A phalanx of staff greeted us as we drove into Audrey and Martin Gruss’ Southampton estate for the discreet, exclusive cocktail party Audrey hosted a party in anticipation of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) Second Annual Walk of Hope + 5K Run that will take place on Saturday, August 5 at 9 a.m. in Southampton. Gruss founded the charity in memory of her mother, Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. And every penny raised – to date more than $25 million! – goes to research.
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Sharon Bush and Anne Hearst McInerney. (Photo: Sean Zanni/PMC) |
Gruss’ staff guided us through the airy home, onto the estate circled by lush white hydrangeas that also flanked the long walkway to a separate pool house area.
Jay McInerney and Anne Hearst-McInerney, Judith and Rudy Giuliani, Hilary Geary Ross, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Sharon Bush, Yaz and Valentin Hernandez, Caroline and Tom Dean, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Tatiana and Campion Platt, Darice and Jason Fadeyi, Jean Shafiroff, Kim Heirston Evans and Walk of Hope Junior Chairs, siblings Toby Milstein and Larry Milstein were among the tony supporters who sipped pink champagne and nibbled on caviar appetizers.
“Depression is the number one cause of disability worldwide,” Audrey told the crowd. “HDRF is addressing the problem by conducting the most advanced brain research into depression. I am so grateful to everybody for committing to walk or run with us on August 5.”
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Rudy Giuliani and Judith Giuliani. (Photo: Sean Zanni/PMC) |
On that Saturday, McInerney will serve as Grand Marshal and HDRF’s Founder Audrey Gruss will lead participants of runners, walkers and all supporters of all ages on a beautiful route around Lake Agawam in Southampton Village.
The mission of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) is to fund cutting-edge, scientific research into the origins, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of depression and its related mood and other emotional disorders – bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome, anxiety disorder and suicide.
In 2010, HDRF launched its Depression Task Force (DTF) – an outstanding collaboration of seven leading scientists, at the frontiers of brain science, from different research institutions across the U.S. and Canada. These scientists have developed an unprecedented research plan that integrates the most advanced knowledge in genetics, epigenetics, molecular biology, electrophysiology, and brain imaging. To accelerate breakthrough research, they share ongoing results, in real time, at a centralized data bank, the HDRF Data Center.
For more information, visit www.hopefordepression.org.
