LONG ISLAND, NY – On Saturday, August 1st, 2015, the Southampton Hospital Foundation’s Board of Directors held its 57th Annual Summer Party, themed Fantasia. The gala took place from 6:30pm to 11pm. Guests and supporters arrived wearing black and white. The party was chaired by Jean Remmel FitzSimmons, with the support of Honorary Chair Howard Lorber and Underwriting Chair Jean Shafiroff.

Contributors dined and danced under the air-conditioned tents at the corner of Wickapogue and Old Town Road in Southampton. The festive evening emceed by Chuck Scarborough will benefit Southampton Hospital’s Jenny and John Paulson Emergency Department, which is the sole provider of emergency care on the South Fork and throughout the East End and all of the Hamptons treating more than 25,000 people.

Underwriting Chair Jean Shafiroff and Humanitarian Sara Herbert Galloway at the 57th Annual Southampton Hospital Summer Party on Saturday, August 1st, 2015.

The tents were completely transformed by the imagination and creativity of Tony Urrutia. Attendees also enjoyed an elegant catered dinner by Robbins Wolfe Eventeurs and music by the Alex Donner Orchestra. In addition, guests on hand had access to an array of fabulous silent auction items, and a raffle featuring exciting exiting prizes.

Cognac Wellerlane interviews Actress Cassandra Seidenfeld, Chair Jean RemmelFitzSimmons, Sara Herbert Galloway and Socialite Joy Marks at the 57 Annual Southampton Hospital Summer Party to benefit the Southampton Hospital.

I was happy to talk to Event Chair Jean Remmel FitzSimmons.

Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., of East Hampton and Cognac Wellerlane at the 57th Annual Southampton Hospital Summer Party on Saturday, August 1st, 2015.

Welcome back darlings, I am Cognac Wellerlane and I am here with the Event Chair Jean Remmel FitzSimmons. What a pleasure to talk to you. Tell my audience how long you have been associated with the Southampton Hospital?

Jean: This is my 30th year.

Now this is a huge honor for you to be the Chair for this particular event especially this year.

Jean: It’s fun for me to do it. I have done it before but I think this is my finale. So it’s fun to go out this way.

I can’t believe it’s your finale, there maybe will be ten more times you will do it. Tell my audience why the Southampton Hospital is so vital to the community.

Jean: It’s totally important if anything happen out here. It is our community hospital. You know a lot of people say they would go back to New York but they won’t if they have a heart attack or an accident. They need this hospital and it’s a good one. I mean that truly!

I believe you. I know it is and that is why I am here to bring awareness and make people know that this is a truly wonderful hospital and we need all the contributions and donations we can get.

Jean: Absolutely! Thank you for saying that.

Tell my audience where we can go to support, participate, contribute and donate what is the website?

Jean: www.southamptonhospital.org and you can always send a check anytime.

The Jean Remmel FitzSimmons Society was created to honor and recognize friends who include the Hospital in their estate plans. Jean Remmel FitzSimmons is a distinguished member of the Southampton Hospital family, an esteemed trustee whose name has come to be synonymous with the institution’s annual fund raising appeal and Summer Party.

Before dinner I spoke to Honorary Chair Howard Lorber.

It’s a pleasure to meet you and what a thrill for you to be the Honorary Chair for tonight’s event.

Howard: Thank you. It’s my honor to be here. We are very excited. It’s a very exciting time for the Southampton Hospital because of our merger with Stony Brook.

Yes, tell my audience about that.

Howard: Well, we are working on approvals. There are a lot of approvals when you are putting hospitals together but we are going to be an affiliate of Stony Brook and we are going to build a new hospital on the campus of Stony Brook which formerly was Southampton Hospital. It should be Southampton College so we are very excited about that.

Will there be something added because of the coalition?

Howard: Sure, Stony Brook is a teaching hospital. It opens lots opportunities for us. We are going to have a brand new modern hospital with everything that is needed for communities like Southampton and the East End. After all we really are the only hospital on the East End

I know and that is why It is so vital for us all to support this hospital. Don’t you agree?

Howard: One hundred percent. I mean the Southampton Hospital Emergency room is one of the best in the country but also we have full time residents that need to be taken care of on the East End and we are doing it now and I think we will be able to do an even better job with the new hospital.

