Forget Me Not at 30

Can I get a round of applause please! The celebration of CaringKind Forget-Me-Not gala’s 30th anniversary earlier this week was nothing short of extravaganza, pomp and circumstance! The week long festivities commenced with carefully hand picked committee members and devout supporters of the organization to co-host shopping frenzies, which essentially took over the shopping strip on Madison Avenue. A portion of the proceeds benefited the charity’s mission of assisting caregivers of family members living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. I proudly served as one of the co-hosts and one of the 100 Women of Impact! My dear friend Esther Blair Schiffman and I were assigned to the swanky boutique of Ramy Brook to close out the week long shopping events. Other store participants included Alice and Olivia, Varley, Veronica Beard, et.al. I’m ever so grateful to all the friends who showed and financially supported the cause!

The big gala night took place the next day at the iconic Cipriani where honorees included actress Jane Seymour and long time supporter Tim Walsh from the firm KPMG. Actor David Hyde Pierce once again did the honors of assuming his long standing role as the Master of Ceremony. He literally had a room full of esteemed guests in a chokehold with tear jerk speech that left every pair of eyes wet with his profound heart tugging speech. Jane Seymour’s speech didn’t spare us either. You’d have to be built out of stone not to have been moved by the messages delivered that evening.

The fundraising part of the evening could have rivaled a stock trading battle at the New York Stock Exchange. I thought I could steal the exquisite resort in Roundhill, Jamaica by swiftly raising my paddle twice. I was quickly humbled when the bidding war sent it to the stratosphere! Another in Umbria, Italy had me tuck my paddle sadly between my knees with grinding teeth. The highly anticipated afterparty soon followed… or so we thought. The ongoing NBA finals hoping to nab the NY Knicks a golden moment against the Spurs turned the already congested New York traffic onto its head, especially with the President in town as one of the spectators. The gridlock not only hindered party revelers from easy access to the venue, the guests already in house were enamored with the venue’s jumbo TV screens watching the game! The match literally stole the after party’s momentum. The band was basically left entertaining themselves, as you can see from the reel posted on instagram. The after party would have been the first ever of its kind for the organization, which enlisted myself, and 5 others to co-host the fête. One of which included Montgomery Frazier whose recently deceased better half Ben was honored by the said afterparty. Overall, the week long festivities raised almost $3 million. CaringKind is no doubt one of my favorite charitable organization to support. They do throw one of the meanest party in town during gala season. I’m always happy to heed their call to duty in support of their great cause. Judging by the end of the reel posted on instagram, it’s safe to say I helped close the dance floor with the gorgeous band leader Onye belting out my name out loud through the speakers. I’m happy to report that my fellow co-host and dear friend of mine, the one and only couturier Malan Breton designed and styled my look for the ocassion in a light as feather floor length multilayered, detailed bodice chiffon ball gown with cute satin bow accents. And in true Cinderella form, I dipped out before the carriage turned into uber by midnight! It was indeed a night to remember! Until next time, cheers!

Click here to see the video from the event posted on instagram.