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On Saturday, February 17th, 2024,
the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF)
celebrated the Sixth Anniversary of its Race of Hope 5K
Walk & Run to Defeat Depression in Palm Beach at Bradley
Park. The event gathered 875 men, women, and children on
Saturday morning in Palm Beach to support mental health
awareness and urgent research into depression and anxiety.
The festive event raised a new record of
$900,000 for HDRF’s advanced life-saving mental health
research into new treatments for clinical depression. The
presenting sponsor for the event was Findlay Galleries.
HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss and Board
member Scott Snyder, both Palm Beach residents,
served as the Co-Grand Marshals of the 5K walk/run, which
started at 8 AM at Bradley Park in Palm Beach.
“We are thrilled to see so many people come
out in support of mental health research,” said Gruss. “I am
constantly in awe of our Palm Beach community and their
unwavering support for HDRF’s mission to defeat depression.”
She added, “One hundred percent, every penny
from today’s race will go directly to life-saving depression
research.”
At the starting gun, participants set off to
complete the 3.1-mile course starting at Bradley Park, as
they took in the beautiful views of the Palm Beach Lake
Trail.
Lining up in the start corrals were professional runners,
walkers, families with children and dogs, and teams from
local businesses such as Livingston Builders, Le
Bilboquet, Environment Design Group, Psychiatry of the Palm
Beaches, Pure Skin Palm Beach, GEO Group and Marble
of the World.
All race participants wore hats, shirts and
jackets in HDRF’s signature yellow, creating a sea of
sunshine with blue skies and palm trees as their backdrop.
The Race of Hope is a USA Track and Field-sanctioned event.
At the close of the Race, Audrey Gruss
presented Awards to the top finishers and to the top
fundraisers. The top Overall Male
winner was Sean Clark, and
the top Overall Female winner was Niki Desjardin. The
Award for Top Fundraising Team went to Team
Will, which raised nearly
$15,000. The
Award for Top Individual Fundraiser from the PB Race of Hope
Committee went to
Mona Nasser, who raised nearly $6,000. The
Award for the Top Captain of the Largest Team went to Team
Run for Chey with
39 members.
The Race Director then took the floor to hand
out the awards for the other finishers. Second Place
for best male time went to Brandon Smith and Second
Place for the best female time went to Lilia Drew,
Third Place for best male time went to Daniel Yinh and Third
Place for the best female time went to Bethany Clark. The top
three Overall Masters awards for the male division went
to Joe Rodbard for First
Place, Eric Capostagno for Second
Place and Regis Smeltz for Third
Place. The top three Overall Masters awards for the
female division went to Shannon Fox for First
Place, Stephanie Stevens for Second
Place and Emily Helter for Third Place. The Age
Division winners included G. Zoumas and E. Lofaso for
12 and under, Sam Frackelton and Coral Sky for
13-15, Noah Debomy and Mackena Gerard for
16-19, Sam Mahlman and Suman Sonty for 20-24, Mathew
Hancock and Carly Herbert for 25-29, Matthew
Oleszczuk and Kelli Sullivan 30-34, Duniel
Viera and Andrea Filippelli for 35-39, Benjamin
Sundstrom and Jill Mahler for 40-44, Leon
Pulido and Shannon Duff for 45-49, Scott
Olenski and Lauren Stocker for 50-54, Paul
Martin and Shelley Flowers for 55-59, Douglas
Landau and Wendy Ponvert for 60-64, Tony Candy and Donna
May for 65-69, Victor Vasquez and Carol
Hassell for 70-74, and Harold Rosen and Susan
Robbins for 75 plus.
Committee Race participants included: Alina
De Almeida & John Paulson, Louisa Benton, Kim S.
Fennebresque, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Martin Gruss, Charles &
Kaaren Hale, Yaz & Valentín Hernández, Travis Howe & Mario
Nievera, Eleanora Kennedy, Melanie & Roger Lawson, Simone
Levinson, Kamie Lightburn, Carole Moran, Teresa & James
Remez, Joanna Roland, Jill & Matt Schecter, Scott Snyder,
Ginny & David Sydorick, Nicholas Varney and Nancy Yanofsky &
Ed Brown.
Junior Committee participants included: Zoë
Bullock Cacioppo, Nathan Coe, David-William Coffin, Sarah
Cooke, Amanda & Tony Cummings, Samantha Curry, Jennifer
Gowdy, Katherine Lande & Kevin Condon, Stacey Leuliette and
David-William Coffin, Bryan Ludwig, Elizabeth and Homer
Marshman III, Devon McCready, Nick Mele, Mona Nasser, Matt
Oleszczuk, Hollis Bradley Pica, Jack Rooney, Kirsten Smith,
Ivy Sophir, Jane Stevens, Alanna Sutherland, Eric Viner,
Grace & Tally Walker, Sarah & Andrew Wetenhall.
The Palm
Beach Race of Hope Committee:
Race of Hope Co-Grand Marshals: Audrey
Gruss and Scott Snyder
Diamond Level Committee: Kelly
& Carlo Barel Di Sant ‘Albano, Holly Bartlett, Perri &
Robert Bishop, James Borynack & Adolfo Zaralegui, Marvin H.
