(Long Island, N.Y.) Mrs. Peter Salm hosted a cocktail event “Celebration of the Bays” at her stately home, The Port of Missing Men in Southampton. The cocktail soiree supports Peconic Baykeeper.
Peconic Baykeeper is the only independent, not-for-profit advocate solely dedicated to the protection and improvement of the aquatic ecosystems of the Peconic and South Shore estuaries of Long Island. Its pristine water mission is advanced through conservation and management initiatives, public education, research, monitoring and participation in the public environmental review of projects and activities. These factors may adversely impact the ecological health of the region’s estuarine waters. In 1997, Peconic Baykeeper became the 19th keeper organization to be sanctioned by Waterkeeper Alliance.
The Peconic Estuary and its watershed have been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an estuary of “national significance” and one of 28 areas deserving special protection under the National Estuary Program. Its diversity of underwater and coastal habitats supports an exceptional variety of marine life, birds and other wildlife making this a vital economic, recreational and scenic resource for the region. The estuary, located between Long Island’s north and south forks, has historically been one of the most productive estuaries on the eastern seaboard. The eastern shoreline is comprised of over 100 distinct bays, harbors, embayments and tributaries that cover approximately 120,000 acres of surface water. The estuary also features over 3,600 acres of tidal wetlands and 245 linear miles of meandering shoreline. The contributing watershed, the area of land that drains into the Peconic system, encompasses approximately 110,000 acres of eastern Long Island.
Pollution threatens the vitality and health of our bays. Our water ways recovery depends on the kinds of enlightened coastal management policies and responsible development practices that can be adopted when citizens and communities are informed and engaged in local decision making.
Kevin McAllister, Peconic Baykeeper & President poses for a photo-op with Cognac Wellerlane at the Celebration of the Bays Event in Southampton.
During our interview Kevin McAllister, Peconic Baykeeper & President revealed “There are some studies that indicate in the next fifty years there will be a virtual collapse of the oceans fisheries. There is a need for urgency and it really starts in these bays basically the bread basket of the sea. My organization’s work is trying to protect the integrity of these bays, creeks and ponds.”
Kevin brings extensive professional training as a coastal biologist with more than twenty years experience in environmental resources management and protection. Attending not only to the day-to-day business of managing the organization, he also serves as the environmental steward, community educator and watchdog for the bays. Kevin tirelessly works to find solutions to environmental problems. Mr. McAllister brings attention to major issues, advocating for the bays and their shores. He works on stopping polluters and monitoring both water quality and land use. Kevin holds undergraduate degrees in Natural Resources Conservation and Marine biology. He also has a Master of Science degree in Coastal Zone Management.
To learn more about contributing and supporting please visit http://www.peconicbaykeeper.org
On Saturday, August 21st, Hamptonites enjoyed the Seventh Annual On Our Toes In The Hamptons. The gala honored Prince Kunle Omilana of Nigeria & Princess Keisha Omilana at the Home of Bernard H. & Joyce Jackson.
Princess Keisha Omilana & Prince Kunle Omilana of Nigeria Publicist Ron Capparella and Cognac Wellerlane pose for a photo-op at On Our Toes in the Hamptons.
Nigerian Prince Kunle Omilana is the CEO and founder of Wonderful TV which has become a powerful voice in the Christian TV industry reaching over 100 million homes. Keisha Omilana met Prince Kunle Omilana, owner and CEO of Wonderful TV and Wonderful Airlines in 2004. The couple were married in 2006 and are the proud parents of Diran King Omilana. Princess Omilana has appeared in numerous magazines, fashion shows, TV commercials and ad campaigns. Keisha is most known in the industry as “The Pantene Girl”, with three consecutive commercials under her belt. She is the CEO of De La Ke’s products, the face of Wonderful Airlines and is the President of Wonderful Award and Wonderful Media LLC.
On Our Toes in the Hamptons continued its annual performance and fundraising event featuring Evidence, one of the world’s premier professional dance companies celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The mission of Evidence is to promote understanding of the human experience in the African Diaspora through the beauty and art of dance. Their mission also includes providing sensory connections to history and tradition through music, movement, spoken word, spirituality, community responsibility and liberation.
Evidence was founded in Brooklyn, New York by Ronald K. Brown in 1985. Evidence focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Through work, Evidence provides a unique view of human struggles, tragedies, and triumphs. Brown uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture and to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms. He is an advocate for the growth of the African American dance community and is instrumental in encouraging young dancers to choreograph and to develop careers in dance.
Evidence now tours in twenty five communities in the United States and around the globe. The company has traveled to Cuba, Brazil, England, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa and Canada. Evidence continues to perform, teach master classes and conduct lecture/demonstrations for individuals of all ages. Evidence brings arts education and cultural connections to local communities that have historically lacked these experiences. Annually the company reaches an audience of more than 25,000.
Brown’s dances derive from his interpretation of the human condition. His influences and inspiration include traditions and dance forms from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, combined with kinetic storytelling. Through dance Brown explores the history of blacks in America and passes on African culture to a new generation. In Brown’s words, he wants his work to represent “all the information that has gone into us – the stories, the history. It is really the human experience.”
Celebrities and supporters that attended included Prince Kunle Omilana, Princess Keisha Omilana, Ronald K. Brown, Reginald Van Lee, legendary dancer Judith Jamison, Andrea & Maurice Duboise, Emmy Winner Lynn Whitfield, Oracean Price (mother of Venus and Serena Williams), Hon. Bernard & Joyce Jackson, Noel Hankin, Susan Taylor & Khephra Burns, Caron Wheeler, Dwayne Ashley, Gail Monroe Perry, Veronica Claypool, Leslie Mays, Zaid Abdul-Aleem, Dwayne Ashley, Monica F. Azare, Joanne E. Hill, Andrea Hoffman, Jennifer Streaks, Brian Haynes Copeland, Lisa Walker, Ancy Verdier and Kathleen Vita.
