The New York Junior League hosted its 71st Annual Winter Ball, the New York Woman: Leading a Legacy and Lighting the Way on the last Saturday in February at Cipriani South Street, raising over $600,000 for training and community programs.
The black-tie event is the organization’s largest fundraiser, and this year’s was sold-out raising more than $600,000 and counting, with many thanks to the support of generous donors through ticket purchases, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and a silent and live auction.
They honored recipients of the NYJL’s Outstanding Sustainer and Outstanding Volunteer Awards, the organization’s highest honors. Since 1952 the Winter Ball has helped raise essential funds for the NYJL’s training and community programs, while bringing together volunteers, family, friends, and supporters for presentations of the award recipients.
The evening began with a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by dinner during while guests enjoyed the awards presentation and live auction. Following dinner came the desserts and dancing the night away to the sounds of The Midnight Project. All presented in the breathtaking waterfront setting of Cipriani South Street.
More than 800 attended, including a record-breaking number of VIP Harriman Circle patrons, to celebrate the NYJL’s work serving the New York City community for more than 120 years.
The evening celebrated recipients of the organization’s highest honors, the Outstanding Sustainer and Outstanding Volunteer awards. These are reserved for those women who exemplify a superior standard of excellence in volunteerism. The 2023 Outstanding Sustainers are Barbara Etzel and Marion S. Hedges. The Outstanding Volunteers are Blythe Winchester Brock, Marie T. Finan, Andrea Theresa McDermott, Christina Bott Murphy, and Contessa Officer. These exceptional women are dedicated to serving the New York City and NYJL communities, living the NYJL’s core values, and leading by example.
The dinner came to a grand finale with auctioneer Sebastian Clarke hosting the live auction lots. There was enthusiastic bidding on once-in-a-lifetime experiences and memorabilia, including a Tradewind Aviation private jet charter to St. Barths for a weeklong stay at WIMCO Villas, a signed Jon Bon Jovi guitar and 3L bottle of Hampton Water Rosé, a round of golf at the legendary Maidstone Club in East Hampton and a stay at the Pridwin Hotel & Cottages on Shelter Island, an exclusive and private experience at the newly renovated Tiffany & Co. Global Flagship, and a stay at the luxurious Four Seasons Ocean Club resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Corporate sponsors included Jenny Yoo and Sheffield Haworth. In-kind sponsors included Bar and Books, Beck Bags, Bow Bridge Blooms, Hampton Water, and Trivvidraws. The event’s venue sponsor was Cipriani.
The New York Junior League since 1901, has responded to New York City’s most pressing socioeconomic challenges. Powered by more than 2,300 women volunteers, the NYJL works with more than 60 community-based organizations to advance children’s social-emotional learning and to provide life skills programs to youth and adults who are navigating periods of difficult transition.
Bringing their diverse experiences and talents, trained NYJL volunteers engage women and children in health, education, and arts workshops specially customized to their needs. The NYJL also advocates with state and city government for women- and children-centered policies and develops volunteers’ leadership skills for service in the NYJL and on other nonprofit boards, all while cultivating a community that reinforces women’s personal relationships and collective power as drivers of positive change.
Tuesday, February 28th, more Cipriani South Street, when the NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital raised $2.3 million at their 11th Plates for Pediatrics benefit. This was a collaboration with luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue, drawing more than 550 guests. The event returned after a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The benefit was hosted by Dr. Sallie Permar, pediatrician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, along with celebrity chair Anderson Cooper of CNN; co-chairs Michelle Antonini, Beth Cayre, Austen Cruz, Kate Davis, Amy Dieterich, Lindsay Kraus, Candice Miller, Marcie Pantzer, Mariel Kriss Sholem, and Ammara Yaqub; and honorary chair Matt Brown.
The event raised funds for several hospital-based pediatric programs, including Child Life Services, a program that helps alleviate children’s fears surrounding the hospital experience by offering activities geared to the social, emotional, and educational needs of young patients and their families. Also, the Pediatric Simulation Center, an invaluable teaching resource in medical education that reduces medical errors, creates a culture of patient safety, and improves patient care. Then there is Clinical Care for Children with Complex Medical Needs, providing high-level medical care and supporting social and mental health services for chronically ill pediatric patients; and Residency Education, a three-year pediatric residency program designed to provide a supportive and educationally rich environment through which residents can develop into outstanding general pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists.
Among those attending: Travis Acquavella, Michelle and John Antonini, Muffie Potter Aston, Lily and Doug Band, CeCe Barfield, Cristina Blankfein, Francesca Bodini, Matt Brown, Charlotte and Will Carey, member of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Board of Trustees, Sana and Todd Clegg, Courtney and David Corleto, Austen and Ernesto Cruz, Merrill and Ashton Curtis, Kate and Andrew Davis, member of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Board of Trustees, Katherine Farley and Jerry I. Speyer, chair of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Board of Trustees, Jenny Fleiss, Jocelyn Gailliot, Brooke Gerschel, Marcella and Gregg Hymowitz, Breanna and John Khoury, Molly Knauer, Beth Kojima, Erika Liles, Trevor Magyar, Natasha de Mallmann, Hilary Matt, Candice and Brandon Miller, Marcie b Jordan Pantzer, Nicole Hanley Pickett, Priya Shukla, Ashley Stark, Alexandra and Michael Toccin, Gina Wettlaufer Tomenson, Lesley Vecsler, Amanda Waldron, Naomi Waletzky and Rowan Hajaj, Nancy and George Walker, Cristina Alger Wang and Jonathan Wang, Lilly Weekes, and Brent Neale Winston. Lydia Fenet served as the evening’s auctioneer.
NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, together with Weill Cornell Medicine, provides the best available care in every area of pediatrics in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.
Standing left to right: Tyler Swann, Jessica Park, John Park, John Miller, Mary Donley, Ali Greenwell, and Ken Hyde.
Standing left to right: Lauren Picciano, Jillian Mershon, James Birkenholz, Aaliyah Thompson, and Fallon Oputa.
Standing left to right: Ranika Cohen, Christina Sethi, Cati Vlad, Genevieve Davis, Jennifer Rowe, Kate Davis, and Leslie Heaney.
More Younger Set? Why yes! Well, Wendy Carduner welcomed 180 Junior and Intermediate Doubles members and friends for last week’s APRES SKI Junior Party. The Club’s dress code was “relaxed” as members drank, dined and danced wearing ski sweaters, ski pants, ski hats, fun fur and goggles. Everything but the real snow to plow through.
The APRES SKI Dinner menu of Burrata and Heirloom Tomatoes, Truffle Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Belgium Waffles with Ice Cream, Strawberries and Chocolate sauce was enjoyed by ALL including the Junior Co-Chairs: Ann Van Kirk, Kate Earls, Amy Hutchings, Hadley Nagel, Tara Tunney and many more.
Photographs by Matt Borkowski/BFA.com (Junior League); Kellie Walsh (NewYork-Presbyterian); John Sanderson/AnnieWatt.com (Doubles)
