Annual Bridgehampton Benefit Welcomes Celebrities, Musicians and More—All for Two Good Causes

On Saturday, July 29 the Annual Bridgehampton Benefit will present “The Children Matter,” an exclusive charity event with the simple belief that the lives of children all around the world matter. “The Children Matter” will take place at The Southampton Arts Center, at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton. The event is a collaborative initiative between MATTER, a Minnesota-based nonprofit whose mission is to get life-saving resources into the hands of people that could benefit, specifically people living in scarcity; and The Starkey Hearing Foundation, a nonprofit whose goal of giving the gift of hearing to those in need and empowering them to achieve their potential, led them to make a commitment, in 2010, to provide the Clinton Global Initiative one million hearing aids this decade.

Frank Devito of Devito & Company, a premier Hamptons contractor based in Southampton, is generously hosting the VIP Cocktail Party Friday, July 28 as part of the VIP Sponsorship packages for the July 29 Gala Fundraiser, presented by Bridgehampton Benefit, at one of his spectacular new homes under construction in Southampton. Devito says, “It’ll be a great kick-off. We’re excited to offer one of our houses for the first night of the events in Southampton. This new construction looks like an old Hamptons beach house that was modernized, a minimalist Modern. It’s a home suited to someone with understated style—beautiful inside, very tranquil with waterfalls and water features—there’s a 10’ by 14’ waterfall into the upper end of the pool. My family would definitely live in this house.” This is Devito’s first time working with this annual event and it will be the third Bridgehampton Benefit event held.

Noë Brown and Jason Zimmerman, CEO of Bridgehampton Equities, are the main collaborators/event planners for this gala. Zimmerman, and his good friend Brady Forseth, Executive Director of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, and Quenton Marty, President of the MATTER Organization, have all collaborated to partner up this year in hopes to help continue raising awareness of their worldwide missions serving children; hence “The Children Matter” theme of the evening.

Both organizations actively help underprivileged children, individuals and families, locally and throughout the world. In their own fashion, MATTER and The Starkey Hearing Foundation provide stellar services and aid people who need it the most. Lives are positively impacted and the hope for better, more functional lives is restored.

Saturday night begins with a cocktail event between 5–8 p.m. During this time guests will have the opportunity to meet and greet celebrities, including rock superstar Gene Simmons of KISS, actress Sophie Simmons and America’s Got Talent finalist Sal Valentinetti. There will also be a live art auction and local artist performances. The main event, from 8–11 p.m., includes dinner, celebrity artist performances, a live auction and music and dance with Celebrity DJ Aiden Jude.

Devito reflects on the weekend’s performers and their commitment to the causes the events benefit, saying, “I like Sal, he’s good in his own shoes—loveable, I feel like I grew up with him.

“[This is] a good group of people coming who believe in these causes and I understand why. Gene and his daughter Sophie Simmons clearly believe. Everybody’s important—especially children. Anything for the children is 100% yes. I support local charities including Wounded Warrior—anything to help the vets—and animal rescues.”

Zimmerman shares, “We’re all KISS fans but mostly fans of Gene Simmons himself. He’s a fervent supporter of MATTER and does a lot under-the-radar for children around the world. We all met with him last December in his Beverly Hills home and he generously agreed to do this. Including his daughter was a bonus! These two foundations are truly amazing and need all the help they can get in their efforts to help save lives and ignite a healthier future for children around our world. So we ask everybody to please come support and buy tickets through our website now.”

Come out on Saturday and be part of this momentous effort to raise money to help children around the world with education and health support. The money is used to fund schools, hospitals, clinics, implement educational programs to children who are deaf and hard of hearing so that the world may hear, and much more. 100% of all donations go directly to the respective beneficiaries. Devito stresses, “tickets to Saturday’s event are still available.”

For more information and tickets visit bridgehamptonbenefit.com or facebook.com/gala631. For more on The Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit starkeyhearingfoundation.org. For more on MATTER, visit matter.ngo.