Businessman and investor Howard Lormer amd Cognac 57th Annual Southampton Hospital Summer Party on Saturday, August 1st, 2015.

Howard Lorber is is an American businessman and investor. He is the President and CEO of Vector Group Ltd., a holding company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He is also the Chairman of Douglas Elliman, a subsidiary of Vector Group, which is the largest residential real estate brokerage in the New York metropolitan area. He is also chairman of Nathan’s Famous (a fast food chain in the New York area). In May 2010, he became a member of the Board of Directors at Borders Group Inc. He is also associated with New Valley Corporation (formerly Western Union), Hallman & Lorber Associates (an actuarial firm), Aegis Capital Corporation (a broker-dealer), United Capital Corporation (real estate), and Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services.

Cognac Wellerlane interviews Honorary Chair Howard Lorber and East Hampton Mayor Paul F. Ruckenbach, Jr. at the 57th Annual Southampton Hospital Summer Party to benefit Southampton Hospital.

Since its establishment in 1909, Southampton Hospital has remained faithful to the vision of its founders in providing the very best in medical care to the Eastern Long Island community. An affiliate of Stony Brook Medicine and a member of the East End Health Alliance, a group of three Long Island hospitals on the North and South Forks, the Hospital offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services and is staffed by more than 280 physicians, dentists, and allied health professionals representing 48 medical specialties. The Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission, an agency that rates the quality of care provided by some 20,000 healthcare facilities across the United States.

For more information please visit http://www.southamptonhospital.org

LONG ISLAND, NY – Supporters enjoyed the sunset with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in Sag Harbor this weekend, July 25,2015, at the Sunset on the Harbor event at the the Bridgewater Yacht Club. The sold out fundraiser benefited the LGBT Network, a non-profit organization serving Long Island’s LGBT community since 1993. Proceeds from the event will support the LGBT Network’s Hamptons LGBT Center in Sag Harbor that provides services and a safe space for LGBT youth, adults, older adults, and LGBT-headed families of the East End throughout the year.

During the event I sat down and interviewed President and Founder David Kilmnick.

President and Founder of the LGBT Network David Kilmnick and Cognac Wellerlane.

David Kilmnick, PhD, MSW has more than twenty three years of experience working on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. His mission is to end homophobia and transphobia, provide a home and a safe space for the community and advocate for equality under the law.

David founded Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY) in 1993 and has led the organization through growing and developing substantially in its 21-year history including the purchase of the first LGBT community center on Long Island. The most significant growth was in 2005 when David established The LGBT Network (The Network) to expand services for Long Island’s LGBT community throughout the lifespan. The Network included two other new organizations – the Long Island LGBT Community Center (The Center) for adults and families, and Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders – Long Island (SAGE-LI) for seniors so that LGBT Long Islanders of all ages have access to needed programs and services.

Below is our interview:

Welcome back darlings, I am Cognac Wellerlane and I am here with the President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. David Kilmnick.

David: Yes, thank you so much for coming today.

It’s my pleasure. It’s such a wonderful event. It’s wonderful that you opened this facility right here in Sag Harbor. That must have been a huge undertaking. Can you tell my audience about the new facility that you just opened up.

David: Sure, the LGBT Network is an association of several different non-profit organizations, LIGALY, The Long Island Center, SAGE-U, Long Island for our elders and we just expanded into Queens. We have LGBT Queens Center now too. Servicing Long Island’s LGBT community means that we have to have more than on center to make our services accessible. A couple of years ago there was a sixteen year old in East Hampton, David Hernandez Barros…

Oh, I heard about that.

David: It was tragic. He didn’t have any support. He didn’t have anywhere to go so he took his own life. We said we can’t wait one more day to open a center here on the East End so that there isn’t one more kid that feels like they have to take their life. So the center is the beacon of hope for so many kids, for their parents, for their families for LGBT people, for straight people….it’s really a hub of activity for the East End LGBT community. We have all different kinds of services. We have a drop-in center for people to drop-in. We do cultural activities, art activities, we do counseling, we do HIV testing….we are out in the community the schools and we do some anti-bullying work. We are really all over the East End making sure that our community feels safe no matter where they are at.

Tell my audience how you became involved.

David: I am actually the founder of the organization.

So you decided to create this organization, How wonderful! How long has it been in existence?

David: Twenty-three years. I started the organization when I was a student at Stonybrook University.

