Jackie Siegel is no stranger to speaking up.
ElizaBeth Taylor
Last night PUBLIC celebrated Halloween with a Project Zero party Neptune’s Nightmare at their underground club. All night long guests were treated to beats from Alexandra Richards, Aku + Niks, and The Muses.
The party had attendees transported into the ultimate oceanic dance party. Hosts of the party where Michele Clarke, Bob Barrett, Tyler Burrow, Mei Kwok, Peter Davis, Dianne Brill, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Dustin Pittman, Ben Pundole, Sophie Sumner, Liz Vap & Tyrone Wood.

Emma Snowdon-Jones, Tyler Burrow, Xeina Alkahina
Notable attendees included Troy Hawke, Drew Jessup, Trevor Sumner, Ted Hildner, Lauren Corcoran, Alexa Dark, Travis Cronin, Indira Cesarine, Lo’renzo Hill White, Dustin Pittman, Xeina Alkahina, Caio Morbin, Mauro Finatti, Derek Kettela,
photographer Jesse Frohman, designers Vin + Omi, Jill Stuart and Ric Pipino and Andrea Piecuch (Miss Universe US Virgin Islands), and Andrea Piecuch.
The spooky affair also was a special night to benefit Project Zero. The organization has set out to secure a global network of ocean sanctuaries to provide resilience to the devastating effects of the climate crisis. Stretching from Antarctica to the Bering Strait, and mapped out by the world’s leading marine scientists, this global network of projects will be able to restore our ocean’s health, and set us on a sustainable path.

Caio Morbin, Mauro Finatti
Like national parks in the water, each ocean sanctuary is a place where no one can drill, mine, fish or pollute to allow the ocean regain its power to mitigate the effects of climate change. In an explosion of biodiversity, fishes and invertebrates in ocean sanctuaries reproduce and grow to full size; this biodiversity is critical to the carbon cycle. Fish and their larvae immigrate to other areas of the ocean, securing a global food source that over a billion people rely on daily.

Derek Kettela, Andrea Piecuch
Each ocean sanctuary is a pearl in the global strand, each with its own unique characteristics, management plan and team on the ground; each requires many of the same processes and funding as their land-based counterparts.
Photos by Miguel McSongwe @ BFA
The Teens for Food Justice 2023 Gala was held at the Lighthouse at Pier 61, Chelsea Piers in New York City, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the organization and support its ongoing efforts to make fresh food more accessible and improve nutritional health within New York City and Denver’s low-income communities through school-based, youth-led hydroponic farming.

(PMC / Paul Bruinooge)
Ariana DeBose and celebrity chef Melba Wilson were on hand along with the Honorees at the 2023 Gala were Randy Stern (Teens for Food Justice Champion) and Alyssa Gardner-Vazquez (Distinguished TFFJ Alumna). The auction and fundraising was conducted by C K Swett.
Notable attendees included Alyssa Gardner-Vazquez, Katherine Soll, Tara Swibel, Erich Bergen, Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Alisha Antonetti, Sanniyah Watson, Namar Antoine.
Students construct the hydroponic farms and grow the crops as part of their STEM classes. Each farm can produce up to 10,000lbs of fresh produce per year. As one TFFJ farmer puts it, “Healthy eating should be a right”. TFFJ’s target by the end of 2024 is to operate 10 farms involving 26 schools and feeding some 13,000 students. The 2023 Gala raised almost $950,000 and counting.
TFFJ students use real-world 21st-century science and technology to grow up to 10,000 pounds (per school) of hydroponic produce annually. Through the program, TFFJ’s young farmers develop a meaningful solution to food insecurity, transform their relationship with the food they eat, and develop cutting-edge STEM skills needed in a new green sector economy. For more information, please visit www.teensforfoodjustice.org
On October 20, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation held its annual Symposium & Awards Luncheon. Hundreds of attendees came to honor and pay tribute to those who are making a prolific change in the world today. Founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder, BCRF is the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world. With an approach that accelerates the entire field and moves us closer to a way to eradicate breast cancer forever, the day was both poignant and truly inspirational.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 20: Alina Cho speaks onstage during Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) New York Symposium & Awards Luncheon at New York Hilton on October 20, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for BCRF)
Guests including Brooke Burke, Gretta Monahan, Emma Myles, Jenna Leigh Green, Orfeh, Chloe Melas, and Paige Stables gathered at the New York Hilton Midtown where host Alina Cho helped kick off the day that honored designer and philanthropist Kendra Scott and Olufunmilayo (Funmi) I. Olopade, MD, FAACR.
“I do know one thing. BCRF is leading the way,” Cho told the audience after revealing details on her own personal journey of recovery.
Joan Lunden then announced that October 20, 2023 was officially proclaimed “Evelyn Lauder Day” in New York City. This recognition celebrated BCRF’s Founder and her enduring vision which has led to 30 years of lifesaving advancements through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 20: (L-R) Dr. Larry Norton and Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade pose onstage during the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) New York Symposium & Awards Luncheon at New York Hilton on October 20, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for BCRF)
William Lauder continued the moving program as he presented Kendra Scott with the Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award for her steadfast philanthropic commitment to breast cancer research and empowering women and youth through health and wellness, education, and entrepreneurship. Dr. Larry Norton presented Olufunmilayo (Funmi) I. Olopade, MD, FAACR (University of Chicago) with the Jill Rose Award for Scientific Excellence for her outstanding contributions to the field of breast cancer genetics and her work to address the root causes of disparities in breast cancer outcomes.
Additional remarks were made by NBC News Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent Anne Thompson and BCRF President and CEO Donna McKay. Honorary Co-Chairs of the event included Kinga Lampert, Leonard A. Lauder, and William P. Lauder.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 20: Joan Lunden speaks onstage during the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) New York Symposium & Awards Luncheon at New York Hilton on October 20, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for BCRF)
This year, BCRF awarded $60.2 million in annual grants to more than 250 researchers from around the world, many of whom were in attendance to be recognized for their innovative projects and contributions to the field. At a scientific conference the day prior, investigators were provided the rare and critical opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues, across institutions, across disciplines, and across the world.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 20: A ballerina performs during the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) New York Symposium & Awards Luncheon at New York Hilton on October 20, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for BCRF)
Underwriters of the event included Jody and John Arnhold, Amy Goldman Fowler, Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein, Neil Golub, Judy and Leonard A. Lauder, William P. Lauder and Lori Kanter Tritsch, Arlene Taub and Lifetime.
Learn more and get involved at BCRF.org.