The Ellen Hermanson Foundation will prove on Saturday that laughter is the best medicine when it hosts a comedy and variety benefit show called Tickled Pink.
For 26 years, the foundation has provided access to health care for women in underserved communities, focusing on breast health diagnostic screenings, grants for technology for affiliated medical centers, and professional support services for patients. In 2019, it underwrote screenings for more than 12,000 women on the East End.
"The money we raise stays here. We try to use it in the most efficient way to reach the most people where it can be the most helpful, because the needs are great out here," said Julie Ratner, president of the foundation. It was established in memory of her sister, Ellen, who died of breast cancer 26 years ago at the age of 42. "It's bittersweet for me," Ms. Ratner said, "because it means my sister has been gone for 26 years, but her life has had an extraordinary impact on the community."
This is the second year the Ellen Hermanson Foundation is holding a benefit virtually, due to the ongoing pandemic. This year's event, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, will feature a knockout lineup of female comedians, singers, and other performers.
As always, the foundation will honor women in the community who have made a difference -- with a theme this year that is close to the hearts of The East Hampton Star. Helen S. Rattray, its publisher and former editor in chief, and Carissa Katz, its managing editor, are among the women of the East End media who are being honored, along with East End heroes in other fields.
"I think that there's a feeling that there's not enough recognition of women in media,' Ms. Ratner said. Anne Tschida Gomberg, the organization's executive director, described the honorees as "women who are emblematic of what makes the Hamptons a special place."
Ms. Rattray's tenure as the editor of The Star began in 1981, and she stepped into the role of publisher in 2003. Over the decades, she has championed preservation of the region's natural resources and history and written more than 3,000 "Connections" columns in The Star. In 2017 she was inducted into the Long Island Press Club's Journalism Hall of Fame.
"It's an organization that does good work, and I'm so pleased to be recognized by an organization that deserves all the support and praise one can give," Ms. Rattray said this week.
Ms. Katz, who grew up in East Hampton, is an award-winning journalist who has been with The Star for more than two decades. She has overseen coverage of some of the region's most historic events, among them the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Superstorm Sandy, and, of course, the ongoing pandemic.
"Through its commitment to providing access to early breast cancer detection and to treatment and support services for women facing a breast cancer diagnosis, the Ellen Hermanson Foundation does so much to help women on the East End," Ms. Katz said. "I'm so honored to be recognized by the foundation at this year's Tickled Pink event alongside such impressive community leaders and other East End women in media. It's been a challenging year to be a journalist, but it also feels like good community journalism has never been more important than it has these past 12 months. The Ellen Hermanson Foundation's recognition of that work is a really special affirmation that what we are doing is worthwhile and that people believe in it and appreciate it."
Also among the East End women in media being recognized are Kathryn G. Menu, co-publisher of The Express News Group; Taylor K. Vecsey, editor in chief of Dan's Papers' Behind the Hedges; Bridget LeRoy of WLIW 88.3 FM; Nicole Barylski, editor in chief of Hamptons.com; Jessica Mackin-Cipro, co-publisher and editor of James Lane Post, and Victoria Schneps-Yunis, president and co-publisher of Dan's Papers.
The Ellen Hermanson Foundation is also honoring five "community heroes," including the artist and activist April Gornik of North Haven; Evelyn Ramunno, director of the Sag Harbor Food Pantry; Moira Squires, a nurse and founder of the Warriors of the East End; Marguerite A. Smith, an educator and attorney from the Shinnecock Nation, and Sara Blue, who is the foundation's special events director and also volunteers with Maureen's Haven.
Attendance at the online Tickled Pink benefit is free, though donations are encouraged and sponsorships are welcomed. More information is online at bit.ly/3dVaqP7.
"The winter is cold and long, and by February, all the joy of the new year has worn off. It's something fun to look forward to," Ms. Ratner said.