For more information please visit http://evidencedance.com
The Association Of Community Employment Programs For the Homeless held their gala, Southampton With Brazilian Sunflowers Event at the Southampton home of founder Henry Buhl.
It was a glamorous evening of Brazilian food, cocktails and music, featuring award winning Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto followed by DJ Samantha Ronson spinning into the night.
ACE Founder Henry Buhl and Cognac pose for a photo-op.
Since the release of her groundbreaking debut album, Tanto Tempo, Brazilian singing superstar Bebel Gilberto has been the darling of critics and music fans around the globe. Blending classic bossa nova with electronic influences and pop, her sound is instantly recognizable as uniquely her own. Bebel’s current CD, All in One, is her debut release on the Verve label.
The event benefited ACE, The Association Of Community Employment Programs For the Homeless. www.acenewyork.org.
ACE works with homeless men and women throughout New York City, providing job training, work experience and a lifetime support network to help their program participants achieve their goals and establish economic independence.
Henry Buhl, philanthropist, community activist and art collector was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After attending Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, he worked as a stock analyst and institutional salesman on Wall Street for ten years. In 1961 he moved to Geneva to manage mutual funds for Investor’s Overseas Services. Henry was later promoted to IOS Executive Director. Mr. Buhl returned to the United States in 1972 and continued his career in investment banking until 1980.
On a lark, Henry was given the opportunity to pursue his interest in professional photography. He established his new career by photographing weddings, movie openings, charity events, private parties, polo matches and other sporting events.
In 1993 Henry acquired the photograph Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hands With Thimble. The famous photograph was taken by Alfred Stieglitz in 1920. The Stieglitz photograph was the first of his vast thematic collection of photographs focusing on the human hand. His collection is now one of the most comprehensive in the world and spans a chronological outline of the history of photography. In addition to more than 1,000 photographs, he has since added numerous sculptures to his collection of hands.
The Buhl Collection was first exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum of New York in the summer of 2004 and has since been displayed in major museums around the world. The collection is currently touring Asia.
In 1992, Henry encountered a neighborhood homeless man who inspired him to create The SoHo Partnership, a non-profit organization to help other homeless and recovering homeless men and women secure full-time jobs and permanent housing. Later the TriBeCa and NoHo/Bowery Partnerships were established under the umbrella of the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, now known simply as ACE.
For more information on ACE please visit www.acenewyork.org
Betsy McCaughey former Lt. Governor of New York State poses for a photo-op at RID 6th Annual Summer Event.
Hamptonites enjoyed a sumptuous brunch at RID 6th Annual Summer Event hosted by Founder and Chairman Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D and Avis Richards, CEO and Founder of Birds Nest Productions.
The event benefited RID. RID is a not-for-profit educational campaign committed to correcting a deadly problem that kills more people each year in the United States than cancer, car accidents and Aids.
RID was established in 2004. For many years hospital infection rates were kept secret and government agencies did far too little to address the issues. Since then, twenty-six states and The District of Columbia have enacted laws requiring hospitals to disclose their infection rates to the public.
During our our interview Ms. McCaughey revealed, “RID is about protecting patients from hospital infection that people pick up in the hospitals. They kill more people each year in our country then all the car accidents, plus all the cases of breast cancer, plus all the cases of Aids combined. The total is enormous, well over 100,000 people a year and it is preventable by proper hygiene, that is cleaner hospitals.”
Last year, Medicare the federal health program for the elderly and disabled, announced that it will stop paying hospitals to treat several types of hospital infections that are preventable and therefore should “never” happen. Hospitals will be barred from billing patients for what Medicare doesn’t pay.
Hospital industry groups, such as the Greater New York Hospital Association in New York State, are making infection prevention a priority. The Joint Commission, which is responsible for accrediting most of the nation’s hospitals, recently announced that it will make hospital hygiene and infection prevention a focus of future inspections. These are necessary changes that will save lives.
Cognac Wellerlane interviews Betsy McCaughy Former Lt. Gov. of New York.
Betsy McCaughey is a patient advocate and former Lt. Governor of New York State. In 2004, she founded and is now Chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Ms. McCaughy in collaboration with RID has launched a nationwide educational campaign to stop hospital-acquired infections. In five years, RID has made hospital infections a major public issue. It has provided compelling evidence that preventing infection improves hospital profitability as well as saving lives. RID has won legislation in over 25 states for public reporting of infection rates. RID has become synonymous with patient safety and clean hospital care.
As mentioned previously, the event was also co-hosted by Avis Gold Richards, President of Birds Nest Production. Ms. Richards donated her Southampton estate for the event and is working with Betsy McCaughey creating films for RID.
Ms. Richards is the Founder and CEO of Birds Nest Foundation. Her production company produces high-quality documentaries, short videos and public service announcements (PSAs) for charitable organizations such as RID. An award-winning executive producer and director, Avis has produced and directed over 50 films and multiple websites and events. The goal of Birds Nest Foundation is to provide the media to educate and promote important causes and issues that enable non-profits and other foundations to communicate their messages through “moving pictures.” Avis has won more than a dozen Stevie Awards, Telly Awards, Davey Awards, and Aurora Awards for producing non-profit films and videos.
Many of the charities that benefit from Avis’s work include a host of worthy causes dedicated to improving healthcare and education by serving inner-city youth, protecting against domestic violence, promoting human rights, and defending the environment.
For more information on contributing to RID please visit www.hospitalinfection.org
