Palm Beach, Florida –February 21, 2022) – The Race of Hope is back! On February 26, 2022, Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) will hold its annual 5K Race of Hope to Defeat Depression in Palm Beach. The event attracts hundreds of runners and walkers throughout South Florida to raise crucial funds for mental health research.
Last year, the Race was forced to go virtual due to covid restrictions. This year the event will be a careful return to in-person racing with measures such as staggered heats to keep runners safely distanced. Over 500 participants are expected to attend.
“We’re thrilled to be able to gather in person again for this very special day,” said HDRF Founder and Chair Audrey 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.”
Gruss pointed to surveys that show over one third of Americans struggle with symptoms of depression and anxiety. HDRF’s leadership in the field of depression research is more urgent than ever, she said. One hundred percent of proceeds from the Race will fund groundbreaking research into the root causes of clinical depression in the brain and new and better treatments.
Gruss and HDRF Board member Scott Snyder, both Palm Beach residents,will serve as Co-Grand Marshals for the race. They will lead participants on a beautiful 5K (3.1 mile) route starting at The Royal Poinciana Plaza and continuing along the beautiful North Lake Trail and through the streets of Palm Beach. The Race is a high-spirited, family friendly event that is open to all ages and speeds, with dogs and strollers welcomed.
The Palm Beach Race of Hope has grown quickly over the years, with over 700 participants in 2020, before the pandemic. The race was first launched in Southampton in August 2016 and expanded to Palm Beach in February 2019. The event has raised over $1 million for research since its launch.
During the pandemic both races went virtual, an adaptation that allowed thousands of runners from all over the nation to participate from their own hometowns, regardless of geography. While the Palm Beach Race returns to in-person this year, HDRF will still provide a virtual race for its national audience. The Foundation will host its first annual National Virtual Race of Hope in May in honor of Mental Health Awareness month. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to advanced depression research. For more information or to register, visit: https://www.raceofhopeseries.com/.
Palm Beach Race of Hope Committee
Diamond Level Sponsors: James R. Borynack & Adolfo Zaralegui/Findlay Galleries, Dominique Buaron, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Tricia Quick and James & Teresa Remez/Livingston Builders
Platinum Level Sponsors: Catherine Adler, Annabelle & Denis Coleman, Jr., Deborah & Philippe Dauman
The Honorable David Fischer & Jennifer Fischer, Nicola Marcus, Heidi & Tom McWilliams, Renee & Carlos Morrison, PJ Quick Pollack and Thomas C. Quick & Michael Donnell
Gold Level Sponsors: Becky & F. William Bryan, James H. Coleman, Julie & Mike Connors, Maria & Kenneth Fishel, William E. Flaherty, Cindy & Chris Galvin, Felicia & Peter Gottsegen, Charles and Kaaren Hale, Joseph Hernandez, Tania & Brian Higgins, Darlene & Jerry Jordan, Sheila & Robert Josephberg, Melanie & Roger Lawson, Petra Levin, Robert F. Mancuso, Anita & Sam Michaels, Muffy & Donald Miller, Joel Pashcow, Jeffrey Pfeifle, Amy & John Phelan, Marzia Precoda, Kara Ross, and Eddy & John J. Taylor lll
Silver Level Sponsors: Agneta Angel, Paola Bacchini Rosenshein, Bruce Bierman & William Secord, CeCe Black, Kimmy & Steve Brauer, Sharon Bush & Robert C. Murray, Luce Churchill, Anne Fisher, Frances Fisher, Linda Gary & Michael Belisle, Heidi Hanna, Nicki & Ira Harris, Inez Fogel Heery, Manager, Greenleaf & Crosby, Yaz & Valentin Hernandez, Eve & Herb Jacobi, Ann Follis Jeffery, Jayne T. Keith, Eleanora Kennedy, Carol & Earle Mack, Annabelle & Alberto Mariaca, William A. Meyer, John & Carole Moran, Diana Morrison, Lucia N. Musso, Linda Olsson, Sallie B. Phillips, Joanna Roland, Frances G. Scaife, Barbara & Randall Smith, Ginny & David Sydorick, Betsy & Wally Turner, Nicholas Varney, Lis Waterman, Ellen & James Wilner, Nancy Yanofsky & Ed Brown, Clelia & Tom Zacharias and David Zislin
Palm Beach Race of Hope Inaugural Junior Committee
Chairman: PJ Quick Pollack
Co-Chairs: Charlotte Bocly, Stephanie & Andrew Filauro, Hollis Bradley Pica, Caleb M. Smith and Sarah Wetenhall
Committee: Bettina Anderson, Wendy Benichou, Carolina Buia Barefoot, Samantha Curry, Brianne Goutal, Clementine Goutal, Oliver R. Grace lll, Nolan & Michael Greenwald , Lourdes de Guardiola & Michael Morrissey, Maggi Haigh, Emma Holzer, Katherine Lande & Kevin Condon, Stacey Leuliette, Nick Mele, Lauren Merck, Isabella Meyer, Dr. Richard Miron, Abigail Owen-Pontez, Alexis Posada TeStrake, Kameron Ramirez, Michael Gregson Reinert, Robert Riva, Nic Roldan, Mathieu Rosinsky, Joshua Sagman, Whitney Lovell Schott, Kirsten Smith, Jane Stevens, Casey Taylor, Pamela Tombari, Tom Treacy, Dobi Trendafilova, Alvin Valley and Grace Wills
Palm Beach Race of Hope Sponsor List
Sponsors: Aktion Art, Findlay Galleries, Gunster, Hamilton Jewelers, Hive Collections, Impala Asset Management, Jefferson Capital, Le Bilboquet, Livingston Builders, Royal Poinciana Plaza and Smith & Elkin CPA, P.A.
In-Kind Sponsors: Alvin Valley, Brown Moving and Storage, Celis Produce, Fit 2 Run, Frances Valentine
Le Rosey Summer Camps, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Palm Beach Illustrated, Sant Ambroeus, Starbucks, Sunreef Yachts and Tammy Fender Holistic Skin Care
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 $40 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.
