Sagaponak - Last weekend the home of
Louis and
Susan Meisel and the Sagaponak Sculpture Garden were the setting for art, jazz, cuisine and altruism to come together in support of the
Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF). The food was extraordinary, the company superb and the cause important to us all, an eventual cure for cancer.
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A promenade of chef tastings from some of the East End's finest restaurants feted the guests at the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation benefit in Sagaponak. |
Several tents covered the grounds which are literally a sculpture garden and, along with the pieces available as part of the live and silent auctions, constituted the art element of the benefit. The sounds of a sweet jazz trio billowing through the evening air was the musical fare and an eclectic and sumptuous promenade of food stations, donated by some of the East End's finest restaurants, provided the palette pleasing sustenance for the supporters of this vital and world renowned cancer research foundation. Featured restaurants included Bobby Van's Steakhouse, Ichiban Dim Sum, Le Monde,
Townline BBQ and Della Famina, just to name a few.
In
the words of noted Manhattan attorney and member of the SWCRF Board
Jamie Frankel, "Dr. Waxman is an incredible human being, truly an extraordinary man." As so it would seem, as Waxman has guided the foundation into its 35th year and in the process awarded more than $75 million to support the work of more than 175 researchers around the world. According to the benefit program statement by Waxman and Chairman of the Board
Michael Nierenberg, the SWCRF is "dedicated to fund innovative science to bring less toxic treatments to patients and to eradicate cancer."
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SWCRF founder Dr. Samuel Waxman with his grandson Jack. |
Explaining what makes SWRCF unique, Waxman told Hamptons.com, "We have collaboration with on-going research. As a scientist I do not think you can figure out something this important in one or two years, sometimes it takes five or 10 years. With me it took a long time to cure a form of leukemia. So we like continuity of science and we fund people for long periods of time. So if you look at it as a company, you go long with us and if you have the patience, something is going to get done. There is no other foundation that does that."
To further understand the critical work of the foundation one needs simply to read their own statement of purpose, "The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation is an international organization dedicated to curing and preventing cancer. The Foundation is a pioneer in cancer research, focusing on uncovering the causes of cancer and reprogramming cancer cells. We dedicate ourselves to delivering tailored, minimally toxic treatments to patients. Our mission is to eradicate cancer by bridging the gap between lab science and the patient. Through our collaborative group of world-class scientists, the 'Institute Without Walls,' investigators share information and tools to speed the pace of cancer research."
In its seventh season, this event in the Hamptons is one the most important of several fundraisers the SWCRF does throughout the year. It is not celebrity driven, but supported by a broad section of East Enders both young and old, that returns each year. They are friends gathering in a common purpose, a more effective and benevolent treatment of cancer and, ultimately, the eradication of the disease that in some way has undoubtedly touched each and everyone of our lives.
For more information go to
www.waxmancancer.org.
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Dozens of donated live and silent auction items helped raise money for the work of this extraordinary foundation in the effort to find a cure for cancer. |
Frequently mistaken for the "Most Interesting Man in the World" from the Dos Equis commercials and the iconic gray-bearded Sean Connery, DMH is the Senior Contributing Editor at Hamptons.com. 
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