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On Saturday, February 15, 2025, the Hope
for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF)
celebrated the Seventh Anniversary of
its Race of Hope 5K Walk & Run to Defeat
Depression in Palm Beach at Bradley
Park. The event gathered over 1200 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 over
$1,000,000, breaking all previous
records, 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
Advisory Council 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.
“The stars are all aligned," said Gruss.
"The sun is going to be here any second.
We have the most amazing crowd here
today for the Hope for Depression
Research Foundation. A lot of you have
asked what we can do for Hope for
Depression. Well, you are doing it by
being here. You're showing the
visibility of the cause. You're showing
that you care.
You're showing to the media that you
care and that this is a cause worth
coming out for."
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, casual walkers,
families with children and dogs, and
teams from the local community such as
Ladies of Dunbar, Le Bilboquet, Oxbridge
Academy, Palm Beach Day Academy, The
Carriage House, and The Colony.
All race participants wore
custom-designed jackets, shirts, and
hats 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 Le Bilboquet, which
raised $18,000. The Award for Top
Individual Fundraiser from the Palm
Beach Race of Hope Committee went to
Mona Nasser, who raised $5,500. The
Award for the Largest Team went to
Captain Sarah Wetenhall of Team It Takes
a Colony, representing The Colony Hotel
with 46 members.
The Race Director then took the stage to
hand out the awards for the other
finishers. Second Place for best male
time went to Daniel Yinh and Second
Place for the best female time went to
Christina Rooney. Third Place for best
male time went to Doug Schnittger and
Third Place for the best female time
went to Lilia Drew. The top three
Overall Masters awards for the male
division went to Eric Capostagno for
First Place, William Rivera for Second
Place and Saare Abera for Third Place.
The top three Overall Masters awards for
the female division went to Helen Irish
for First Place, Stephanie Stevens for
Second Place and T Fox for Third Place.
The Age Division winners included D.
Alva and R. Goldberg for 12 and under,
Colton Osterberg and Xenia Platt for
13-15, Tyler Jassenoff and Coral Glaser
for 16-19, Montoya Zuluaga and Chloe
Esposito for 20-24, Alfredo Granier and
Sofia Remez for 25-29, Kevin Herman and
Katy Coffield 30-34, Duniel Viera and
Bolan Tarkoe for 35-39, Ryan Thompson
and Krista Begovic for 40-44, Anderson
Nunes and Jill Mahler for 45-49, Scott
Olenski and Erika Williams for 50-54,
Michael Trontz and Judy Libby for 55-59,
Mark Bess and Annette Johnson for 60-64,
Michael Farrell and Laurie Horstmann for
65-69, Jack Sabenski and Mary B Stanton
for 70-74, and Harold Rosen and Lee
McLaughlin for 75 plus.
Committee Race participants included:
Diego Binetti, Bob Murray, Frances &
Jeffrey Fisher, Christina Flaherty,
Barbara & Alan Glatt, Jamee & Peter
Gregory, Kaaren & Charles Hale,
Eleanora Kennedy, Kamie Lightburn,
Teresa & Jim Remez, Christine Schott,
Jeff Sophir, Eddy Taylor, Barbera Hale
Thornhill, Pam & Richard Williams and
Nancy Yanofsy & Ed Brown.
Junior Committee participants included:
Zoe Bullock Cacioppo, Katherine Lande &
Kevin Condon, Chloe Pearl Glaser, Cece
Glatt, Jennifer Gowdy, Maggi Haigh,
Stacey Leuliette, Jennnifer Lourie,
Bryan Ludwig
Elizabeth Marshman, Taylor Materio, Nick
Mele, Mona Nasser, Matthew Oleszczuk,
Hollis Bradley Pica
Whitney Schott, Kirsten Smith, Grant
Sory, Alanna Sutherland, Eric Viner and
Sarah Wetenhall
Palm Beach Race of Hope Committee
Race of Hope Co-Grand Marshals: Audrey
Gruss and Scott Snyder
Diamond Committee Level: Marvin H.
