The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has announced that fashion industry leader HUGO BOSS and acclaimed philanthropist Georgina Bloomberg will be honored at the 2016 To the Rescue! New York gala to benefit and celebrate the organization’s animal rescue efforts.
Responsible for saving and rehabilitating thousands of animals each year, The HSUS and its global arm Humane Society International travel across the country and the globe to help animals in need from puppy mills, dogfighting, neglect and natural disasters. The annual gala takes place on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016 at Cipriani 42nd Street. The host will be Ali Wentworth.
HUGO BOSS will be honored with the Corporate Consciousness Award in recognition of the company’s commitment to humane alternatives and sustainable business strategies. Bloomberg will receive the Compassion in Action Award for her tireless work to protect all animals.
HUGO BOSS is a fashion industry leader in the luxury market when it comes to making animal welfare and innovation key principles of corporate responsibility. On top of rejecting real animal fur, exotic leather and angora, the company has taken a stand against some of the most egregious animal husbandry practices in fashion. These include a ban on down feathers from live-plucked or forced-fed birds and preferential treatment to wool suppliers that stop mulesing their sheep hoping to be 90 percent mulesing-free by 2020. HUGO BOSS also rejects any animal testing. To meet customer demand, the forward-thinking company uses humane alternatives such as “friendly fur” and “friendly leather” made without animals. Replacing cruelty with sustainable innovations is the future of the fashion industry, and HUGO BOSS hopes to inspire the present generation and especially the next generation with a new kind of luxury.
Bloomberg is an equestrian, a philanthropist, an author and an animal advocate. If actions speak louder than words, hers clearly say that compassion matters. In addition to a competitive jumping career, Georgina serves on the board of the Equestrian Aid Foundation, the Hampton Classic Horse Show, the Lake Placid Horse Show, the Bloomberg Sisters Foundation and the Bloomberg Family Foundation and on the board of trustees for the U.S. Equestrian Team. When she was 23 years old, she founded The Rider’s Closet, which collects new and gently used riding clothing and boots and provides them to therapeutic riding programs, pony clubs, intercollegiate riding programs and individuals in need. When The HSUS launched an Equine Protection Council in 2011, Georgina volunteered as the council’s first chair. Horses are not her only concern. Georgina advocates for shelter pets and is on the board of both the ASPCA and Animal Aid USA. She co-founded The HSUS’s Friends of Finn committee to help fight puppy mills. And as a five-time co-chair of To the Rescue! New York, her passion and commitment to the cause have helped increase awareness of animal welfare issues and save animals’ lives.
Guests will enjoy a three-course vegan meal prepared by Candle 79 and Cipriani, a live auction and entertainment.
This year’s gala is co-chaired by Amanda Hearst and Steve Read.
The 2016 Leadership Committee includes Ian Bass, Howard and Wendy Berk, Gale Epstein, Jennifer Faga, Janie Greenspun Gale, Linda Goddard, Cathy Kangas, Stacey and Don Kivowitz, Jennifer Laue, Mary and Peter Max, Patrick McDonnell and Karen O’Connell, Judy Ney, Paige Rense Noland, Christine and Edwin Ordway, Lida Orzeck, Marian Probst, Debra Shore and Suzy Welch.
The Friends of Finn Committee includes Georgina Bloomberg, Tripp Callan, Anthony Cummings, Amanda Hearst, Michael Katz, Steve Read, Breanna Schultz, Courtney Stroum Meagher, Katie Sturino. Advisory Committee: Morgan Bogle, Lorenzo Borghese, Stephanie Riggio Bulger, Liz Dee, Dylan Lauren, Sarah Read and Kelly Vitko,
This year’s gala is sponsored by Moroccanoil. The event is produced in partnership with Celebrity Event Planner Liron David of Eventique
For more information and tickets, visit humanesociety.org/totherescue.
