Andrew V. Simontacchi Staten Island Advance
Watch: Video featuring the founder and sponsor of The Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund discuss meaning of ‘Bikers for Bini’
Whether you’re a fan of two wheels or four, Bikers for Bini had something for you.
The fourth annual Bikers for Bini charity event and motorcycle run drew more than 5,000 people to the Staten Island Mall on Sunday in New Springville. The revelers filled the parking lot to watch a car show, monster truck attractions, food, rides and games for kids.
Christine Bini, wife of FF Carl Bini, is on the Bini fire truck with a few of her grandkids as they wave at the bikers heading out from the Staten Island Mall parking lot. August 30, 2015 Photo – Hilton Flore Staten Island Advance
The event kicked off with an NYPD-escorted motorcycle run along Staten Island’s major roadways, including Hylan Boulevard, Richmond Avenue and the Staten Island Expressway.
The event honors Carl V. Bini, a firefighter with FDNY Rescue Co. 5 in Concord, who died while responding to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
It featured live music on two stages, a variety of tents displaying products from t-shirts to car parts to tattoos, and plenty of food options.
“It shows that the Staten Island community still supports us over the last 14 years and, in fact, that Staten Islanders haven’t forgotten what happened that horrific day,” said Massimo DiDonna, president of The Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund. “It’s important for us to do these events so we can raise money for our general funds and be able to assist Islanders in a time of need.”
Part of the proceeds from Sunday’s event go to “Carl’s House,” a program providing aid to the victims of Staten Island’s prescription drug and heroin epidemic, DiDonna said.
“We have thousands of people come to the Staten Island Mall parking lot every year, and we raise money to give back to the community of Staten Island,” said Jerry Amerosi, president and founder of Gerald Peters Goldmine, a key sponsor of “Bikers for Bini.”
