8/31/05 - Weekends
in the country, if it’s the Hamptons, they don’t
sit still. If it isn’t “tennis
anyone?” or golf, or planning that night’s
party, or going around picking up the latest news on
the latest ohmigod scandal, they’re shopping. And
not dropping. And driving of course.
Early last month on a Saturday, however, there were some intrepid and audacious
and clever souls who got together for the 13th annual Southampton Fresh
Air Home Decorators-Designers-Dealers (D-D-D) Sale, Auction and Cocktail
Party Benefit Preview Party. A kick-off they call it in the fast-track
fund-raising business. Something for everyone.
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Kirsten
Galef and Leila Heller |
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These
were the players, the put-yer-money-where-yer-mouth-is-ers: Kirsten
Solsvig Galef, who was Chairman; Anne Keating,
Heather Leeds and Lavinia Snyder,
who were Auction Chairmen; Mimi Lenihan,
Design and Decoration Chairman; Emily Chien Mahoney,
Wine Auction Chairman; Debbie Bedrossian,
Design and Decoration Chairman; Elizabeth Fekkai,
Alice Michaels and Sarah Senbahar,
who were the Auction Vice Chairs and John Block,
who once again served as auctioneer. Are you keeping up with
this? So many bold-faced names, so much to do. Remember these
are their Saturdays and Sundays they’re giving up ...
for the kids.
Members
of the Board of Directors who attended included Pamela
Michaelcheck, chairman; Cathy di Montezemolo,
president, along with board members Mildred Brinn;
Claire Mulholland, Ann Grimm, Mimi Lenihan, Peri Bogert,
and other committee members including Charlotte Assaf,
Hilary Block, Laura Codman, Lyn Mortimer, Linda Munn, Chris
Munn, not to mention some prominent guests such
as Nikki Amey, Vittorio Assaf, Beth Rudin DeWoody,
James Mulholland, Izak Senbahar, Brian Snyder, Donald Zilkha – already
they’d got something going for the charity.
The Charity – The Southampton Fresh Air Home and their
2005 Camper Season. There was the 5 pm sale and cocktail party for preview
patrons. They paid extra for the privilege of first dibs – anywhere
from $200 for two to $2500 for six. Then at 6:45 there was the live auction.
And at 8:30 it was over – everyone could go home or go out to dinner,
or, as they do in the Hamptons every Saturday night, go someplace (or someplaces)
else. Sunday, the Furniture Sale continued from ten in the morning until
two in the afternoon.
And why? Because of the kids. For more than a century, there have been
enterprising, helpful, volunteering souls who’ve done their best
to keep the Southampton Fresh Air Home running. It’s not just any
Fresh Air Home (which would be good enough for anyone’s generosity)
but a specialized recreation program for physically challenged youths from
the tri-state area who can attend without regard for their ability to pay.
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Roger
and Irinia Erickson |
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Brian
and Ophelia Snyder |
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Alois
Schoenhuber and Peter Daub |
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Elizabeth
Fekkai, Heather Leeds, and Pamela
Michaelcheck |
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Claire
Mulholland, Galen and Lorie Knickel,
and James Mulholland |
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Beth
Rudin DeWoody and Frederick Anderson |
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Sheila
Fuch and Michele Gradin |
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Arnie
and Paola Rosenshein |
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Two wonderful things happen there: the
children and young people get to have a camp life, be among
their peers and contemporaries, be free of the restraints
of being homebound, or the daily routine that all of us children
need to be free of; and their parents also get something
that every parent, any parent needs: a respite, no matter
how brief.
This all started, now more than hundred years ago because of someone’s
kind and generous notion for helping make life a little easier for those
whose lives are never easy or easier. In the early days, the volunteers
raised funds through Rummage Sales – remember Rummage sales? Can
you imagine what some of today’s collectors would have found at Rummage
Sales back in the days when there was no such thing as “collectibles” and
everyone threw everything out that didn’t have a value determined
by an auction house or an art dealer?
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Heather
Leeds, Sarah Senbahar, Anne Keating, and
Debbie Bedrossian |
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Anyway
those Rummage Sales and follow up “gifts,” (read:
cash) from donors brought out the best in people. Some of
the now historically illustrious names of old Southampton
participated – such as Mrs. John Randolph Hearst,
Mrs. David Granger, Mrs. Henry A. Barclay, Mrs. George L.
Bartlett, Mrs. Goodhue Livingston, Mrs. Marshall J. Dodge,
Jr., Mrs. Robert Magowan and many other summer residents
of the days of yore. And they did it simply because they
loved the Southampton Fresh Air Home Campers.
Most of the Southampton Fresh Air Home campers (there
are usually about 150 attending) receive scholarships to
enjoy this unique and caring summer camping experience
where they get to laugh and make friends. So we can say
thanks to all those Hamptonites who go out to the East
End and like the good New Yorkers they are, go-go-go and
in many cases, spend-spend-spend, so that all those noble
volunteers from the SFAH can raise the funds to keep these
fabulous kids progressing, moving, living and maybe with
some laughter. Bravo to all who participated. |
