photo by Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com ©2025
On Saturday, July 12, the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO), the only state-of-the-art natural history museum on the South Fork of Long Island, welcomed over 400 guests to celebrate the incredible nature conservation efforts of the museum’s last 36 years at their Annual Summer Gala Benefit (Champions of the Wild: A New Generation) at The South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton, NY. The beautiful evening, created and produced by Diana Aceti, broke all previous records, raising massive funds for SOFO’s educational and environmental programs and initiatives.
For their 36th edition, the gala was hosted by Founder Andy Sabin, Erica Noble and Ray Iwanowski, Kim and Greg Lippmann, and Susan and David Rockefeller, with special guest, philanthropist Jean Shafiroff. Liev Schreiber served as the Honorary Chair.
The gala honored SOFO Board Trustee and committed supporters of the museum Ray Iwanowski & Erica Noble, Joshua Fox, Director of the Brady Hunter Foundation headquartered in Miami, Florida, Jeff Corwin of the “Extraordinary World with Jeff Corwin,” which airs on CBS in NY and Jean Shafiroff, for her unwavering support of the museum and her philanthropic work in the Hamptons.
SOFO invited Alan Rabinowitz’s family onstage to pay homage to the late, renowned zoologist. Rabinowitz was a dear friend of Andy’s and the CEO and Chief Scientist at Panthera Corporation, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world’s 40 wild cat species.
At the end of the ceremony, Finny Elanora-Erondal, a founding member of SOFO’s Young Environmentalist Society (YES!) took the floor to speak about the work YES! was doing and how important it is to get involved. YES! is open to young environmentalists who want to help prevent climate change as they discuss various challenges and ideas that can impact our precious environment.
During the live auction, guests had the opportunity to bid on once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences, including breathtaking stays on the Amalfi Coast, Mykonos, and Barcelona. A VIP Lamborghini Racing Experience in Las Vegas, a Scotland Golf and Whiskey Experience, and an incredible Amazon and Pantanal adventure for six nights and four people to explore the world’s largest tropical wetland to see Jaguars led by Russell A. Mittermeier, named a “Hero for the Planet” by Time Magazine.
