http://www.tmcc.org/

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