On the dance floor at the American Cancer Society's "Celebration of Life."

For the first time, American Friends of the Louvre and the French Heritage Society jointly hosted a dinner and lecture last Thursday night at the Metropolitan Club for the mutual benefit of visual arts and architectural restoration in France. The special dinner and lecture featured distinguished speakers HRH Prince Jean d’Orléans, le Duc de Vendôme, and Comtesse Pierre-Louis de la Rochefoucauld – Sabine to her many friends. Both speakers belong to two of France’s most historical families, with direct connections to the development of France’s royal collections. Entitled Princely Patronage at the Musée du Louvre and the Château de Chantilly, the lectures explored the history of the royal collections contained in those two institutions. Samantha Lynch and Lauren Lyon   Benefactor level patrons were invited to a special reception in advance of the lecture at Van Cleef & Arpels, hosted by President & CEO Emmanuel Perrin. Leadership representatives on behalf of both organizing institutions included French Heritage Society Chairman Elizabeth F. Stribling, and newly elected President Comte Denis de Kergorlay from Paris, marking his first official FHS event as President. Other FHS Board Directors included CeCe Black, Stephen Lash, Chairman of Christie’s, North and South America, and Juan Pablo Molyneux. Representing American Friends of the Louvre were Chairman Christopher Forbes and AFL Board Members Victoria Bjorklund and Max Blumberg. Guests attending included: Irene Aitken, Catherine Cahill, Robert Couturier, Suzy Finesilver and Lynn Finesilver Crystal, Annette de la Renta, Palm Beach Journal Editor Alexandra de Wankowicz and her husband Eduardo Aranda Godlewski, Martin Gatins, Mr. and Mrs. Gurnee Hart, Frances Hayward, Mr. and Mrs. Jolyon Grant from Phoenix, Mr. and Mrs. John Harvey, Michèle Imhoff from Washington, Mr. and Mrs. Gary B. Knapp from Palm Beach and Kentucky. The Kentucky Derby Award winning horse ‘Big Brown,’ bred at their thoroughbred farm, went on the win the Preakness Stakes the next day), Monica and Scott Laurans from Providence; Mr. and Mrs. Michel Longchampt, Tara and John Milne of Connecticut, Thierry Millerand, Sir Thomas Moore, Diane Nixon, Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Perrin, Mitzi Perdue, Tom Quick, Mr. and Mrs. George P. Sape, Mr. and Mrs. Len Small from Chicago, Jill Spalding, Barbara Tober, Melissa (Missy) VanBuren, Peter Webster, Baroness Zerilli-Marimò, and Atlantans Jean Astrop, Jane and Dameron Black, Liz McDermott, Susan Tucker and Joan White. About the Speakers Prince Jean d’Orléans is the son of the Count of Paris, and heir (Dauphin) to the 40 kings who built France from Hugues Capet to Louis-Philippe (987- 1848). He has a Masters degree in Philosophy and Law and an American MBA. He is also President of the Gens de France, a not-for-profit organization established in 2003, which is involved with cultural, scientific, environmental, economic, and social issues. Comtesse Pierre-Louis de la Rochefoucauld belongs to one of France’s most historical families, which includes among its famous members François, Duke de la Rochefoucauld, the renowned literary figure of the 17th century. She holds degrees from La Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre, where she specialized in the architecture and décor of royal residences. She is currently the Director of Donor Relationships at the Musée du Louvre.

Comte Denis de Kergolay, Elizabeth Stribling, Prince Jean d'Orleans, Sabine de La Rochefoucauld, and Emmanuel Perrin

American Friends of the Louvre American Friends of the Louvre was founded by the Musée du Louvre in 2002 to strengthen ties between the Louvre and its American public and to formalize the longstanding generosity of American patrons. Through its ongoing support, AFL raises awareness of the Louvre’s collections and museum expertise and helps make the Louvre’s exhibitions and permanent collection more accessible to all English-speakers. French Heritage Society French Heritage Society was founded in 1982 in order to help assure survival of the architectural patrimony of France for future generations. A unique feature is its attention to the rich French legacy in America. During the past 26 years, FHS has contributed to over 450 restoration projects throughout France as well as projects which reflect France’s historic influence in the United States. The organization consists of 14 Chapters across America and one in Paris, and offers special cultural, educational and exclusive travel programs throughout the year. These two organizations joined together to present an evening for those interested in the rich legacy of royal collections and the role they play in the larger collections of the Musée du Louvre and the Château de Chantilly.

