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Southampton
Fresh Air Home |
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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.
And then….
On Friday, July 1st, the SFAH held their 18th Annual American Picnic with
Grucci Fireworks over Shinnecock Bay.
More than 800 children and adults attended this year’s annual Hamptons
tradition with the 20-minute Grucci fireworks show set to patriotic music
over the Shinnecock Bay. There was also a picnic buffet and carts filled
with popcorn, ice cream, hot dogs and all-American treats on the grounds
of a private ocean-front home; arts and crafts, and carnival booths with
games and prizes. All proceeds will benefit the Southampton Fresh Air Home,
a residential camp for physically challenged children.
And more of those invaluable helpers: Pamela Gross Finkelstein,
Barbara Glatt and Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller were
Co-chairs, and Christl Meszkat was Camper Party Chairman.
Members of the Southampton Fresh Air Home Board of Directors attended including Claire
Mulholland, Barbara Smith, Pamela Michaelcheck, Chairman; Cathy
di Montezemolo, President, and other board members including Millie
Brinn, Pamela Camacho, Susan Cocke, Kathryn Cowles, Ann Grimm, Fran Dalessandro,
Kirsten Galef, Emily Mahoney, Kim White, Peri Bogert, Beatty Page Cramer,
Danielle Ganek, Jackie Goodwin, Barbara Kugler, Heather Leeds, Ellen L’Esperance,
Ros L’Esperance, Barbara McEntee.
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Dinner
at SFAH's 18th Annual American Picnic.
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The All-American Picnic committee members included Debbie
Bancroft, Christina Greeven Cuomo, Julie Dannenberg, Joanne
de Guardiola, Anne Hearst, Kitty Kempner, Elizabeth Lindemann,
Cynthia Lufkin, Monique Merrill, Julie Minskoff, Marion Mule,
Christine Munn, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, Patricia Raynes,
Peri Peltz Ruttenberg, Helen Schifter, Somers White to
name only a few.
As you might surmise, with those numbers of attendees, and those names
supporting, the annual picnic is a major success and a major event for
the Fresh Air Home. It raises more than 40% of he SFAH’s annual operating
expenses. Everybody wins. Although from the sound of the “picnic
menu,” some people ate too much.
If you want to add to the cause, you can call
SFAH at 631-283-5847, or email them: sfah@hamptons.com.
Or call Barbara Tollis at 917-539-9709 and visit www.sfah.org.
Someone will be very glad you did. And so will you. |
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Alan
Glatt and David Ganek
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Bernadette
Toomey, Anne Keating, and Dan Toomey
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Christl
Meszkat with SFAH campers
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David
Billingham with a SFAH camper
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Jimmy
Finkelstein, Bill Michaelcheck, Leila Heller, and Pamela
Gross Finkelstein
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Joe
Markovich, Millie Brinn, and Sheila O'Maley Fuch
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John
McManus and son
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Mayor
Joseph Romanoski, Millie Brinn, and Leila Heller
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Ariadne
Calvo Platero
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Barbara
Glatt and daughters
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Cathy
di Montezemolo and Pamela Michaelcheck
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David
Ganek and Jim Finkelstein
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Dr.
Patrick Stubgen and daughter
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Suzanne
Paige and Brigette Hall
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Dana
Stubgen
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Denise
Wohl
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Tiffany
Dubin
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Dana
Taylor and children
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Kathryn
Cowles and Jim Cowles
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Kirsten
Galef and family
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Kim
White and Leila Heller
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Clockwise
from top left: Leila Heller, Pamela Gross Finkelstein,
and friend; Scenes from the Southampton Fresh Air Home's
18th Annual American Picnic.
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| Photographs
by Rob Rich (D-D-D) and Gerardo Somoza (18th Annual American Picnic). |
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