HOG ride raises funds for hospital

As nearly 200 Harley Davidson motorcycles roared up 76th Avenue in New Hyde Park towards Schneider Children’s Hospital, patient Francesca White and her friend Allison Johnson, both 10, waited expectantly at the hospital entrance.
White, a Rockaway resident, had been admitted several days earlier to the hospital for an appendicitis operation, and doctors had kept her for observation. So on Saturday, March 24, White was picked to represent other sick kids at the hospital as the HOG (Harley Owners Group) of Great Neck pack completed their first charity ride - the Miracle Mile.
Organizers of the one-mile trip - taking a scenic, one-hour route from the sponsoring dealership Harley Davidson of Great Neck to Schneider Children’s Hospital - collected about 200 gift baskets for the sick kids and are still raising funds for the hospital. The group hopes to make the ride an annual spring charity event.
“We raised money through a collection of sponsors who helped out with the event,” said Kamal Bherwani, the Activities Director for the newly formed HOG group in Great Neck. Bherwani bought his customized Harley Softail Heritage in June 2006.
“This was a chance to do something good for the community,” he said.
White and Johnson, of Belle Harbor, were given baskets stuffed with coloring books, party gifts, and mini pinball machines by the leather-clad bikers.
“Our motto within the group is ‘put a smile on the kids’ faces,’” Bherwani said.