You were a baby!

David: I know, I know, now I am going to be middle aged. Well I am middle aged, ha..ha..ha. I am going to be SAGE Long Island age soon. I started the organization when I was a student at Stonybrook doing my masters project when I was studying for my masters in social work and we went out into Long Island schools to talk about what it is like to grow up LGBT and what happened at the end of these workshops….we would have a couple of students when the worship was over they would shuffle their papers, would hit stuff on the floor so that everyone else would leave class and they would come up to the gay speaker…it was always the same question no matter where it was, “Is there a place that I can go” and there wasn’t back in 1993.

That’s why you decided to start this organization.

David: Yes! These kids, our youths should have a safe place. Everyone should have a safe place. We should definitely have a haven where they can just come and be kids and enjoy themselves and learn about everything they need to learn in life and learn that they can be anything in life too!

It is interesting, I go to so many organizations like this. I just went to LIVE OUT LOUD. That was in East Hampton. Tell my audience why your organization is unique. What is different about it?

David: Our organization, the LGBT Network with all of our organizations, Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, Long Island LGBT Community Center, SAGE and Queens LGBT Community Center serves a region of over six million people from the midtown tunnel to Montauk.

That’s a lot of people.

David: It is a lot of people. We have four community centers. Most organizations and all of our LGBT organizations are absolutely wonderful and doing God’s work but our organization is a little bit different in the fact that we can’t just have one center and expect people to come to where ever we are. We have to make our services accessible. A lot of what we do here in our center is making sure that we are out and visible in the community whether its schools, whether its the workplace, whether its churches or synagogues…we are out there doing our work to try and make every space a LGBT friendly space.

You doing a fantastic job! you are doing a spectacular job! I want you to tell my audience where we can go to find out more information. What is the website?

David: Sure, they can go to www.lgbtnetwork.org; You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all over social media as well.

Chief Operating Officer Robert Vitelli and Cognac Wellerlane pose for a photo-op.

The LGBT Network is an association of non-profit organizations working to serve the LGBT community of Long Island and Queens throughout the lifespan: Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY), The Long Island LGBT Community Center (The Center), Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders – Long Island (SAGE-LI), and the Queens LGBT Community Center (Q Center).

LIGALY is the original organization of The Network as it was established in 1993 and is nationally known for its work with LGBT youth in the areas of education, advocacy, youth leadership and development and support. The Center and SAGE-LI along with the Network was founded in 2005 to unite these non-profits to help more LGBT people across the lifespan and create a cost efficient way of serving the Long Island LGBT Community.

With shared administrative staff between all organizations, this structure eliminates duplication of administrative and executive staff thereby allowing each organization of The Network to share resources. This unique model reduces overhead costs and expenses and as a result more than 80 cents of every dollar raised are channeled directly into critical programs and services for Long Islanders of all ages and walks of life.

Cognac interviews President and Founder David Kilmnick of the LGBT Network, Committee Member Tim Hennessey and Chief Operating Officer Robert Vitelli at The Sunset on The Harbor Cocktail Reception to benefit lgbtnetwork.org in Sag Harbor

Together, each organization works within The Network to end homophobia and transphobia, to provide a home and safe space for the LGBT community and to advocate for equality.

Since 2012, The Network also produces the annual Pride Parade and PrideFest celebration every June and Living Out magazine each month. Both Pride and Living Out build community and celebrate their identities while also providing visibility to their movement

For more information please visit http://lgbtnetwork.org

LONG ISLAND, NY – Arthamptons, the original fine art fair of the Hamptons took place over the Fourth of July weekend from July 2-5, 2015.

The Hamptons Expo Group has emerged as one of the fastest growing fine art fair organizers in America. Their “boutique” shows feature prominent galleries offering the finest in post-war and contemporary art. Headquartered in Southampton, New York, the Hamptons Expo Group created and produces ArtAspen, ArtHamptons, the Houston Fine Art Fair and the Palm Springs Art Fair.

Art enthusiasts and Black Card Holders were welcome to a glamorous opening night party to be the first to view and acquire important works of art. Guests enjoyed delectable hor d’oeuvres by Cheffe Colette at The Inn Spot on the Bay, complimentary open wine bars sponsored by Sequoia Grove.

