(Southampton, NY – July 27, 2021) – On Friday, July 23rd, Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) Founder Audrey Gruss hosted a kickoff picnic luncheon for the sixth annual Race of Hope to Defeat Depression, a 5K run/walk in August that raises awareness and funds for brain research.
Held at the Hamptons home of Audrey and her husband Martin Gruss, the party was attended by an intimate group of Race of Hope committee members and guests including Janna Bullock, Arthur Dunnam and Roy Cohen, Barbara and Alan Glatt, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Candace Hamm, Kim Heirston, Natasha Jeffries, Anne Nordeman, Hilary Geary Ross, Scott Snyder, Victoria Wyman, Clelia & Tom Zacharias and Richard Ziegelasch.
Guests were seated at tables decorated with bright sunflowers in a shady glade by a large reflecting pool. Papa G Dixieland Band played live music by the pool house, where a delicious buffet was arranged. The menu included grilled sliced chicken breast, grilled shrimp, sliced sirloin steak, poached salmon, Buffalo mozzarella and Heirloom tomatoes, tricolor salad, farro salad, grilled summer vegetables, and arugula with grilled peaches. Dessert included a watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew medley, blueberry pie, chocolate chip cookies and a special Race of Hope Meyer Lemon pound cake with bright frosting in HDRF’s signature yellow.
As everyone started the first course, Gruss thanked her guests for their support of the race. The beloved annual tradition returns in-person to Southampton after going virtual in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year iconic journalist Katie Couric will attend as celebrity Grand Marshal to cheer on all participants.
“We’re thrilled to be able to gather in person again for this special day, especially with Katie Couric, whose warm smile is known across the world,” said Gruss. “Humans are wired to need warm social interaction. The isolation of the pandemic has taken a large toll on the nation’s mental health.”
The 5K Race of Hope is a high-spirited, family-friendly event that will take place at 8:30 AM on Sunday, August 8 around Lake Agawam in Southampton. All race participants will receive a lightweight running vest, short sleeve shirt, race hat and huge finisher medal. One hundred percent of proceeds from the race will fund groundbreaking research into the root causes of depression in the brain and new and better treatments. To sign up or learn more, please visit https://www.raceofhopeseries.com/
This year’s in-person event features specific measures to ensure the safety of all participants including staggered heats and required masks at the starting line. The race will also have a virtual component for racers who would like to participate and complete the distance in their own hometowns. The Race of Hope has raised over $1 million for research since its inception in 2016.
5K Race of Hope Committee:
Lisa M. Aery, Kelly Ashton & Carlo B Sant Albano, Felice & Shelley Bergman, William Secord & Bruce Bierman, Jill Blanchard, Serena Bowman, Janna Bullock, Lili Cavendish, Julie & Mike Connors, Ide & David Dangoor, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Roy Cohen & Arthur Dunnam, Lisa & Sandy Ehrenkranz, Marjorie & Alexander P. Federbush, Bambi & Roger Felberbaum, Ambassador David and Jennifer Fischer, Frances Fisher, Bill Ford, Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Ford, Mary Ann Fribourg, Clo D. Giffen, Judith S. Giuliani, Barbara & Alan Glatt, Mrs. Darcy Gould, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Mrs. John (Susan) Gutfreund, Mayme & Montague Hackett Jr., Candy Hamm, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Kim Heirston, Yaz & Valentin Hernández
Tania & Brian Higgins, Elizabeth & Edgar Howard, Mario Nievera & Travis Howe, Nicki Harris & J. Ira, Benigna Kirsten, Kontes Family, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Mack, Ann & Cameron MacRae, Isabella & J. Paul Meyer, Susan & Joe Meyer, Muffy & Donald Miller, Mary P. Moran, Lucia N. Musso, Margo & James Nederlander, Anne S. Nordeman, Jane & Richard Novick, Francesca Stanfill Nye, Pamela Pantzer, Jenny & John Paulson, Robin Pickett, Kathy Prounis, Michael Donnell & Thomas C. Quick, Joanna Roland, Hilary Geary Ross, Frances G. Scaife, Barbara & Randall Smith, Scott Snyder, Ginny & David Sydorick, Debbie & Jack Thomas, Susan Warner, Lynne Wheat, Victoria Wyman, Clelia & Tom Zacharias, Richard Ziegelasch and Silvia Zoullas
5K Race of Hope Sponsors:
Impala Asset Management, Jacob Antilety Landscaping, Livingston Builders, Sant Ambroeus, Scott’s Protein Balls, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Wirebox, Wölffer Estate Vineyard
In-Person Race Registration Information:
Go online to www.raceofhopeseries.com and register for a fee of $35 through July 12th (the price increases to $40 after this date).
- Each participant will receive an ultra-lightweight vest, hat, race shirt, mask and finisher medal. (While supplies last. Gear is distributed on a first come first served basis)
Meeting Point: The Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton, NY
Date: Sunday, August 8, 2021
Time: Check-in begins at 7:15am and the Race of Hope begins at 8:30am SHARP.
Virtual Race Registration Information:
- Go online to www.raceofhopeseries.com and register for a fee of $35 through July 12th (the price increases to $40 after this date).
- Participants choose their own trail and receive special Race gear in the mail (while supplies last). They can walk or run the distance on their own time and in their own hometowns.
- The special live broadcast made especially for their virtual racers will begin on Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 8 AM. The broadcast will be hosted by HDRF’s Race Director and Executive Director. They will welcome viewers, show messages of hope from participants across the country, and then blow the starting gun at 8:30 am ET. Any racers who want to complete their courses at the exact same time as the actual race in Southampton can do so with the live broadcast!
What is HDRF, and a quick overview of their work/achievements in the past decade:
• HDRF is the leading non-profit dedicated solely to advanced depression research.
• Audrey Gruss founded the organization in 2006 in memory of her mother, Hope, who struggled with depression.
• The mission of HDRF is to fund cutting-edge neuroscience research into the origins, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of depression and other related mood disorders.
• In 2010, HDRF launched its Depression Task Force – a collaboration of nine leading scientists, at the frontiers of brain science, from different research institutions across the U.S. and Canada. To accelerate breakthrough research, they share ongoing results, in real-time, at the HDRF Data Center.
• HDRF has invested over $35 million in advanced depression research to date.
About Depression:
• In the United States, depression affects over 20-million adults each year – that is one in 10 adults.
• Depression is the leading cause of suicide. In the United States, one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes – over 47,000 people per year.
• Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
• Depression costs society $210 billion annually – 60% of which represents reduced efficiency at work and costs related to suicide.
The Crisis in Research and Treatment
• 50% of those diagnosed with depression do not fully respond to existing treatments.
• In 35 years since the introduction of Prozac and other SSRI anti-depressants, there has been almost no change in the treatment of depression.
• Although depression is one of the most serious and prevalent conditions in the US, it is ranked 77th (out of 250) in the amount of federal funding it receives.
• Most of the major pharmaceutical companies have discontinued brain 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. By avoiding well-worn paths of research, the team is shaking up the field for answers that will finally lead to new treatments for depression.
• 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.
