(New York, NY –May 6, 2024) – On Wednesday, May 2, Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) Founder and Chair Audrey Gruss hosted a Shop-for-Hope event at the Balmain store on Madison Avenue to raise mental health awareness and funds for depression research.   The event served as the official kick-off for the Teen Race of Hope on May 19 in NYC.

Over 50 guests attended, browsing the latest Balmain collection while sipping summer cocktails and enjoying light bites from Little Gem. Ten percent of all proceeds from sales throughout the month of May will be donated to HDRF’s research into new and better treatments for depression. 

Midway through the event, Gruss took the floor to speak about the importance of awareness around depression. She noted that since COVID one, third of Americans have depression or anxiety, specifically young people, who were isolated from their schools during the pandemic.

She then introduced featured guest speaker Dr. Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU and member of the HDRF media advisory board.  He spoke about the current crisis in teen mental health and said that he is frequently asked how one can help a friend in need.

He stated, “What we tell people is that you want to be gently available for that person. And that can look like saying, ‘Hey, I noticed that maybe things are happening, and I’m here for you whenever you want to talk.'” He continued, “You want to be able to give that person the understanding that you are someone that they can come to. You don’t want to place any pressure on them because people need space to digest that you have noticed and are concerned.”

Among the guests at the event were HDRF Executive Director Louisa Benton, Margo Langenberg, Edgar Batista and Geralyn Lucas. Also present were several young leaders of HDRF’s Teen Race of Hope in May: Hayden Lucas, Brooke Shield’s daughter Grier Henchy, Noelle Saldana, Mia Abramson, Ai Vy Shulman, Anysa Bickici, and Sophie Higgins. 

The Second Annual Teen Race of Hope to Defeat Depression in New York City will be on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Proceeds from the Race will fund groundbreaking research into the root causes of depression in the brain and new and better treatments. To sign up or learn more, please visit the website https://www.nycteen.raceofhopeseries.com/

ABOUT HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH FOUNDATION (HDRF)

HDRF was founded in 2006 by philanthropist Audrey Gruss in memory of her mother, Hope, who struggled with clinical depression. The mission of the HDRF is to spur the most innovative brain research into the origins, medical diagnosis, new treatments, and prevention of depression and its related mood disorders – bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and suicide. The World Health Organization has declared depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, and yet conventional medications today are outdated and do not fully work for 50% of patients.  HDRF is working tirelessly to improve the mental health landscape for every American.  The Foundation has provided more than $75 million through over 200 grants for breakthrough depression research that promises to transform the way depression is viewed, diagnosed, treated and prevented. Currently, HDRF has a potential new class of medication in pilot clinical trials at Mount Sinai Medical Center and Stanford University. HDRF is also funding clinical trials into other novel therapeutics and diagnostic tests at Johns Hopkins, the University of San Diego, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Published by: Khy Talara