Joan White and Susan Tucker

Mitzi Perdue, Sabine de La Rochefoucauld, and Georgia Shreve

Max Blumberg and Baroness Maria Zerelli-Marimo

HRH Prince Jean d'Orleans, Alexandra de Wankowicz, and Eduardo Aranda Godlewski

Gurnee and Marjorie Hart with John and Kazie Harvey

Len Small, Elizabeth Stribling, Marie-France Menage-Small, HRH Prince Jean d'Orleans, and Comte Denis de Kergorlay

Alexandra Schlesinger and Annette de La Renta

CeCe and Lee Black

Juan Pablo and Pilar Molyneux with Elizabeth Stribling

Barbara Tober and Irene Roosevelt Aitken

Bobbo Jetmundsen

Chele Chiavacci, HRH Prince Jean d'Orleans, Liz McDermott, and Karen Gray

Lucienne and Gregory de Mestre van Schaack flanked by Anne Marie Kishbauch and Claudette Blackwood

Victoria Bjorklund

Gary Jaworski and Marie-Noelle Pierce

Odile de Schietere-Longchampt and Jeri Sape

Kip Forbes and friend

Stephen Lash and Mr. and Mrs. Jean-Jacques de Saint Andrieu

Catherine Forbes and Elizabeth Bernstein

Diane Nixon

Duncan Forster, Max Blumberg, Sabine de La Rochefoucauld, and Bobbo Jetmundsen

Emmanuel Perrin, Talbott Maxey, Cecile Perrin, and Richard Zieglasch

Peter Fitzpatrick

Liz McDermott with Jane and Dameron Black

Monica Laurans

Eduardo Aranda Godlewski, Alexandra de Wankowicz, and George Sape

Gary and Emily Knapp

Frances Hayward and Irene Aitken

John and Tara Milne

Emmanuel Perrin, Elizabeth Stribling, and Lyn and Jolyon Grant

Comte Denis de Kergorlay, Odile de Schietere-Longchampt, and Gary and Emily Knapp

The American Cancer Society feted Diana Feldman at their annual "Celebration of Life" Spring Gala at the St. Regis Roof.

Michael and Sue Levy with Joan Barber

The Davis Family

Ann Hampton Callaway and Ted Rosenthal

Mr. and Mrs. Allen Marantz

Dan Lufkin and Richard Feldman

Don Distasio, Kris Kim, Diana Feldman, Maureen Fitzgerald, and Karen Radwin

Don and Kathy Distasio

Jean Shamiral

Debra and Dennis Okain

Diana Feldman, Mary Beth Stevenson, and Charlotte Ford

Diana Feldman, Clara Menaldino, and Maureen Fitzgerald

Diana Feldman with Anthony and Jamie Harpel

Ellen Saltzman and Ralph Destino

Richard and Diana Feldman with Jamie Harpel and Carmen Haid

Terrianne Zeifman, Diana Feldman, and Luis Valero

Dan and Cynthia Lufkin

Mary Beth Stevenson

The Children's Village (CV), which provides critical services to more than 6,000 children and families throughout the metropolitan area, held its annual fundraising event, A Circle of Friends, on Thursday, May 1, 2008, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers. They honored Board Member Lois S. Amend of Rye, New York for her outstanding dedication to The Children’s Village and Sodexo Corporate Services in recognition of their commitment to end hunger. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players, joined CV for this celebratory evening. Lois Amend, CV Board Member, accepts her award and shares a card given to her by CV Residents The surprise of the evening came when Magic Johnson staged an impromptu, once-in-a-lifetime live auction. He offered the audience of 500 CV supporters the chance to attend an LA Lakers game as his guest and have dinner with him after the game. Two guests won this package. Then, he offered up every sports fan’s dream – the chance to play some one-on-one ball with the great Magic himself.  He offered to come and play with the winning bidder’s child. 4 guests won this package. This live auction sent the revenue from this event over $500,000. Mr. Johnson spoke particularly to four of the residents of The Children's Village’s residential treatment facility in Dobbs Ferry, New York who attended the event. He told them that everyone believes in them and wants them to succeed. He spoke about his own journey from poverty to powerhouse and encouraged everyone to continue to support the life-changing work of The Children's Village. Ms. Amend joined CV’s Board of Trustees in 1995 and currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Education of Greenburgh Eleven, the school district on CV's campus and chairs the Development Committee of the Board. In 2005, Ms. Amend helped launch CV’s first major gift effort, which has raised almost $10 million to date. She recalled fondly her interactions with the 2nd grade class at The Children's Village and the love she felt for them and from them. She showed the audience a card given to her by the 2nd grade class many years ago that she still counts among her prized possessions.

Dr. Jeremy Kohomban, CV CEO, Earvin "Magic" Johnson and CV Residents

A long-time CV partner, Sodexo Corporate Services is leading the fight against hunger in this country, and around the world, through the company's STOP Hunger campaign. Sodexo has been integral to the success of our WAY Works Culinary program, which prepares our young men for a career in food service.  COO and Market President and, Michael Norris accepted the award on behalf of Sodexo. The mission of The Children's Village is to work in partnership with families to help society’s most vulnerable children so that they become educationally proficient, economically productive, and socially responsible members of their communities. The Children’s Village (CV) was founded in 1851 to shelter the homeless immigrant children of New York City’s Lower East Side, and moved to its present headquarters in Westchester County in 1905.

