On Friday December 7th, Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) held a festive cocktail party and dinner at the Royal Poinciana Plaza to announce its upcoming Palm Beach 5K Race of HOPE on January 27th.  (See below for details.) The event was hosted by HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss and Scott Snyder, who are Co-Grand Marshals of the Race of HOPE, the first of its kind in Palm Beach.

More than 200 people gathered under the night sky in The Royal Poinciana Plaza’s courtyard for a cocktail reception from 6 to 8 pm. They mingled and enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres while HDRF staff registered walkers and runners for the 5K Race, which comes to Palm Beach after three years of success in Southampton, NY. The Race raises awareness and funds for urgent depression research.

“You can run, you can walk, you can stroll, you can bring your children, your babies in strollers, your dog – whatever keeps you moving!,” said Scott Snyder about the Race, which will be held on Sunday, January 27 in the town of Palm Beach.

Audrey Gruss added: “The point is to come together and give each other positive energy to defeat depression, the number one cause of disability worldwide.”

 After the cocktail, 90 Race Committee members and top sponsors filled the entire Sant Ambroeus Restaurant at long tables bedecked with yellow flowers for a celebratory four-course dinner. Guests included Gigi and Harry Benson, Phillipe and Debbie Dauman, Jackie Weld Drake, Llwyd Ecclestone, Mary and Mark Freitas, Myrna Haft, Candy Hamm, Jane Holzer, Susan Lloyd, Nicola and Jeff Marcus, Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Tatiana and Campion Platt, Gene Pressman, Alexia Ryan and Felicia Taylor.

Campion and Tatiana Platt.

Once guests were seated, Audrey and Scott welcomed them, thanked them for their support, and introduced the evening’s top sponsor, Graham Gaspard, CEO of Black River Caviar.  The guests savored a Black River Caviar sampler of: Tradition Oscietra with toasted brioche and creme fraiche, Royale Oscietra with quail egg and creme fraiche, and Imperial Oscietra on blini and mashed potato, paired with prosecco. Each guest was gifted a mother of pearl caviar spoon and black velvet pouch to take home.

 Graham Gaspard then announced to a burst of applause that he would happily take orders of caviar during the evening and donate 50% of the proceeds to HDRF. This resulted in donations totaling $17,000 to the Foundation by the end of the night.  100% of all gifts will go directly to advanced depression research.

The sampler was followed by a Caprese salad of Kumato tomatoes, bufala mozzarella and fresh basil, before the main course of Veal Scaloppine, served with small roasted potatoes, mushrooms ragu and sautéed spinach. Dessert was a hazelnut sponge, hazelnut wafer, gianduia mousse and hazelnut cream layers. The dinner was paired with two wines: Brunello De Montalcino Castiglion del Bosco (2013) Sangiovese Gavi “Monterotondo”, Villa Sparina (2013) Cortese.

Additional guests at the cocktail included Julie Araskog, Tammy Fender, William Finneran, Jill and David Gilmour, Lisa Kerkorian, Louise and Christopher Lewinton, Michael McCarty, Lynne Wheat and Thomas Peterffy, Gene Pressman, Ava Roosevelt, Randall and Barbara Smith, and Betsy and Wally Turner.  

 The event was also sponsored by: Art Findlay, Art Miami, Livingston Builders, La Clara, Contessa Gallery, Tammy Fender, Hamilton Jewelers, Meyers Auto Group, The Silver Fund, Jefferson Capital, and AirTab.

First Annual Palm Beach ‘Race of Hope’ will take place on January 27th

 On Sunday January 27, 2019, lace up your sneakers and join Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) as they set out on their inaugural Palm Beach Race of Hope + 5K Walk. The event will raise awareness and funds for advanced depression research, with every dollar raised going directly to research.

This high-spirited, family-focused and inspiring event is all about uniting as a community to raise awareness about depression, the leading cause of suicide and disability worldwide. HDRF funds groundbreaking research that will transform the way depression is viewed, diagnosed, treated and prevented. 

 All participants will receive a finisher hat, jacket, shirt and medal. Prizes will be awarded for best time in different age categories as well as for the top individual fundraiser and top fundraising team.

To participate, please visit www.hopefordepression.org/events.

Audrey Gruss founded HDRF in April 2006 in memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. Today, HDRF is the leading nonprofit organization focused solely on depression research.  Over 350 million people annually struggle with depression globally, but despite its prevalence, depression is still misunderstood, underfunded and under-researched. The mission of the HDRF is to fund cutting-edge neuroscience research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and its related mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder and suicide. To date, HDRF has provided more than $30-million through over 125 grants for accelerated breakthrough depression research that promises to lead to new and better medications and treatments. 

 Registration Information:

•   Date: Sunday January 27, 2019

•   Time: Check-in begins at 7:00 am and the Race of Hope begins at 8am 

•   Meeting Point: The Royal Poinciana Plaza, Palm Beach, NY

•   Cost:  $40 per adult through Wednesday, January 2; $50 per adult after January 2, $25 per student and $15 per child (9 and under).