Purchase of the opening night ticket benefits Guild Hall + Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. Generously Hosted by Maria and Kenneth Fishel.

During the opening night party I spoke to President and Founder Rick Friedman.

Arthamptons Founder and President Rick Friedman and First Lady of Arthampton Cindy Lou Wakefield.

Hello darlings, welcome back. I am Cognac Wellerlane and we are here at Arthamptons and I am here with the founder of Arthampton, Mr. Rick Friedman, and this is going to be a very very exciting weekend. Tell my audience when it starts.

Rick: Cognac it’s the eighth year we have been doing this. We are here at 899 Scutter Hole Road The fourth of July weekend, July 2, 3, 4 and 5. We expect thousands and thousands of people here. We have seventy galleries from fourteen countries. The average gallery traveled 2,700 miles to come here.

Oh my God! These paintings from all over the world.

Rick: Every corner of the world. There are four hundred artists represented here, from China and everywhere!

Is there an estimated value of all these paintings? Is it like millions of dollars?

Rick: Yes, it is about forty million dollars.

Forty million dollars! Wow! Forty smackaroos!

Rick: It’s hard to sell them all but we are going to do the best we can. We expect to sell millions of dollars of art this weekend.

Tell my audience some of the artists that are premiering their art.

Rick: We have some really big names, you know like the Andy Warhol’s and Alex Katz. We have some up and coming artists, there are 400 hundred artists here.

I can’t wait! Tell my audience where we can go to find out more information. What is the website?

Rick: Sure, http://www.arthamptons.com, Scuttle Hole Rd. and Lumber Lane in Bridgehampton.

Your gorgeous!

Rick: Thanks.

Rick Friedman went on to reveal “The fair will again offer fair-goers a curated and dazzling selection of important post-war and contemporary art in all media. We expect to showcase over 1,000 significant works of art by some 300 respected artists. Galleries from the East End will be joined by prominent dealers from 10+ countries. We will offer valuable must have treasures for every budget.” The fair will present a wide selection of artists to choose from – ranging from hot up-and-comers, to mid-career, to the major well-known masters.”

Rick Friedman is one of America’s most successful media entrepreneurs during the past two decades. During the 90’s Mr. Friedman pioneered advanced software technology through his many magazines, journals, books, expos and conferences. Founding SIGS Publications in his basement with just a thousand dollars, it grew to become one of the fastest growing businesses in the nation in the mid-late 90’s, with offices in the UK, Germany, France and Australia. SIGS became a thought-leader company for some 200,000 programmers in over 100 countries. After successfully selling SIGS in 1999, Mr. Friedman focused his attention on a new emerging technology, digital video and visual effects. Soon his NY and LA based Digital Video Shows became “the” industry event and he was able to acquire in 2003, Hollywood’s venerable filmmaker trade show, ShowBiz Expo (formerly owned by Variety ) Over 20,000 filmmakers and 250 sponsors – including Avid, Apple, Panavision, Panasonic, Sony, Canon and Kodak – supported his shows in NY, LA, and Chicago.

Mr Friedman, is a colorful entrepreneur whose earlier diverse range of ventures includes creating the 80’s syndicated TV show ” Dance Fever ” (original MC), producing and directing 80+ theatrical shows, musical concerts, and cabaret shows.. and also owning the USA Women’s Volleyball Team in 1985.

Over the past 5 years, Rick Friedman has become a serious collector of 20th Century American art, with an emphasis in Abstract Expressionism. Having acquired over 125 museum-level paintings during this period, he frequently loans his artworks to exhibitions and museum shows and has been featured in American Art Collector Magazine. With his current foray into the art fair business, Rick matches his passion for art, his many contacts in the art world and his experience as one of the nation’s most successful event producers. Rick has a dynamic ability to create successful dynamic marketplaces for buyers and sellers.

His entrepreneurial achievements led CNN to create a segment on his life and he is a member of the World Presidents Organization.

During my interview with Artist William Quiqley he conveyed why he loves Arthamptons so much, “Well, I love Rick and Cindy Lou Wakefield. They are amazing people and brought a lot of attention to the art world for the artists that they show and represent. First class, Arthamptons is amazing.”

William Quigley graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art in Pennsylvania in 1984. He also studied abroad at the Tyler School of Art in Italy for one year before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania in 1984 to study Political Science. In 1985 he entered Columbia University Graduate School of Fine Arts in New York City for his MFA and opened for Andy Warhol at the McNeil Gallery for the Images of a Child’s World exhibition.

