Last night marked the inauguration of The New York Observer’s First Annual Young Philanthropy Event. On the chic PH-D rooftop lounge of the Dream Hotel, amidst panoramic views of the city and overlooking the twinkling lights of the Empire State building, some of the leading lights in philanthropy came together to celebrate giving back.
The evening was held in recognition of New York’s 20 top philanthropists under 40, an illustrious list that included Eric Trump, Nigel Barker, Lauren Bush Lauren and Chelsea Clinton. While waitresses passed out dainty nibbles like grilled cheese fingers and spoonfuls of truffle risotto, the D.J. spun beats to a packed crowd who schmoozed and mingled under the light of two immense Venini glass chandeliers.
The festivities kicked off with speeches by Joseph Meyer and Peter Davis, members of our own Observer family, and from Eric Trump, who spoke eloquently about his involvement with the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Under the auspices of the Eric Trump foundation, Mr. Trump has raised nearly $6 million dollars for St. Jude’s and the foundation has grown in to one of the largest private charities in the country.
“We had the benefit through our company and through our network to do something for people less fortunate,” Mr. Trump explained to The Observer afterwards. “And in this case it's kids who just drew the short straw: it could happen to you and it could happen to me.”
Donald Trump had nothing but praise for his son’s charitable work. “Eric works so hard for so many charities and St. Jude’s in particular, he’s just got that in his blood," said Mr. Trump. "He loves it. And he’s raised a lot of money over the years and I’m very proud of him.”
And the Trumps weren’t the only philanthropy family making the rounds. Gorgeous cousins Amanda and Lydia Hearst—both on our top 20 under 40 list—were in attendance representing their respective charities.
Amanda Hearst started her charity, Friends of Finn, after purchasing her dog Finn from a pet store and discovering he came from a puppy mill. “We’ve gone on puppy mill raids and done more serious stuff but it’s also just been great to interact with the animals,” explained Ms. Hearst. Does Ms. Hearst carry him around in her purse, as is the fashion of another heiress who shall not be named? Ms. Hearst demurred. “He’s kind of chubby so he’d be like a weight on my shoulder,” she laughed.
We spoke with Lydia Hearst-Shaw about her work with Operation Smile, a worldwide charity that treats children with cleft palates and other facial deformities. “For every birthday I no longer except gifts, I ask my friends to make a donation to Operation Smile,” explained Ms. Hearst, who has gone on three medical missions and helped launch the global offices in Sweden and Toronto. “When you actually go out in the world and realize you can make a difference, it’s a life altering experience,” she added.
We couldn’t help but recognize Lydia Hearst’s date, Kevin Connolly, and we had to stop ourselves from addressing him as "E" after his character on Entourage. But Mr. Connolly assured us that he has left Turtle and the gang well behind. His new hockey documentary, Big Shot, is premiering at ESPN Tribeca tomorrow. “I came here for Lydia’s thing tonight and tomorrow we’ll go to that,” he said with a laugh. “I have two suits.”
About an hour later we spotted Mr. Connolly’s former girlfriend, Nicky Hilton, and her new beau James Rothschild canoodling in the VIP table. Hopefully the charitable spirit of the evening mitigated any awkward run-ins.
Jesse Cole, CEO of Haute Hippie, made our top 20 list for his work with Ronald McDonald House, which provides housing for children with cancer and their families while they receive treatment in New York City. There Mr. Cole spearheaded the formation of a new board of young philanthropists. Board members are required not only to give or get $10,000, but also to tour the house and interact with children and families. “I didn’t want it to be all about money. Mostly I wanted people to humanize their experience by meeting families and seeing the establishment,” Mr. Cole told us. “In my opinion it’s very easy to get people to join a worthy cause. But it’s not so easy to get people to do God’s work day in and day out.”
“He’s being far too modest,” said Bill Sullivan, CEO of Ronald McDonald House, adding that Mr. Cole’s work raised over half a million dollars last year.
As we tried to navigate the thick crowd forming at the bar, we chatted with art-world beauty and top 20 honoree Bettina Prentice, who has been involved for eight years with Coalition for the Homeless. Coalition provides emergency food, housing, crisis intervention and job training to the homeless in New York City. “There are so many people involved in charities on a macro level but I really want to be involved on a micro level,” explained Ms. Prentice. “I want to affect one person's life. And the Coalition really gives me the tools to do that.”
Ms. Prentice was visibly emotional as she told us about the work that Coalition does, especially a program in which the program will pay a family's back rent in order to save them from eviction. “I’m going to cry I’m so hormonal and emotional from the baby!” she said.
“She’s blaming it on the baby, she’s always like this when she talks about the Coalition,” chimed in Coalition Executive Director David Giffin.
Ultimately, despite some teary hormonal moms, the evening was a festive one, with everyone in generous spirits, copious free booze and more grilled cheeses than we can count. Who says that giving back can’t be fun?