The New York Junior League (NYJL) held its 71st Annual Winter Ball, a black-tie event and the organization’s largest fundraiser, on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at Cipriani South Street, one of Manhattan’s newest and most glamorous event spaces. This year’s sold-out Winter Ball broke historical attendance records, raising over $600,000 and counting, thanks to the support of generous donors through ticket purchases, corporate sponsorships, individual donations, and a silent and live auction.
This year’s Winter Ball honored recipients of the NYJL’s Outstanding Sustainer and Outstanding Volunteer Awards, the organization’s highest honors. Since 1952, the Winter Ball has helped raise essential funds for the NYJL’s training and community programs while bringing together volunteers, family, friends, and supporters for presentations of the award recipients.
The evening began with a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by a delectable three-course dinner during which guests enjoyed the awards presentation and live auction. Following dinner, guests satisfied their sweet tooth with desserts and danced the night away to the sounds of the Midnight Project in the breathtaking waterfront setting of Cipriani South Street. Over 800 guests, including a record-breaking number of VIP Harriman Circle patrons, attended this year’s Winter Ball to celebrate the NYJL’s work serving the New York City community for over 120 years.
During Winter Ball, the NYJL honored recipients of the organization’s highest honors, the Outstanding Sustainer and Outstanding Volunteer awards, reserved for those women who exemplify a superior standard of excellence in volunteerism. The 2023 Outstanding Sustainers are Barbara Etzel and Marion S. Hedges and the Outstanding Volunteers are Blythe Winchester Brock, Marie T. Finan, Andrea Theresa McDermott, Christina Bott Murphy, and Contessa Officer. These exceptional women are dedicated to serving the New York City and NYJL communities, living the NYJL’s core values, and leading by example.
The dinner came to a finale as acclaimed auctioneer Sebastian Clarke hosted the live auction lots. Guests enthusiastically bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences and memorabilia, including a Tradewind Aviation private jet charter to St. Barths for a weeklong stay at WIMCO Villas, a signed Jon Bon Jovi guitar and 3L bottle of Hampton Water Rosé, a round of golf at the legendary Maidstone Club in East Hampton and a stay at the Pridwin Hotel & Cottages on Shelter Island, an exclusive and private experience at the newly renovated Tiffany & Co. Global Flagship, and a stay at the luxurious Four Seasons Ocean Club resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
“The NYJL has made a crucial impact on the New York City community as the city continues to feel the effects of the ongoing socioeconomic crisis, with our Outstanding Sustainers and Outstanding Volunteers serving as prime examples of our work. We are so grateful to our generous sponsors and donors for ensuring that this year’s Winter Ball was the most successful to date so we can continue to serve our city,” said NYJL President Serra Eken.
Corporate sponsors included Jenny Yoo and Sheffield Haworth. In-kind sponsors included Bar and Books, Beck Bags, Bow Bridge Blooms, Hampton Water, and Trivvidraws. The event’s venue sponsor was Cipriani.
Proceeds from Winter Ball support the NYJL’s community and advocacy work and leadership development.
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