Qugley has traveled the world creating beautiful Art. The move to New York 1999 sparked an incredibly productive period working with a few different band’s such as Pete Francis, Dispatch, and Piano genius Paul Tillotson, creating albums, stages, and developed a company with Francis in 2000 called “Skrapper”. A T-shirt company using Quigleys Boxer paintings and quirky sayings on their products, t-shirts, stages, and albums. Scrapper Records was formed by Pete Francis using the original logo designed by web designer Jeremy Miller from a Quigley portrait of Marvin Hart.

Quigley’s work is collected by over 600 people worldwide, including influential figures as President Bill Clinton, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to athletes like Shaquille Oneal and Michael Jordan, Eminem, Woody Allen and Kevin Spacey.

During the evening I interviewed many artist including world renowned Artist Kevin Berlin.

Tell my audience what you think of Arthamptons this year,

Kevin: First of all I would like to introduce you to Elsa who came all the way to Arthamptons. I have been six months in Florence, Italy painting “Nutella.” “Nutella” is something that was invented just after the ward, 2nd World War and it is a chocolaty hazelnut spread that makes people happy. I don’t mean that cliche happy. I like to paint things that get people excited.

Internationally renowned artist Kevin Berlin’s works are found in the collections of Kim Basinger, Luciano Pavarotti, David Letterman, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Dudley and Lisa Anderson, Quincy Jones, Buzz Aldrin, Henry Buhl, and General Motors Corp. Berlin, a Yale University Alumnus, studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Shanghai Daily, The Miami Herald, USA Today, MTV, Tokyo Television, BBC Radio and over 40 television stations across the United States. Berlin was honored by President Reagan at The White House as a Young Arts Presidential Scholar in 1983. Kevin Berlin’s recent major solo exhibitions include shows in Shanghai, Kiev, Chicago, and New York City.

Arthamptons 2015, Debra Rothberg, Artist George Schulman and Cognac Wellerlane.

Two other fabulous artists that I conversed with were Giancarlo Impiglia and Long Island Artist George Schulman.

Giancarlo Impiglia packs a mighty wallop of Art historical references in his lively compositions. He stands on the shoulders of the Italian futurists, recalls the flourishes of Art Nouveau, celebrates the curving geometry of Art Deco and integrates the concept of Cubism.

Giancarlo Impiglia showcased his “Energy of Bodies in Motion” at Counterpoint Contemporary Fine Art Booth at Arthamptons. Wildly colorful kinetic, exuberant and at times visually tense, Master Huntington, Long Island Artist George Schulman stands apart from other artists. His art work pans over 30 years of creativity. George showed his work at the Lawrence Booth at Arthamptons and you can see more of his work at the Lawrence Art Gallery in East Hampton.

For more information about Arthamptons please visit http://www.arthamptons.com

LONG ISLAND, NY – It was a roaring good time as supporters attended the The Roaring 20’s Summer Party for the Retreat in the Ross School Lower Campus Field House located at 739 Butter Lane, Bridgehampton, NY on Saturday June 20th, 2015. This year marks the 20th anniversary of “All Against Abuse” (previously Artists Against Abuse) annual summer party to benefit The Retreat Domestic Violence Services.

The Retreat’s mission is to provide safety, shelter and support for victims of domestic abuse and to break the cycle of family violence. A community-based, not-for-profit serving the North and South Forks of Long Island since 1987. Before the event got underway I spoke to Executive Director Loretta K. Davis.

Loretta K. Davis, Executive Director and Maggie Goldfarb, Director of Development speaks about their 20th anniversary of All Against Abuse Summer Party annual summer party to benefit The Retreat Domestic Violence Services.

Hello darlings, welcome back. I am Cognac Wellerlane and I am here at the 20th Anniversary for “All Against Abuse” I am here with the Executive Director of the Retreat and she is going to introduce herself to the camera.

Loretta: Yes, Loretta Davis.

Now Loretta this has been going on for twenty years you have been having this wonderful fundraiser….this charily gala. Tell my audience what is “All Against Abuse”….it use to be known as “Artist Against Abuse.” Inform my audience what it really is all about.