Davidson Foundation Inc., Laura & Brent Nicklas, Teresa &
James Remez, Diana Wister
Platinum Level Committee: Annabelle
and Denis Coleman, The Philippe and Deborah Dauman
Foundation, Kim S. Fennebresque, Jamee & Peter Gregory,
Charles & Kaaren Hale, John Hendrickson, Simone Levinson,
Caroline & Omeed Malik, Nicola & Jeffrey Marcus, Alina De
Almeida & John Paulson, Thomas C. Quick & Michael Donnell,
Pat Ryan, Barbera Hale Thornhill, Lynne Wheat, Yafa Signed
Jewelers
Gold Level Committee: Pamela
Cohen & Nick Korniloff, Julie & Mike Connors, Gita & Mark
Costa, Jacqueline W. Drake, The Honorable David Fischer &
Jennifer Fischer, Cindy & Chris Galvin, Yaz & Valentín
Hernández, Tania & Brian Higgins, Ann F. Jeffery, Y Michele
Kang, Melanie & Roger Lawson, Petra Levin, Ambassador & Mrs.
John L. Loeb, Jr., Stephanie Loeffler, Robert F. Mancuso,
Bonnie McElveen-Hunter & Gil Kemp, Heidi & Tom McWilliams,
John & Carole Moran, Travis Howe & Mario Nievera, Pam & Ed
Pantzer, Jeffrey Pfeifle & David Granville, Sallie B
Phillips Foundation, Marzia Precoda and Lauren Roberts,
Tricia Quick, Ginny & David Sydorick, Nancy Yanofsky & Ed
Brown
Silver Level Committee Dominique
Buaron, Bruce Bierman & William Secord, Cece Black, Geoffrey
N. Bradfield, Frances Fisher, Susie & Vere Gaynor, Hilary
Geary Ross, Ann Grimm, Joseph Hernandez, Jayne T. Keith,
Eleanora Kennedy, Kamie Lightburn, The Honorable & Mrs.
Earle Mack, Suzanne Merrill, Muffy & Donald Miller, Sharon
Bush & Robert C. Murray, Lucia N. Musso, Deborah L. Okain,
Joanna Roland, Frances G. Scaife, Mary E. Snow, Betsy &
Wally Turner, Nicholas Varney, Lis Waterman, Clelia & Tom
Zacharias, David Zislin
Palm Beach Race of Hope Junior Committee:
Chairman: PJ
Quick Pollack
Co-Chairs:
Callie Baker Holt, Katherine Lande & Kevin Condon, Mona
Nasser, Hollis Bradley Pica, Kameron Ramirez, Casey Taylor,
Sarah & Andrew Wetenhall
Committee: Bettina
Anderson, Zoë Bullock Cacioppo, Nathan Coe, David-William
Coffin, Sarah Cooke, Amanda & Tony Cummings, Samantha Curry,
Clementine Goutal, Jennifer Gowdy, Maggi Haigh, Stacey
Leuliette, Bryan Ludwig, Elizabeth H. Marshman, Devon
McCready, Nick Mele, Turner & Mike Mistretta, Matt Oleszczuk,
Jack Rooney, Whitney Lovell Schott, Kirsten Smith, Ivy
Sophir, Jane Stevens, Alanna Sutherland, Eric Viner, Grace &
Tally Walker
Sponsors: Findlay
Galleries, Balmain, Livingston Builders, Robert and Perri
Bishop Foundation, Gucci, Saks, Loro Piana, JP Morgan
Private Bank, Yafa Signed Jewelers, Press Ganey, Coastal
Gardens, Hamilton Jewelers, Marissa Collections, Palm Beach
Modern + Contemporary, The GEO Group, INC, Marble of the
World, Smith & Elkin, CPA's, P.A., Environment Design Group,
Psychiatry of the Palm Beaches, Gunster, Kirna Zabete,
Acanthus International, Le Bilboquet, FIVESTORY, Hamptons,
Veronica Beard, PALMER, Tammy Fender, Palm Beach Illustrated
and Palm Beach Atlantic University.
About Hope for Depression Research
Foundation:
HDRF was founded in 2006 by philanthropist Audrey Gruss in
memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical
depression. The mission of the HDRF is to spur the most
innovative brain research into the origins, medical
diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and
its related mood disorders – bipolar disorder, postpartum
depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety
disorder, and suicide. The World Health Organization has
declared depression as the leading cause of disability
worldwide, and yet conventional medications today are
outdated and do not fully work for 50% of patients. HDRF is
working tirelessly to improve the mental health landscape
for every American. The Foundation has provided more than
$75 million through over 200 grants for breakthrough
depression research that promises to transform the way
depression is viewed, diagnosed, treated and prevented.
Currently, HDRF has a potential new class of medication in
pilot clinical trials at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and
Stanford University. HDRF is also funding clinical trials
into other novel therapeutics and diagnostic tests at Johns
Hopkins, University of San Diego, and the Center for Healthy
Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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