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Long Island, NY, July 10, 2007 - On a warm and breezy Saturday
evening, close to 500 people traveled to Bridgehampton to
attend the American Heart Association's 11th Annual Heart of
the Hamptons Gala. This year's event which was hosted on the
grounds of the Hayground School was the American Heart
Association's biggest yet raising nearly $500,000.
This year's Gala Honorees: Dr. O. Wayne Isom, Professor and
Chairman, Dep't of Cardiothoracic Surgery Weill Cornell
Medical Center and New York - Presbyterian Hospital and Peter
G. Peterson, Sr. Chairman, The Blackstone Group along with his
wife Joan Ganz Cooney, Co-Founder of Sesame Workshop,
Originator of Sesame Street spoke eloquently about their
dedication to the mission of the American Heart Association to
build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and
stroke.
The evening went into full swing with the entertainment
portion of the night featuring the musical talent of Uptown -
A Soul Systems Orchestra Band. The crowd was then treated to
two very energetic demonstrations. The National Double Dutch
League and Long Island Gymnasts displayed their extraordinary
skills to those in attendance.
The focus of this year's Gala was "Children's Health". Heart
defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of
life and each year, tens of thousands of children are born
with some sort of heart defect" said Ellen Bitton, Heart of
the Hamptons Event Chair. "Childhood obesity is another
epidemic taking over our children's lives and this generation
may be the first to live shorter lives than their parents". |