•   Strollers and dogs welcome

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 On a bright and beautiful summer morning, more than 500 men, women and children – plus a few canine friends – gathered at the starting line of Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s (HDRF) third annual Walk of Hope + 5K Run to Defeat Depression on Sunday, August 5^th in Southampton.  

 The high-energy crowd, which included CBS’s Blue Bloods star Lorraine Bracco, The Watermill Center’s Robert Wilson, and Jenny and John Paulson, set out at 9am to complete a tree-lined 5K course around Lake Agawam. The USA Track and Field-sanctioned event raised more than $250,000 for advanced depression research. 

Speaking from the steps of the Southampton Cultural Center just before the starting gun, HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss said, “Depression is the number-one reason

in the world for disability, and the leading cause of suicide. We want people to know there is help, and we need more research if we are going to turn the tide on depression and suicide in this country, so thank you all for coming out to support the cause today.”

 Southampton Village Mayor Michael Irving helped kick-off the event and cut the ribbon at the starting line. “The Walk of Hope has gathered the entire community to raise awareness about depression,” he said, adding, “I am so proud to see such an enormous turn-out and outpouring of support from our Village!”

Hope was in abundant supply as everybody sported caps in HDRF’s signature sunshine yellow, along with t-shirts with a custom design by Robert Wilson. The competitive runners – 89 in all – burst through the starting line, followed by families and fun runners. Following the race, Audrey Gruss and her team presented medals for best times in various age categories. Travis Taylor won the best time in the Adult Male category, and Tara Farrell won best time in the Adult Female category. Mark Jacobello, age 13, won for best youth male, and Caroline Clagne, age 13, won for best youth female.

 Gruss then presented awards to the top individual fundraisers Scott Snyder and Kim Heirston, and an award for Top Fundraising Team to Arthur Dunnam and Roy Cohen, who named their team after their dog Oskar, who was in attendance.    

 This year, the Walk of Hope + 5K Run was heralded by the Week of Hope, a village-wide effort in Southampton to raise mental health awareness that started on July 26^th, 2018. More than 90 stores in Southampton “turned yellow” by placing two-foot wide yellow statement balloons by their front door to symbolize hope and their commitment to changing the staggering statistics around depression.

 The initiative came in the wake of the suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, as well as local Sag Harbor resident and publicist Jeanine Pepler.  Each shocking loss is a reminder that the suicide rate is rising in the U.S. and that depression is a national health epidemic. Every 12 minutes a person dies by suicide in the United States; depression is the leading cause.

 Additional participants included: Southampton Hospital’s Steve Bernstein, Somers Farkas, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Martin Gruss, Campion Platt and his children, Clelia and Tom Zacharias, Marigay McKee and Bill Ford, Erika Bloom, Samantha Gregory and Roberto Benabib with their daughter, Carolina Gregory-Benabib, Dr. Patrick Stubgen and Dana Hammond Stubgen, Janna Bullock, Jessica and Josh Gruss, Karen LeFrak, Caroline Bierbaum LeFrak and Jamie LeFrak and their children.

 The Walk of Hope was supported by its Committee members: Lisa Aery, Nona Murphy Collin, Arthur Dunnam, Christine Mack, Jay McInerney, Anne and Jacques Nordeman, and Alicia Owen.  

 The Walk of Hope + 5K Run starts the lead-in to the 11^th Annual Luncheon Seminar which will be held on November 6^th, 2018.  The event will focus on “Brain Health and Wellness – the Science of Self Care,” and will honor public figures speaking out about depression and salute the research progress of HDRF’s acclaimed team of world-renowned neuroscientists.

 Audrey Gruss founded HDRF in April 2006 in memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. Today, HDRF is the leading nonprofit organization focused solely on depression research and public education.  The World Health Organization has declared depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, but despite its prevalence, depression is still misunderstood, underfunded and under-researched. The mission of the HDRF is to fund innovative neuroscience research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and its related mood disorders – bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder and suicide.

 To date, HDRF has provided more than $30-million through over 125 grants for breakthrough depression research that promises to transform the way depression is viewed, diagnosed, treated and prevented.

About depression:

·       In the United States, depression affects over 20-million adults each year – that’s one in ten adults.

·       Depression is the leading cause of suicide. In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 12 minutes – over 41,000 people per year.

·       Depression is the number one cause of disability worldwide.

·       The current annual cost to US society of treating depression alone is $210-billion – 60% of which represents reduced efficiency at work and costs related to suicide.

The Crisis in Research: 

·       Although depression is one of the most serious and prevalent conditions in the US, it is ranked 77^th. (out of 250) in the amount of federal funding it receives.

·       Most of the major pharmaceutical companies have discontinued brain research.

·       Talented young brain scientists are being recruited overseas.

·       There are very few privately-funded companies in depression research.

What Makes HDRF Different

·     The Depression Task Force represents the most innovative approach to neuroscience research today.

·     The Task Force has created an unprecedented research plan with each member executing a piece of the plan in their own laboratories.

·     They are not going down well-worn paths of research. They have identified major challenges in the field and are laser focused on the areas where the field is stuck. 

·     They share results in real time at a centralized data bank.  This allows them to leverage data to accelerate research. 

·     This is unheard of in the entire scientific research field which is normally competitive and not collaborative.  

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