Davidson Foundation
and Laura & Brent Nicklas
Platinum Committee Level: Becky & F.
William Bryan, Philippe & Deborah Dauman
Jamee & Peter Gregory, Charles & Kaaren
Hale, Simone & David Levinson, Nicola &
Jeffrey Marcus, Heidi and Tom
McWilliams, Alina de Almeida and John
Paulson, Thomas C. Quick & Michael
Donnell, Barbera Hale Thornhill and
Lynne Wheat
Gold Committee Level: Paola Bacchini &
Arnold Rosenshein, CeCe & Lee Black,
Julie & Mike Connors, The Honorable
David Fischer & Jennifer Fischer,
Frances Fisher, Christina and Brian
Flaherty, Cindy & Chris Galvin, Yaz &
Valentin Hernandez, Ann F. Jeffery,
Melanie & Roger Lawson, Ambassador &
Mrs. John L. Loeb Jr., Muffy & Donald
Miller, Jeffrey Pfeifle & David
Granville, Kara Ross, Pat Ryan,
Christine Schott, Taylor Family
Foundation and Nancy Yanofsky & Ed Brown
Silver Committee Level: Robin Baker
Leacock, Geoffrey N. Bradfield, Susie &
Vere Gaynor
Hilary Geary Ross, Barbara & Alan Glatt,
Darcy Gould, J. Ira & Nicki Harris
Family Foundation, Tania & Brian
Higgins, Herb & Eva Jacobi, Jayne T.
Keith, Eleanora Kennedy, Kamie Lightburn,
Stephanie Loeffler, Sharon Bush & Bob
Murray, Lucia N. Musso, Sallie B.
Phillips, Joanna Roland, Frances G.
Scaife, Barbara & Randall Smith, Mary
Snow, Betsy & Wally Turner, Lis
Waterman, Michelle Worth, Clelia & Tom
Zacharias, Matthew Ailey & Greg Zaffiro
and Silvia Zoullas
Palm Beach Race of Hope Junior Committee
Honorary Chair: PJ Quick Pollack
Chairs: Callie Baker Holt, Nick Mele
Vice Chairs: Hollis Bradley Pica, Chloe
Pearl Glaser, Katherine Lande & Kevin
Condon, Lauren Merck, Mona Nasser,
Whitney Schott, Grace & Tally Walker and
Sarah Wetenhall
Committee: Bettina Anderson, Matthew
Dane Brookshire, Zoe Bullock Cacioppo,
Christina Coleman, Samantha Curry,
Linsey Walters Desich, CeCe Glatt,
Alexandra Grace, Clementine Goutal, Alex
Hamer, Jennifer Gowdy, Maggi Haigh,
Stacey Leuliette, Jennifer Lourie, Bryan
Ludwig, Elizabeth Marshman, Jennifer
Maerz, Taylor Materio, Devon McCready,
Matthew Oleszczuk, Jack Rooney, Hannah
Selleck, Kirsten Smith, Grant Sory,
Alanna Sutherland and Eric Viner
Palm Beach Race of Hope Sponsors
Findlay Galleries is the 2025 Race of
Hope presenting sponsor. Other
sponsors include Bar Harbour Shops
Access Pop-Up, Coastal Gardens,
Environment Design Group, Isaia Napoli,
JP Morgan Private Bank, Le Bilboquet,
Livingston Builders, Love Binetti,
Marble of the World, Marissa
Collections, Palm Beach Atlantic
University, Palm Beach Illustrated, Palm
Beach Modern + Contemporary, PG Forsta,
Lily Pulitzer, Pure Skin Palm Beach,
Robert and Perri Bishop Foundation,
Rubinson Glaser Family, Smith & Elkin,
South Flagler House, Tammy Fender
Holistic Skin Care and Veronica Beard.
ABOUT HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH
FOUNDATION (HDRF)
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 $85 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.
Several other pilot clinical trials of
novel treatments are in the pipeline as
a result of the drug discovery research
of its Depression Task Force, an
acclaimed collaboration of top brain
scientists from around the world.
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