THE WAXMAN FUNDRAISING DINNER

 

As you may know, or suspect, I go to very many charity events, including dinners. The majority of the causes are worthwhile, but none more-so, in my opinion, than The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation in New York City.

I attended the annual dinner a few years ago, and so I made a point of being in town for it again this year. The dinner itself, the guest list, and the entertainment are excellent enough, but this is the one event where the speeches outshine them all.

Having just lost one of my best friends to the most horrible cancer of them all, peritoneal, I’m especially interested in cancer research. I saw what it did to her, and wish it would never happen to one other person. (You can read my tribute to her in this Friday’s column.)

I was amazed once again by the gargantuan turn-out for this event, which took up the entire evening. It was held at the Park Avenue Armory, possibly one of the only venues big enough to stage this multi-part event comfortably. Up first was the cocktail hour, and I was pleased to see the illuminati all dressed so well and appropriately. (Trust me, that isn’t a given even in New York anymore. Shame.) The silent auction was available on big boards around the area near the giant bars.

Then, exactly on time(!), we moved on to the delicious dinner. I was surprised that there were no menus on the tables to tell us just what we were supping on, but I got to the bottom of it, sort-of. The salad of thin cold noodles and julienned vegetables, in a very light unidentifiable dressing, was fabulous!!! I would have been happy with just three of those!

Everyone at my table was raving about the braised short ribs with truffled mashed potatoes. I’m probably the one person who absolutely detests truffle oil, so I was less than pleased with that part of the repast. But I was impressed that they’d serve something so expensive without even giving themselves the credit for it, via a printed menu, in order for the assemblage to be dazzled by. The desserts were fun parfaits of ice cream, cookies and M&Ms. (I also must commend the fabulous service staff, who were constantly on top of every situation.)

I was happy to see the thousand or so guests stay for the post-dinner speeches. My table was full of rude talkers during those, but on the whole, rapt attention was paid. This was interesting: the center pieces were clear lucite cubes with a list of cancers on a peach-hued sheet (to match the decor.) When you won an auction item, silent or live, you got to choose which fund your money would go to! What a really nice, and practical, touch.

It was already a long evening, but for the die-hard among us, the night was just beginning. That’s because the concert portion was finally upon us. It was headlined by the Warren Haynes band, with guests Peter Frampton and Gregg Allman, who did their things separately. I have to be honest and admit that, not being a rock fan, I had never heard of Warren Haynes at all, and was aware of Peter Frampton’s name, but not his music. I, of course, knew the music of the Allman Brothers, though.

So, I was planning to leave before the concert began, because I was drained from all the work I had already done on packing-up my Brooklyn house. But then I figured I’d sit a spell and listen awhile, because I like to have knowledge of as many things in life as possible, and figured I should learn something about these musicians.

And guess what–I stayed for the whole shebang!!! I even outlasted my music guy who was supposed to be the one doing this part of the write-up! Even though I’m basically just a hip-hopper, I cannot deny the excellence of this music. The crowd who had stayed, (which was big,) were loving it! They were all standing right up by the stage, having a blast! (Most of them were too wasted by then to cheer as much as they should have, though, due to the generosity of the open, and ever-flowing, bar.)

I was talking to someone in the lobby when the musicians had showed up earlier, and Peter, and especially Gregg, looked so, shall we say fragile, that I wasn’t expecting much of them when they took the stage. So I was totally amazed by what they were able to do. They were different, energized men on stage! It was truly something to see and marvel at.

Another marvel was that we all had to get up for work the next morning! (Yes, I’m including myself in this because I had to take a short trip to Greenwich, Connecticut the next day to review a new hotel eatery for you guys, which you can read about next week.)

Another perk of staying for the music was that I got to meet one of the guests of honor during it, Michael Burkhardt, who’s on the board of Voices Against Brain Cancer. He was passing by where I was sitting, and I took that opportunity to tell him that I loved listening to his positivity, in the light of his facing repeated cancers. When he came back by me, he gave me a friendly pat, and we both appreciated the tiny exchange.

The motto of The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation is “Imagine a world in which cancer can be treated without disrupting life, can be cured, or can even be prevented.” To that end, this benefit raised over four million dollars! As I said, the Samuel Waxman dinner is one of the most worthwhile events all year, on either coast!

For more information on this most worthy charity, go to www.waxmancancer.org.