On July 6th, the 20th Annual Samuel Waxman Hamptons Happening was held in Bridgehampton and raised $450,000 to support groundbreaking research funded by the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF). The SWCRF is an international organization dedicated to finding a cure for and preventing cancer. It is a pioneer in cutting-edge cancer research focusing on identifying and correcting the abnormal gene function that causes cancer and developing minimally toxic treatments for patients. The foundation has awarded more than $120 million to support over 200 researchers worldwide since its inception in 1976, partly from charity events such as the Hamptons Happening.
This year, over 400 guests attended the event, which was hosted by Kenneth and Maria Fishel at their Bridgehampton estate. The Fishels, who own Renaissance Realty, are long-time philanthropists who have been assisting with the Hamptons Happening for over ten years.
As per tradition, the attendees including The Untitled Magazine’s editor-in-chief Indira Cesarine enjoyed tastings from dozens of the best chefs, restaurants, and beverage companies such as NYC’s beloved Magnolia Bakery, Hamptons-located Wolfer Estates Vineyard, and farm-to-table initiator Riverpark founded by renowned chef Tom Colicchio.
Besides the fine dining, the event included a thrilling live auction officiated by Freeman’s | Hindman and presentations of awards by the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. Those recognized include Arthur F. Backal of the Backal Hospitality Group (Distinguished Hospitality Award), Chef Francois Payard from Southold Social (Distinguished Restauranteur Award), and Cheri Kaufman of CiGive and Kaufman Astoria Studios (Distinguished Businesswoman Award).
Also awarded were Stephen Kliegerman of Brown Harris Stevens (Distinguished Business Real Estate Award); Fern Mallis, a creator of NYFW and fashion and design consultancy Fern Mallis LLC (Distinguished Fashion Cares Award); and 2024 Tony Nominated DJ CherishTheLuv (Distinguished Cancer Crusader Award).
This year’s Hamptons Happening was an undeniable success. Guests were both entertained and generous. Performers from the National Circus Project milled about and added more American flair to the red, white, and blue-themed event, and the $450,000 raised was the largest sum this event has seen in the past decade.
