The Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) is pleased to announce that singer/songwriter Alexa Ray Joel, mental health advocate and the daughter of legendary musician Billy Joel and supermodel/actress Christie Brinkley, will be the Celebrity Grand Marshal for the milestone tenth Annual Race of Hope to Defeat Depression on Sunday, August 3, 2025, in Southampton Village. The Race is one of the most highly anticipated traditions in the Hamptons social calendar that continues to grow each year. Last year, HDRF broke all previous records, welcoming more than 1000 participants and raising over $500,000 to fund critical mental health research.
HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss has served as the Co-Grand Marshal for the last decade and has welcomed Celebrity Grand Marshals including Katie Couric, Candace Bushnell, SoulCycle Founder Stacey Griffith, Brooke Shield’s daughter, Grier Henchy, and Christie Brinkley’s children Sailor Brinkley Cook and Jack Brinkley Cook, to name a few.
In the week run-up to the Race, HDRF launched its Annual Week of Hope on Thursday, July 24 for avillage-wide campaign in Southampton to raise mental health awareness. Local retailers are displaying large, yellow HOPE flags in front of their stores to support HDRF and show their commitment to the issue of mental health.
Audrey Gruss said: “The Race of Hope is a way to give our Southampton community the opportunity to rally around mental health and raise funds for life-saving research led by HDRF’s Depression Task Force. Each year, we see an outpouring of support from the community to improve the mental health landscape for all Americans.”
The Race of Hope started in Southampton but has now expanded to Palm Beach and New York City. Gruss’s goal with the expanding Race series is to advance the understanding and treatment of depression. HDRF has been a leader in depression research since its inception in 2006, convening top neuroscientists from different universities to work together as a team. They collaborate and pool data to better understand the root causes of depression in the brain and to accelerate the next generation of treatments. Currently, a clinical trial for a new category of medication is underway at Mount Sinai and Stanford, with several others in the pipeline.
Gruss added: “Due to the efforts of our Races, we have been able to fund the Depression Task Force, which most recently announced an incredible discovery: through a series of collaborative research projects, they have found 20 genes – out of 20,000 total genes in the human body – that seem to underlie stress-related disorders like depression. Treatments targeting these genes and the proteins they produce are now ready to be tested in pilot clinical trials. This represents a major turning point for the mental health research space with HDRF leading the way.”
Depression affects one-third of Americans every year, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or socio-economic level. For twenty years, HDRF has hosted educational events and has worked tirelessly to educate the public that depression is a medical illness, while supporting the essential science that will lead to better treatment and prevention for future generations. In addition to the Race of Hope, HDRF holds annual events such as the HOPE Luncheon every November in NYC to continue to change the public’s perception of mental illness.
Singer/songwriter Alexa Ray Joel is a passionate mental health advocate. Her first single, Riverside Way will be released this summer, from her new EP, Tales From a Winding Tower. Immortalized in her father’s hit song “The Downeaster Alexa”, by the age of 15, Joel was already writing full songs, accompanying them on the piano, and delving into poetry. She has collaborated with her father at his Madison Square Garden since 2014. Her musical prowess, highlighted in the documentary “Always at the Carlyle,” has garnered praise from The New York Times, describing her as “a singer following her own heart.” Alexa is on the board of “Rockers on Broadway” and has performed at their annual events honoring artists like Diane Warren and Billy Porter and most recently, blew away audiences with “I’m The Only One”, honoring Melissa Etheridge, and “Hip To Be Square”, by Huey Lewis. Her philanthropic efforts are supported by her many performances at charity events Smile Train, the Rainforest Foundation, and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, emphasizing her commitment to making a positive difference in the world.
“I have seen the effects of depression firsthand,” said Joel. “With HDRF”s support, we can shatter the stigma and help to end the struggle that so many people face, pushing forward toward real hope and healing with better treatment options.”
On the morning of the Race of Hope, Gruss and Joel will lead participants on a beautiful 5K (3.1 mile) route around Lake Agawam in Southampton Village. Participants can opt to run this USA Track and Field-sanctioned event competitively, or casually walk with their friends, strollers and/or dogs. All who attend are united in a common purpose – to support research into new treatments for depression and to fight the stigma associated with seeking help and support. To create a bright sea of yellow, participants receive caps and race gear in HDRF’s signature yellow.
