BENEFITTING HDRF

AAudrey Gruss, founding chair of the leading non-profit Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF), hosted a luncheon at Le Bilboquet to gather local HDRF supporters to plan Shop for Hope – a collaboration with Saks Fifth Avenue and the luxury brand Aquazurra -- to benefit the charity.

Shop for Hope will take place at Saks in Palm Beach from Wednesday February 15 through Friday, February 17; the three-day event will be open to the public, and a portion of all sales storewide will go to HDRF’s urgent biomedical research into clinical depression and anxiety.

Bibi Siegel, VP/General Manager of Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Beach, and fashion stylist Katherine Lande were featured guests at the planning luncheon. They confirmed that the highlight of the Shop for Hope event will be a private cocktail reception on Wednesday, February 15 with Edgardo Ossorio, designer and owner of Aquazurra, who will display his latest handbag and shoe creations. Invitation only.

Shop for Hope will lead up to HDRF’s Fifth Annual Race of Hope, a 5K Run/Walk in Palm Beach on Saturday, February 18 at 8 am. To join the Race of Hope, go to: PalmBeach.RaceOfHopeSeries.com.

Audrey Gruss said: “Depression is the Number One cause of disability worldwide, and rates of depression have tripled in the U.S. due to the pandemic. I am moved by the support and leadership of Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Beach to address one of the most important humanitarian and public health issues of our day.”

“We are honored to support Audrey Gruss and the ongoing mission of Hope [for Depression] to raise funds for scientific research into the origins, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of depression,” said Saks Fifth Avenue VP General Manager Bibi Siegel. “We applaud the significant impact the organization has made in this community and beyond.” along with Audrey Gruss is Co-Grand Marshal of the 2023 Race of Hope; Hollis Pica, Junior Co-Chair of 2023 Race of Hope; Maura Landers and Race of Hope committee members, Kevin Condon, Tom Quick, Nicola Marcus, Heidi McWilliams, Caroline and Omeed Malik, Clelia Zacharias, Sharon Bush and Bob Murray, Luce Churchill, and Bettina Anderson.

For more information on "Shop for Hope" contact Katherine Lande at klande@klstyleinc.com

For more information, please visit: www.hopefordepression.org

About HDRF

HDRF was founded in 2006 by Palm Beach resident and philanthropist Audrey Gruss in memory of her mother Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. Today, HDRF is the leading nonprofit organization focused solely on advanced depression research into new and better treatments for the illness. 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. The mission of the HDRF is to spur innovative neuroscience research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and its related mood disordersbipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and suicide. To date, HDRF has provided more than $50 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, Columbia University, and Stanford University.