Down in Palm Beach and its environs, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) hosted their annual Pro-Am Tennis & Golf Tournament. The tournaments were a part of a five-day event that combines the 2023 Milken Institute South Florida Dialogues and annual Pro-Am Tournaments. 2023 is a double-anniversary for the PCF as it was both the 25th Anniversary of the PCF in Palm Beach and the 30th Anniversary year of the Foundation itself.
The Milken Institute South Florida Dialogues in Palm Beach took place over three days, which included the annual PCF Pro-Am Tennis Tournament and special golf tournament; and concluded with three days of events in Miami. The first night in Palm Beach saw a talk held at the home of Roxann Taylor before the PCF dinner at the home of Jeff and Mei Sze Greene.
The highlight of the second day was the Gala Dinner hosted by Howard and Wendy Cox and held at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium with entertainment by The Beach Boys. The Cox Science Center has educated some 10 million young minds in STEM during its sixty years of operation with a new expansion and aquarium due to open in 2026.
Some notable attendees included: Mike Milken, Howard Cox, Rob and Cindy Citrone, Bill Koch, Jeff and Mei Sze Greene, Ahmed Reza, Ameena Reza, Elaine Chao, Ginger Feuer Leeds, Larry Leeds, Bonnie Pfeifer Evans, Don and Katrina Peebles, Alicia Dahill, Herbie Wertheim, Jim Coleman, Kristin Snyder, Eddie Trump, Dr. Charles J. Ryan, Frank Luntz, George Norcross, Dean and Marianne Metropoulos, Francine LeFrak, Lew and Kathleen Crampton, Neil Bluhm, Jim Gordon, Chris and Katia Oberbeck, Dre Lyon and Ed Garden.
Sponsors and Hosts for the Palm Beach event included: Howard and Wendy Cox, Chuck and Theresa Davidson, Jeff and Mei Sze Greene, Joe and Michelle Jacobs, Sonia and Paul Tudor Jones, William I. Koch, William and Phyllis Mack, John Paulson, Nelson and Claudia Peltz, John and Amy Phelan, Stephen M. Ross, The Honorable Wilbur and Hilary Ross, John and Jana Scarpa, John and Diane Sculley, Leerom and Karolina Segal, Steven and Lisa Tananbaum, Igor Tulchinsky, Ted and Dani Virtue and Andrew and Monica Weinberg.
Guests were invited to attend a variety of salons on topics similar to those covered at the Global Conference, but in much smaller, more intimate landmark settings and stunning private homes. Guests were able to attend more than 20 sessions, with over 120 interesting panelists.
All proceeds from the PCF Pro-Am Tennis Tournament and the Golf Tournament funded PCF’s promising and innovative research efforts for the prevention, detection and treatment of prostate cancer, and to help extend and improve the lives of all cancer patients.
Following the Gala on Saturday night, the PCF Pro-Am finals took place on Sunday afternoon at The Breakers. Players as well as spectators enjoyed some great matches. After a competitive day, this year’s winners included Laura Gordon (Champion – Group 1), Scott Shleifer (Runner-Up – Group 1), Marisa Brown (Champion – Group 2), Steve Tananbaum (Runner-Up – Group 2), Arik Ruchim (Champion – Group 3), and Joe Jacobs (Runner-Up – Group 3).
Following the conclusion of the tennis tournament, a reception, panel discussion and dinner was hosted by Don and Katrina Peebles at The Bath Club in Miami.
Just across the Intercoastal, Simply From The Heart hosted its second annual event giveback titled, “A Heartfelt Evening” at the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse to raise funds and support for its mission, a non-profit whose mission is to encourage well-being, raises self-esteem, and improve quality of life for critical and terminal care patients, through the delivery of therapeutic personal care services. The evening included sponsored liquor from Tequila 1349 and specialty wine from Virgina Philip, small bites, a luxury silent auction, a tour of the 2023 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, and live entertainment from the Palm Beach Symphony.
“Simply From The Heart has worked our magic on more than 7,000 patients nationally, enriching their lives through our pampering experience,” said Jackelyn Kastanis, Executive Director of Simply From The Heart. “Because face-to-face interaction is powerful, every Pamper Session begins with lowering the bed, so volunteers and patients are eye-to-eye. The power is not in the wand or brush, but in the unparalleled team at the forefront of our mission, the pamperers whose passion and special skills bring out a patient’s true identity, hidden by their illness.”
The Event Committee included Taylor Materio, Lara Pansolli, Sarah Hammond, Lindsey Burrough, Jessica Prince, Loren Klein, Danielle Goreski, Suzanne Pryblo, Stacy Thate, and Collin Santini Adams.
Sciame Homes, 2023 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, Revitalash Cosmetics, and First Republic Bank served as the event sponsors.
Simply From The Heart was founded by Jackelyn Kastanis after spending a year with her childhood best friend, Brooke Bolley, who was told at 27 she had a year to live. It was made clear to Jackelyn that a life-threatening illness affects every aspect of life. Patients endure relentless medical treatments, interventions, pain, and isolation, which often result in depression, loneliness, fear, and anxiety. SFTHeart believes that carefully selected and trained people, beyond medical providers, offer an important level of care that treats the mind, body, and spirit. This interaction is the primary focus of their services. They help to dispel the hardships of long-term illness.
Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse began in 1973 when several dedicated supporters of the Kips Bay Boys Girls Club launched the Decorator Show House to raise critical funds for much needed after-school and enrichment programs for New York City children. Over the course of four decades, this project has grown into a must-see event for thousands of design enthusiasts and is renowned for sparking interior design trends throughout the world.
And a quick drive south to Delray Beach is where the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens celebrated its annual gala with over 200 well-heeled guests and museum supporters under a twinkling blanket of stars.
Japanese culture was on prominent display throughout the Bamboo and Bonsai Gala, which kicked off with butlered cocktails, sake and whiskey tastings, and a riveting taiko drumming performance by Fushu Daiko. A spectacular fireworks display preceded a lavish surf-and-turf dinner hosted on the museum’s plein air terrace overlooking Lake Morikami.
The notable night also featured dancing and live music by Vinyl, an opulent silent auction, and the 2023 George Morikami Cultural Arts Awards, which spotlighted supporters whose generosity and creativity made a sustaining impact on the museum and its community. Award honorees included The Freeman Foundation, Beverlee Kohnken and the Kohnken Family Foundation, and Mrs. Marilyn Rothstein.
Monies raised from the gala will benefit Morikami’s 4Es: Exhibitions, Education, Emotional Wellness programs, and Expansion.
Notable guests included Consul General of Japan Kazuhiro Nakai, Palm Beach County Mayor Gregg Weiss, Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation’s Paul Connell, Morikami Museum’s Director Bonnie White LeMay, Board President Emeritus Celia “CiCi” Turner Zahringer, Board of Trustees President Randal Baker, Gala Co-Chairs Robin May and Christine Carton, Gala Honorary Chair Hilarie Viener, Board of Trustees’ Rosie Burkman, Norma Geller, Peter Marks, and Stilson Tomita.
Bamboo and Bonsai Gala’s Presenting Sponsor was JM Family Enterprises, Inc. Exclusive Hotel Sponsor was Nobu Hotel Miami Beach.
Photographs by Tiffany Sage (PCF); Palm Studio (Kips Bay); Austen Waldron (Morikami)