Loretta: First of all it is a fabulous celebration. It started twenty years ago with “Artist Against Abuse” and at that time it was artist who were supporting the Retreat and they were making plates and platters..and it was only the plates and platters that were actually being sold raising money for the Retreat…that of course does services for domestic violence families. So now we still have three platters that we are offering tonight for sale by artist but look what it has blossomed into.

Well it looks like a spectacular event. It’s just beautiful…the way it is decorated! Tell my audience who did the decorations?

Loretta: It’s incredible. Now that you have to talk to Maggie about.

OK. I am going to talk to her about that. You have some pretty important sponsors. Tell my audience who those sponsors are?

Loretta: Well first of all we have an honorary committee and that is an amazing group of people that have been very supportive including Liev Schreiber is one of them. We have many, many more. I will let Maggie give you all the names on that.

If we want to find out more information about this charity, this fundraiser and everything regarding the Retreat…and against domestic violence, where can we go to support contribute and participate?

Loretta: We have a website it’s www.theretreatinc.org and if you go on there you can see all the services that we provide not just to women and children…it’s also men and it’s not just Suffolk County. We provide services to people that are in Nassau County…even out of state if they need shelter and it’s safer for them to be at our shelter then in other states. If you go on our website that’s the best place to get information.

Loretta K. Davis joined The Retreat in early 2015 as Executive Director.

Prior to joining The Retreat, Ms. Davis was the Town Justice in Tuxedo, New York for almost 20 years where she presided over civil and criminal matters. She worked as Moderator for the Roundtable which is the court of last resort for families recovering from Hurricane Sandy. The Roundtable is administered by the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, a not-for-profit organization in Melville, New York.

Ms. Davis holds a law degree from New York Law School and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont. She clerked for a federal district court judge in Manhattan and worked at the law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. She has extensive fundraising and managerial experience with the non-profit world through work with Business Council for Peace and Habitat for Humanity as well as other organizations.

I also spoke to Director of Development Maggie Goldfarb.

Director of Development Maggie Goldfarb with Cognac at the All Against Abuse Summer Party at the Ross School Lower Campus Field House located at 739 Butter Lane in Bridgehampton on Saturday June 20th, 2015.

Maggie explain to my audience what we can expect tonight.

Maggie: It’s the 20th Anniversary of “All Against Abuse” which supports the Retreat’s domestic violence services and tonight we have a wonderful cocktail hour with about 40 silent auction items ranging in everything from art to beauty to travel experience….a bunch of different things and then guests will going in for dinner and dancing of course and we have a live auction as well with a bunch of local and non-local artists a trip to Ireland, a trip to Jamaica and other special experiences.

Now I understand you are having a very special family…the Clemente’s…tell my audience why they are receiving this award and why they are tonight’s honorees.

Maggie: Well tonight it is Ann and Constantine Clemente and they have been supportive for a number of years to the Retreat. Their daughter Stephanie was a tireless volunteer in our shelter a few years ago and they have been incredibly supportive to us and we wanted to recognize them for that support.

I understand they are not attending the event. I heard their son is going to accept the award. Who is that?

Maggie: Dr. Arthur Clemente and his wife Estrella will be accepting the award on their behalf.

Maggie Goldfarb is Director of Development at The Retreat. She joined the team in June 2014 as a highly enthusiastic and motivated member. Her principal role is to support the mission, goals and objectives of the Retreat by developing and implementing short and long-term fundraising goals. Her heart has always been in the not-for-profit world and she believes strongly in helping others.

Prior to The Retreat, Ms.Goldfarb served as the Capital Campaign Coordinator at East End Hospice, organizing an $8 million campaign to construct an inpatient facility, and as Development Coordinator at Southampton Hospital, where she planned two major fundraising events raising over $1.6 million annually. Ms.Goldfarb holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Public Relations from James Madison University. She grew up in Southampton and currently resides there.

Radio Host and Realtor Amy Cerullo served as guest speaker for the event.

Honorary Committee included Lorraine Bracco, Bobbie Brown, Ina Garlen, Susan Lucci, Ann Liquori, Debra Messing, Liev Schreiber, Martha Stewart and Renee Zellweger.

The Retreat provides a local residential shelter for women and children, a 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling, legal advocacy, programs to engage troubled fathers who may be at risk of committing family violence and an in-school violence prevention education program. All services are provided free of charge.

