Considering everything else going on in the world, you wouldn’t believe it, but Society lives on. In Palm Beach, the very wealthy meet and mingle, raising money for charity with galas– aka balls — and fashion shows.
Last weekend, Mitch McConnell’s wife, former secretary of transportation Elaine Chao, was among the guests, and the Beach Boys entertained as the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) hosted their annual Pro-Am Tennis & Golf Tournament in South Florida. The tournaments were a part of a five-day event that combines the 2023 Milken Institute South Florida Dialogues and annual Pro-Am Tournaments. (This year 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.)
Some of the other guests included billionaire Bill Koch, South African born real estate mogul Eddie Trump (no relation to you know who), as well as Mike Milken, Howard Cox, Rob and Cindy Citrone, Yobi founder Ahmed Reza, Larry Leeds, Bonnie Pfeifer Evans, and Don and Katrina Peebles. 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
At the same time New York philanthropist Jean Shafiroff hosted a luncheon at Café Boulud at The Brazilian Court Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida in honor of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) of which Jean was a past honoree and devoted supporter. The luncheon was attended by over 20 VIP guests. Shafiroff spoke about the wonderful work that the charity performs in pursuit of cancer research and made a donation to the foundation on behalf of the attendees.
The Waxman Foundation has grown its International Network on Aging and Cancer. Launched in 2018, this network brings together government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, philanthropists, research labs and universities, and other foundations to work together to address the rising incidence of cancer associated with aging and discover innovative prevention and treatment…
Meanwhile, Society was busy in New York. Elysian, an international luxury lifestyle brand created to inspire and reflect the interests of women, held the Inaugural CatWalk FurBaby fundraiser at Sony Hall, to launch New York Fashion Week 2023, created by Elysian’s Karen Floyd and hosted by Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin. Consuelo is a seventh generation descendant of railroad tycoon, Cornelius Vanderbilt and somewhere in Anderson Cooper’s family tree. The evening before Elysian hosted a fashion fete at Lafayette 148 on Madison Avenue, New York with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Bissell Pet Foundation…
And that’s not all…
The 62nd Annual Quadrille Ball, a formal ball with a long, distinguished past, is one of the annual highlights of the New York season and was held at 583 Park Avenue in New York City.
The annual Ball is a fundraiser for scholarships awarded to highly qualified American and German undergraduate and graduate students including PhD candidates. The Quadrille was founded more than 60 years ago to enhance and strengthen transatlantic relationships through education with guests including Raban Freiherr von Arnim and wife Allison Ecung Baroness von Arnim. Through its non-profit parent organization, the Quadrille supports undergraduate, master and PhD students.
Recipients are chosen with the cooperation of three highly regarded organizations: Columbia University, the International Institute of Education, and the Fulbright Commission. The graduate students have successfully concluded the Fulbright scholarship application process before being chosen by the Quadrille. Over the years, the Quadrille Scholarship Fund has supported some 700 students from the US and Germany.
The Quadrille Ball itself takes its name from a dance popular in the 18th Century, called “Quadrille.” It is a formal dance in square formation. The Quadrille dance is rehearsed and performed by young professionals who are volunteering their time on the recommendation of alumni, patrons, and friends.
There’s more, it’s all over Palm Beach and New York, winter season. Everyone’s raising money for good causes, too.
