(New York, NY – July 24, 2023) – Newly-elected Southampton Village Mayor William Manger Jr. will step out on Thursday, July 27 at 10 am to lend a hand as the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) kicks off its 5th annual Week of Hope summer tradition in Southampton.
During the Week, stores throughout Southampton display a large, yellow HOPE balloon (environmentally safe and recyclable) in front of their doors, transforming sidewalks into a sea of sunshine to raise mental health awareness.
Over 100 businesses are part of the Week of Hope, including Loveshack Fancy, Ovando, Poupette St. Barth, and Veronica Beard, a major HDRF sponsor. The mayor will join HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss, a longtime Southampton resident, to place the first balloon in front of the Veronica Beard store (84B Main Street, Southampton) at 10 am.
“I’m delighted Mayor Manger will continue the tradition started by his predecessors to support this mental health campaign,” said Gruss. “Southampton is leading the way on Long Island by embracing mental health, one of the most important health issues of our day.”
Of course, after Mayor Manger and Audrey Gruss set the first balloon, there are hundreds more to go! For that, HDRF will get the help of a cadre of teen athletes from Southampton High School and their track coach Eddie Arnold, who will spend the morning setting up the rest of the balloons around the village.
“We’re so excited to be part of this effort,” said Arnold. “This is a festive and fun way for the youth in our community to be advocates for a critical cause that is sadly very prevalent in teens right now.”
Along with the HOPE balloon display, participating stores will have special hand-outs provided by HDRF with the latest information on depression in the U.S. and how to spot signs and symptoms.
The Week of Hope began in 2018 to serve as the lead-up to HDRF’s signature summer event, the Race of Hope 5K to Defeat Depression. This year the Week culminates in the 8th Annual Southampton Race of Hope on Sunday, August 6 at 8:30 AM around Lake Agawam. The Race attracts over 500 participants from the tri-state area and beyond to unite as a community and raise mental health awareness and fund depression research.
The Co-Grand Marshals of the Race of Hope are Audrey Gruss and Arthur Dunnam, who is an HDRF Advisory Board member and resides in East Hampton.
The Teen Grand Marshals of the Race are Grier Hammond Henchy, the 17-year-old daughter of Brooke Shields, and Hayden Lucas, an NYC high school senior and leader of the newly formed HDRF Teen Task Force.
Gruss said: “As we launch our Week and Race of Hope, we recognize the staggering statistics around depression and suicide in the United States. HDRF is working tirelessly to find solutions by focusing on education and research into novel treatments.”
100% of revenues from the Race go to groundbreaking research into the root causes of depression in the brain and new and better treatments. To sign up or learn more, please visit the website at hopefordepression.org
The Week of Hope also offers several other events to raise awareness and funds for depression research. On Friday, August 4, HDRF hosts the Hope Summer Seminar “How to Talk to Friends and Family About Mental Health,” with acclaimed psychiatrist Dr. Samantha Boardman at the Southampton Arts Center at 11 am.
From July 27-August 6, the Veronica Beard store on Main Street will hold Shop for Hope – with ten percent of all purchases going to HDRF’s life-saving research.
The Week of Hope, in conjunction with the Race of Hope, has helped to raise over $1 million for advanced depression research. The Race is supported by local residents including Janna Bullock, Arthur Dunnam and Roy Cohen, Alan Glatt, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Kim Heirston, Tania Higgins, Natasha Jeffries, Leonard and Judy Lauder, Sharon and John Loeb, Jr., Anne and Jacques Nordeman, Kathy Prounis, Hilary Geary Ross, Nancy Silverman, and Lis Waterman.
Week of Hope participating business owners to date include: 27 Hampton Salon, Aboff’s paint, Bean2tween, Breezin Up, Cheese Shoppe, Corwin Jewelers, egg New York, Flying Point Surf Shop, Fowler’s Garden Center, Geary Gubbins Sports / Gubbin Running Ahead, Herrick Hardware, Hidden Gem, Hildreth’s, Jennifer Miller, Johnny Was, Laviano, Loveshack Fancy, Main Street Optics, Ovando, Paul Stuart, Poupette St. Barth, Roberta Roller Rabbit, Rogers Memorial Library, Saunders, Shari’s Place, Southampton Inn, Southampton Publick House, Southrifty Drug Co., The 1708 House, Veronica Beard, and WM Rugs.
ABOUT HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH FOUNDATION (HDRF)
HDRF was founded in 2006 by philanthropist Audrey Gruss in memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. The mission of the HDRF is to spur the most innovative brain 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.
The World Health Organization has declared depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, and yet conventional medications today are outdated and do not fully work for 50% of patients. HDRF is working tirelessly to improve the mental health landscape for every American. The Foundation has provided more than $50 million through over 200 grants for breakthrough depression research that promises to transform the way depression is viewed, diagnosed, treated and prevented. Currently, HDRF has a potential new class of medication in pilot clinical trials at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Columbia University, and Stanford University. HDRF is also funding clinical trials into other novel therapeutics and diagnostic tests at Johns Hopkins, University of San Diego, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
