THE NIGHT INSPIRES THE STARS OF HELEN HAYES

The Paramount Country Club in New City was an exquisite vision in red and black on November 9, as Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation hosted its stellar Night of Inspiration fundraiser.  As its invitation touted, the evening’s red carpet was not meant for movie stars, but the shining stars who were the recipients of the organization’s Helen Hayes MacArthur Rose Award. The event proved to be one of the most successful in the organization’s history, raising over $90,000 to pay for essential programs and equipment at Helen Hayes Hospital.

The cocktail hour was hopping, with guests mingling and enjoying delicious passed hors d’oeuvres as Daisy Jopling played the electronic violin and danced around the room. And as the doors to the dining room opened for the dinner portion of the evening, the overall sentiment was ‘breathtaking.’ But clearly, the highlight of the night was the inspirational video biographies that introduced each of the evening’s honorees: Neale Kuperman, Leonard Kurz, Patricia LeGeyt, and Jeffrey Cohen all had the crowd on their feet with standing ovations.

Last, and certainly not least, was Lee Woodruff, author, mentor, and co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, who spoke passionately about her experience with traumatic brain injury.  She proudly highlighted the common denominator of all the honorees’ stories when describing their experiences at Helen Hayes Hospital – the feeling of hope that is evident in all that is achieved at the hospital. One of Ms. Woodruff’s books, ‘In an Instant’, was given to each of the attendees and Lee was kind enough to personally sign copies during the cocktail hour.

“There are transformative moments in people’s lives, and listening to our honorees speak, in particular Jeff and Steve Cohen, is something that I know we will all carry with us,” said Executive Director Marci Kurtz.

  Helen Hayes, helen hayes hospital, Paramount Country Club