Pier 60 filled with over 500 CV supporters

Today CV is a leader in protecting and nurturing at-risk youth across the New York region, serving more than 1,000 children in residential programs and reaching approximately 6,000 children in the community each year.  The Children's Village has a 200 acre campus in Dobbs Ferry, NY, which is the site of the agency’s residential treatment school and administrative headquarters.  The campus includes long-term residential treatment programs, a short-term crisis intervention center, temporary placement for youth awaiting a court disposition, and a public school that educates all of these children as well as day students from around the region.  CV also maintains offices in Harlem and the Bronx in New York City, as well as program sites around Westchester County, New York City, Nyack and Long Island.  Visit them at www.childrensvillage.org

Lois Amend, CV Board Member and family John, Miles, Tricia, Andrew, and Jane

Earvin "Magic" Johnson with Anne and William Krupman, CV Board Chair

Paul and Barbara Jenkel with Bill Hirshorn, CV Board

Debbie Finley-Troup, Gwen Smith, and Yirka Emerson, CV Board Member

Greg and Beth Bienstock, Dr. Jeremy Kohomban, and Henry and Ann Rose Simon

Marjorie Wallace-Daly and Esther, a CV Alum

Earvin "Magic" Johnson shares some inspiration with CV Residents

Gary, CV Alum, performs

Last Thursday night, African Safari met New York society at Safari at Sunset, the glamorous annual spring party hosted by the Associates Committee of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  Over 300 guests took a walk on the wild side as Guastavino’s was transformed into a luscious “Out of Africa” setting for a festive evening of outdoor cocktails, dinner and dancing sponsored by Ports 1961 and Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry. The evening’s highlight was an exciting live auction by Sotheby’s auctioneer Eliza Osborne, including a $25,000 wardrobe from Ports 1961 and a $10,000 pair of exquisite “heirloom chic” diamond earrings from Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry worn on the night by Associates Committee Chairman, Christina Smith.  Guests danced to African beats late into the night raising over $330,000 for the hospital’s Pediatric Department.

Nestled under the 59th Street Bridge

The evening was chaired by Amy Raiter Dwek, Kimberly Flaster, Natalie Leeds Leventhal and Dara O’Hara who were all wearing Ports 1961. Others who also broke out their best animal prints for the evening include: Christina Addison, Leslie and Kevin Coleman, Ann Colley, Jennifer Creel, Mary and Michael Darling, Amy and Nevil Dwek, Lisa and Christopher Errico, Shoshanna and Josh Gruss, Leslie and Andrew Heaney, Paige and Tripp Hardy, Casey Johnson, Leslie and Peter Jones, Patricia and Gerrit Lansing, Nathalie Leeds Leventhal and Andrew Leventhal, Mia McDonald Matheson, Alison Minton, Bonnie Morrison, Tinsley Mortimer, Courtney Moss, Eugenie Niven, Tim and Dara O'Hara, Marcie and Jordan Pantzer, Betsy Pitts, Tara Rockefeller, Charlotte Ronson, Alexandra Lind Rose, Helen and Tim Schifter, Amelia and Mortimer Singer, Christina and Sean Smith, Mary and Ian Snow, Ali Wise, Eleanor and Jon Ylvisaker.

Tinsley Mortimer, Charlotte Ronson, Ali Wise, and Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss

Alexandra Lind Rose and Louis Rose

Event Co-Chairs: Kimberly Flaster, Nathalie Leeds Leventhal, Dara O'Hara, and Amy Raiter Dwek

Christina Smith, Associates Committee Chairman and Tony Alcindor

Lisa and Chris Errico

Vaughn Dorian and Tatiana Boncompagni

Sotheby's Auctioneer Eliza Osborne

Tinsley Mortimer

Peter and Leslie Jones, President of The Society of MSKCC

Mary and Ian Snow

Tara Rockefeller

Ports 1961 Models

Eleanor Ylvisaker

Leslie Heaney, Leslie Coleman, Christina Smith, and Mary Darling

Casey Johnson and Nathalie Leeds Leventhal

Jennifer Creel

Kate Doerge and Patricia Herrera Lansing

Eugenie Niven

Christina Addison

Marcie Pantzer

Associates Committee Members: Leslie Heaney, Kimberly Flaster, Leslie Coleman, Christina Smith, Mary Darling, Amy Raiter Dwek, Nathalie Leeds Leventhal, and Dara O'Hara

Amy Raiter Dwek and Stephanie Lacava

Mary Snow and Alexandra Lind Rose

Alexandra Pappas, Christina Smith, and Lisa Errico

Charlotte Ronson, Patricia Herrera Lansing, and Ali Wise

Safari Decor

Photographs by Scott Rudd (ACS).

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