New York, NY – The 10th annual Empire Ball was held on Wednesday, December 5, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The fundraiser, sponsored by the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) Real Estate Division and heavily supported by the New York real estate community and its affiliates, raised more than $2 million in support of the DRI. The DRI is a research center, located at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, which is recognized as a world leader in cure-focused research and a pioneer in islet cell transplantation.
The Empire Ball honored James G. Phillips, Founder of TPG Architecture, for his leadership in the architecture industry. An anonymous $1 million donation was made during the course of the evening’s event in Phillips' honor, effectively doubling the funds raised at what was already a very successful event. In addition, Mark Gregorio, president of Transel Elevator, was presented with the Camillo Ricordi Humanitarian Award recognizing an individual who has demonstrated a great sense of history of humanitarian initiatives. Over the years, Gregorio has contributed considerable time, energy and resources to many worthy causes.
The event was hosted by Peter L. DiCapua, Chief Operating Officer for Atco Properties & Management, Inc. and Chairman of the DRI Real Estate Division. Quoting Winston Churchill, the historical figure he admires most, DiCapua said, "However beautiful the strategy, occasionally we must look at the results." He continued, "In today’s troubling times, with financial distress gripping our nation, the Empire Ball had its most successful event ever. I am proud to be part of the real estate community which, even in extremely trying times, continues to do the right thing."
There are 24 million Americans living with diabetes and another 54 million are at risk of becoming diabetic—making the disease one of the biggest health concerns in the U.S. today. Since 1983, the New York real estate community and its affiliates have raised more than $24 million for diabetes research. The idea for an annual fundraiser was initiated by Charles Rizzo, Principal of The Rizzo Group, after learning of his daughter’s diagnosis with diabetes. Rizzo and DiCapua along with 10 other members founded the event. For 15 years, the annual fundraiser was called the Pyramid Ball and raised money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF). In 1998, the event was renamed the Empire Ball and began supporting the DRI.
With the persistence and hard work of the event’s honorees and committee, the Empire Ball was very well attended this year with more than 800 guests, including representatives from Cushman & Wakefield, Prudential, Grubb & Ellis, SL Green Realty Corp., The Donaldson Organization, and The Durst Organization.
Over the last 25 years, the event has become the real estate social and fundraising event of the season. Past honorees include: Alton Marshall, Former Secretary of State under Governor Rockefeller; Businessman William "Bill" Shea, for which Shea Stadium is named; Charles Urstadt; David Baldwin; Lizanne Gaibreath; Edward S. Gordon; John Catsimatidis; Joseph "Dee" Dussich; and Frank Sciame—all heads of corporations and leaders in their respective industries.
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