Michele Brannigan, the Senior Major Gifts Officer/Campaign Manager at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, stood alongside Stefanie Harris’ Strings Bar and Grill at 183 George Waterman Road in Johnston late Saturday morning, clapping and waving as riders and passengers on 215 bikes roared off at the start the 5th Annual Goodfellas Motorcycle Run.
Soon thereafter, Brannigan — who had tears of joy trickling down her smiling face — said with excitement and enthusiasm ringing in her voice: “Today, we’re going to break all records thanks to Bruno and Cal!”
A year ago, the fun-loving Goodfellas Motorcycle Club Run raised $16,000 to help children who are battling cancer at Hasbro Hospital in Providence.
Saturday morning as he accepted registration and donation after donation, Goodfellas Treasurer Anthony “Cal” Calabro announced: “Today we could take in $20,000 and that would result in an extraordinary check presentation of $40,000 to Hasbro Children’s Hospital.”
Prior to the run, which lasted two hours and extended into Connecticut and back to 1 Victory Mount in Johnston’s “Frog City” where the Goodfellas hosted 400 plus people, Calabro heaped words of praise and thanks to Bruno Ramieri, a contributor to Hasbro Children’s Hospital who pledge to match every dollar the motorcycle group took in up to $20,000.
“This is totally amazing,” Brannigan added. “We at Hasbro Children’s Hospital are truly thrilled and again amazed with the generosity of all the motorcycle riders and their passengers and especially to Bruno as well as each and every Goodfellas Club member for what they are doing here today.”
Meanwhile, as Brannigan talked with Calabro’s wife Linda, Ramieri sat quietly at the registration table dressed in his red Goodfellas T-shirt and hat, smiling and simply watching as biker-upon-biker paid the $20 rider and passenger fee and even purchased raffle tickets as for what Cal Calabro called “a special show of love to help the children who have been stricken with cancer.”
Likewise, Cal Calabro heaped words of praise upon David Levesque, who owns and operates all Brewed Awakenings franchises in Rhode Island “for his special support of our club and always willingness and generosity to help the children at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.”
To which Brannigan offered in her always-classy way: “David has been a valuable friend to our hospital. We can’t thank him enough for what he has done here to support this year’s run.”
Levesque, who has hosted the Goodfellas annual check presentation and treated officials to coffee, muffins and a continental breakfast in years past, went more than a step above for Saturday’s run.
“David gave us 200 $5 gift cards for today’s run,” Cal Calabro wanted it known. “We ran out but we will make sure those riders and passengers that didn’t get one will receive one soon.”
So, the 5th Annual Goodfellas Motorcycle Run is in the books and as Gene Benedetti, the club’s president offered: “Everyone is excited about this year’s check presentation. We’re going to have it at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and we’ll probably have a large delegation that will definitely include David (Levesque) and other super special supporters.”
The headliner, though, will be Bruno Ramieri — a.k.a. “Mr. Goodfella Extraordinaire of 2021” — who Cal Calabro and countless people now know as a “super special friend of each and every child who’s being treated at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.”
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