For more information please visit www.theretreatinc.org.

LONG ISLAND, NY – Nature enthusiasts, politicians, environmental activists and assemblymen gathered together at the 1st Annual SoFo Climate Change Forum and Benefit – Climate Change: What It Means for the East End at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton, New York on June 6, 2015.

Before the panel discussion I interviewed Executive Director Frank Quevedo who stressed the emphasis on adapting to our climate change on a local scale.

Tell my audience a little bit more about this event and why it is so important that we all get involved.

Executive Director Frank Quevedo of South Fork Natural History Museum with Cognac Wellerlane at the 1st Annual SoFo Climate Change Forum and Benefit in Bridgehampton on June 6, 2015

Frank: Our mission as an organization is to educate the public about environmental issues; about the natural history and how to preserve it. We try to reach out to children and adults in many different ways through our programs and tonight our event is specifically focused on climate change. A few years ago climate change was just a word and term that people used loosely. Now we are seeing after Super Storm Sandy a couple of years ago the impacts of high sea levels. The rising sea levels increase temperatures in our waters and glaciers melting which can create storm water issues here. Our salt water can be contaminated. Our fresh water can get flooded with salt water that can be an issue.

It’s also killing our fish too!

Frank: Well that is not related to climate change specifically that is more of an issue of people not being educated to know what stuff to put on their lawns or put on the ground so that they can get released into the water bodies of our local community and that creates an influx of nitrogen to our water system which creates low oxygen which can kill fish and other marine life.

This climate change is not just effecting the East End here in the Hamptons it is also effecting the world!

Frank: Yes, the world….you know we focus on a local scale but on a global scale there is all these climate change issues that need to be addressed. An event like this here in our community really brings awareness to the community.

That’s why I am here. I want to bring awareness.

Frank: Awareness is the key word here for this event. The premise of this event is to make people aware that climate change is for real and we are going to need to address the impacts of climate change because something drastic is going to happen someday and we need to be prepared for the future.

What should we do? How can we be prepared?

Frank: That is the discussion that the professionals and the people that we have on the panel tonight are going to address. My background and my strong points as an executive director here at the museum is to create educational programs. This event will initiate us to come up with new ideas and new programs specific to climate change.

Tell my audience who will be speaking tonight….some important people including assemblymen an politicians. Tell my audience who will be speaking.

Frank: Today our moderator for our event is Assemblyman Steven Englebright who is also a Board of Director of the South Fork History Museum. We have Dr. Carl Safina who is also an author, a conservationist and president and founder of the Safina Center. We have Peter Boyd who is a leader in climate change issues an regulations in the community. We have Robbie Stein who is running for Sag Harbor Village Mayor who has a lot of input on a local scale. Jack Rivkin who is an expert in creating solar energy and energy efficient guidelines to help alleviate the pressures of climate change. Environmental Activists Michael Gerrard who is a lawyer at Columbia Law School of Climate Change as well. He has been a tremendous influence on a global scale and a local scale in discussing and coming up with regulations and guidelines to deal with these climate change impacts.

This is a fascinating subject and I think that all people should be more aware of what is going on in the world. This is a major problem and I am so glad that you invited me to come to this event.

Frank: This is just part of our mission to create educational awareness about what is happening to our environment and we need to continue this for our children.

Exactly, we are not going to here forever but our children will be and we want them to be in a safe environment.

Frank: We want them to be in a safe environment but we also want them to be stewards and caretakers of our natural world

The history of the South Fork Natural History Museum began in 1988 with a group of South Fork naturalists who were concerned about the future of the area’s fragile ecosystems formed a membership organization called the South Fork Natural History Society, familiarly known as SoFo.

Peter Boyd Leader in Climate Change with Cognac Wellerlane at the 1st Annual SoFo Climate Change Forum and Benefit in Bridgehampton on June 6, 2015

Their objective was twofold — to increase public awareness about the past, present, and future of eastern Long Island’s natural history and to share with others the joy they found when they went out “in the field,” exploring and learning.

Today SoFo is to stimulate interest in advance knowledge of and foster appreciation for the natural environment. The museum’s special emphasis is on the unique natural history of Long Island’s South Fork.

For more information regarding climate change and different programs that the museum is involved in please visit www.sofo.org