BEAUTY BALL RAISES 1.2M NEW YORK -- The beauty industry banded tog..

BEAUTY BALL RAISES $1.2M

NEW YORK — The beauty industry banded together Monday night to help raise more than $1.2 million for the March of Dimes at the 24th Annual Beauty Ball.
The event, held at the Waldorf-Astoria, is the March of Dimes’ largest fund-raising event in the country.
This year’s honoree was Paulanne Mancuso, the president and chief executive officer of Calvin Klein Cosmetics Co.
“As the mother of two young children, every day I’m reminded what a blessing it is raising two healthy children,” said Mancuso, whose heartfelt remarks managed to still the crowd of more than 800. “This event is not about medical research,” she asserted. “It’s about a reality that we are changing.”
Mancuso was introduced by Gabriella Forte, president and chief operating officer of Calvin Klein Inc. “Since my first day at Calvin Klein,” Forte said, “Paulanne has been ready to listen and to help.”
Another high point came with the announcement of the two medical institutions chosen as recipients of the Robert Jacobson HHT (Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia) research grant, a study founded last year to find a cure for the disease that led to the retired International Flavors & Fragrances executive’s death last Friday, three days before the ball. At the mention of Jacobson, the audience broke into an ovation.
The evening’s only glitch came at the end of the event, when the guests exited the building to look for taxis and Town Cars. What they found instead was a “Free Tibet” protest and no street traffic.