All About 2016 Haute Tea With Guest of Honor Jillian Posner

The Young Society of Love and Hope’s Haute Tea is gearing up for it’s 5th annual event at the St. Regis Bal Harbour next month. The social event is a ticketed luncheon (click here to buy) that raises funds for the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI). Last year, Haute Tea brought in $80,000 to fund research at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, giving the fun, daytime event serious philanthropic clout. For the event’s first four years, Jillian Posner has served as a chair for the event. This year, in recognition of that dedication, they are honoring her with the help of 2016 event co-chairs Lauren Geduld and Stacy Gibb.

The luncheon takes place on September 8th, helping insure the success of the oh-so-chic luncheon that includes a stunning fashion show by Neiman Marcus and fashionable sponsors like Diane Von Furstenburg, The Webster, Maserati, Warren Henry and Haute Living. Ahead of the event, attendees might want to check out Shapoh, an online millinery source to buy the British-style hats and fascinators ladies are expected to wear to the event, especially if they want to win the day’s hat contest. Ahead of the event, Haute Living caught up with honoree Jillian Posner to find out more about her commitment to Diabetes Research and the event she helped shape to fund it.

HL: Tell us about Haute Tea and it’s mission.
Haute Tea is the Young Society of Love & Hope’s annual luncheon that we fundraise for, which benefits the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, one of the top research centers in the world.  Our mission for this event is to increase visibility for the DRI among the community… this hats & heels event grows bigger every year and is designed to bring women together while increasing awareness about diabetes and the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute.

HL: After years of chairing the event, your committee has chosen to honor you this year. How do you feel about that?
JP: I am very excited about this year! The love and appreciation from my committee makes all the hard work even that more rewarding. I am elated to receive this prestigious honor and am grateful for the excellent light it places on both my committee and the organization.

HL: What is your philosophy when it comes to charity?
JP: For me, charity is practical. It’s sometimes easy, more often not, but always necessary. It’s the ability to use one’s position of influence/wealth/power to affect lives for the better. What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others, that’s beyond us.

HL: There are a lot of charitable organizations out there. How have you been able to stand out and get attention for the DRI?
JP: We have so many great contributers, supporters, and the who’s-who of Miami’s socialites attending the event. These guests help create a platform for which more people are able to hear about our organization and cause and are then able to become involved.  Following the DRI’s lead with not compromising their high standards when it comes to their patients, we won’t compromise our high standards for our attendees of the event, which is why we choose The St. Regis Bal Harbour every year as our venue.

HL: Which philanthropists do you admire and seek inspiration from?
JP: Hands down, the women of Love & Hope. Each and every woman on the Love & Hope committee is a known-philanthropist in the community and are dedicated to their cause. They started out 40 years ago as a committee and they have evolved into such a family that they now literally eat Thanksgiving dinner together every year…it’s amazing, and it’s what inspires me to continue building the Young Society of Love & Hope.

There is one particular Love & Hope member, Sandra Levy, that inspires me daily by her generosity, guidance, and execution of stressful events. Her positivity and empowering messages to me have become my strength as a leader for Haute Tea. She is a true role model.

HL: Where do you see Haute Tea in five years?
JP: Hopefully the disease is cured. Until then this is my mission.