Palm Beach Society: The UK's other royal redhead captivates crowd at charity luncheon
Charity chairwomen know that when it comes to guests of honor, the closer to a crown, the better.
For its annual luncheon, the Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope hit the jackpot with Sarah Ferguson.
Wife to a Prince of the Realm, once. Daughter-in-law to The Sovereign, once. Duchess of York, still.
The annual 'Shop The Day Away' luncheon took place Feb. 7 at The Breakers and presented Ferguson as guest speaker.
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Arlette Gordon was chairwoman for the event, which began with an extensive silent auction of carefully curated luxury items and experiences.
After the reception, the sold-out crowd moved to the Venetian Ballroom for lunch and remarks from the guest speaker.
In her speech, Ferguson ― author, businesswoman, cancer survivor, and philanthropist who has raised millions of dollars for charities around the world ― urged her cancer-stricken former brother-in-law King Charles III to "keep fighting on" while thanking the audience for words of support.
"Thank you all for your kindness in supporting my family members who are going through a hard time, and we wish everyone well, every family in the world, that has been diagnosed or who is going through a difficult time,” she said.
In January, after a yearlong battle with breast cancer, she was diagnosed with melanoma and credits her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as being her strength during this challenging time. She also is a leading voice on the importance of early cancer detection and regular mammogram screenings.
“It was truly inspiring to have the Duchess of York speak at our largest fundraising event," said Stan Collemer, CEO of Cancer Alliance for Help & Hope. "Her kindness, humor, and graciousness left a lasting impression on everyone present in the room."
Joseph and Max McNamara were chairmen. Honorary chairwomen were Jacqui Michel, Laura Moore Tanne and Michelle Worth.
Committee members included Gloria Herman, Ari Rifkin, Virginia Gildea, Janet Levy, Lois Richards, Soula Rifkin, Martha Bilodeau, Brenda Diuro, Donna Mulholland, David Sarama, Dan Drennen, Lori Berg, Sheila Buchbinder, Robin Ganzert, Julie Kampf, Lisa Peterfreund, Julie Rudolph, Barbara Zand, Linda Adelson, Lee Alderton, Diane Avonda, Peter Avonda, Chris Cox, Donna Craft, Elizabeth DeBrule, Rhonda Fischer, Susan Gibson, Connie Gordon, Victoria Herbert, John Herrick, Linda Lachman, Rosemary Laphen, Terri Schottenstein, Renee Scott, Gail Worth, Trish Caroll, Julie Kampf, Jennifer Kinsman and Samantha Marulli.
The afternoon raised more than $1 million.
All proceeds support Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope’s mission to ease the burden of qualified local cancer patients by paying a portion of their non-medical bills, supplementing basic needs, and providing support and information resources during the treatment and recovery process.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, speaks at Palm Beach event