The Race of Hope is supported by local residents including Janna Bullock, Alan Glatt, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Kim Heirston, Tania Higgins, Natasha Jeffries, Sharon and John Loeb, Jr., Anne and Jacques Nordeman, Kathy Prounis, Hilary Geary Ross, and Lis Waterman.
5K Race of Hope Committee
Platinum Level: Shelley Bergman, Perri & Bob Bishop, Annabelle & Denis Coleman, Christina & Brian Flaherty, Jamee & Peter Gregory, Judy Glickman Lauder, Bryan Ludwig, Stacey Pashcow & Marc Caputo, Alina de Almeida & John Paulson, Thomas C. Quick Charitable Foundation, Teresa & James Remez and Sarah & Andrew Wetenhall.
Gold Level: Acquavella Family Foundation, Ide & David Dangoor, Phillipe del Grange, Annie & Michael Falk, Bambi & Roger Felberbaum, The Honorable David & Jennifer Fischer, Molly & Bill Ford, Mary Ann Fribourg, Jennifer Gowdy, Josh Gruss, Candy Hamm, Kim Heirston, Cristina & David Kepne, William Kontes, Simone & David Levinson, Sharon H. Loeb, Robert F. Mancuso, Mary & Garrett Moran, Karen Murray, Margo & Jimmy Nederlander, Pamela & Edward Pantzer, Hollis Bradley Pica, Tatiana and Campion Platt, Katharine Rayner, Barbara & Randall Smith, Barbara & Clifford Sobel, Scott Snyder, Amanda Taylor, Mary Ann Tighe & Dr. David Hidalgo, Dobi Trendafilova, Lis Waterman and Lynne Wheat.
Silver Level: Suzanne & Mark Antilety, Robin Baker Leacock, Jill Blanchard, David C. Bohnett, Geoffrey N. Bradfield, Rita & Charles Bronfman, Dominique Buaron, Janna Bullock, Diego Binetti, Gus N. Davis, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, K Dietze, Michelle Farmer, Frances & Jeff Fisher, Barbara & Alan Glatt, Darcy Gould, Susan Gutfreund, Mai Hallingby Harrison, Alexia Hamm Ryan, Yaz & Valentin Hernandez, Tania Higgins, Elizabeth & Edgar Howard, Natasha Jeffries, Eleanora Kennedy, Bonnie Lautenberg, Geralyn & Dr. Tyler Lucas, Carol & Earle Mack, Teresa Melhado, Lucia N Musso, Carol Nobbs, Anne S. Nordeman, Jane & Richard Novick, Robin Pickett, Kathy Prounis, Frances G. Scaife, Carolyn Schenker, Jean Shafiroff, Mary Snow, Anne Sitrick, Ginny & David Sydorick, Lance Toland, Lydia Touzet, Nicholas Varney, Clelia & Tom Zacharias and Silvia Zoullas.
5K Race of Hope Sponsors
Michelle Farmer, LoveBinetti, Sage and Madison, Pure Skin Palm Beach, Southampton Hospital Foundation, NuView Health, Marders, Fivestory, Livingston Builders, DiLandro Andrews Engineering, Robert & Perri Bishop Foundation, Le Bilboquet Sag Harbor and The Hedges Inn.
Participants include professional and first-time runners, corporate teams, families, and children. Strollers and dogs are welcome. To participate, please visit https://www.southampton.raceofhopeseries.com/
The first 950 Race participants receive a commemorative jacket, t-shirt, and race hat; and all racers will receive a huge finisher medal; and prizes are awarded for best time in different age categories as well as for the top individual fundraiser and top fundraising team.
Registration Information:
● Date: Sunday August 3, 2025
● Meeting Point: Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane, Southampton, NY
● Time: Check-in begins at 6:30AM, with the opening ceremony beginning at 8:00AM and the Race of Hope begins at 8:30 AM.
● Cost: $45 until July 11, 2025; $50 until August 2, 2025; $55 on race day
● Strollers and Dogs welcome
ABOUT HOPE FOR DEPRESSION RESEARCH FOUNDATION
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 $85 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, University of San Diego, and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Several other pilot clinical trials of novel treatments are in the pipeline as a result of the drug discovery research of its Depression Task Force, an acclaimed collaboration of top brain scientists from around the world.
Top Photo: Start Line_Photo Credit Maria Wurtz