WHEN THEIR DEAR FRIEND’S LIFE WAS TRAGICALLY CUT SHORT DURING THE HORRIFIC TERRORIST ATTACKS OF 9/11, THIS GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL BUDDIES BANDED TOGETHER TO HONOR HIS LEGACY BY PROVIDING AID AND SUPPORT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF STATEN ISLANDERS, ALL IN THE NAME AND MEMORY OF THEIR “BROTHER” BY AMANDA McCOY PHOTOS

BY AMESSE PHOTOGRAPHY

Nearly 3,000 lives were lost in New York and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001, in the deadliest terrorist attack on United States soil. Each person had a story, their names now forever inscribed in bronze along the memorial pools where the Twin Towers once stood. One of those names is Bill Micciulli, a gregarious born-and-raised Staten Islander and loving husband, father, and friend to many. He relished early morning tee times and getting his buddies together, known as the gatherer by his peers. Micciulli had a house party planned for the weekend after 9/11.

“I talked to Billy almost every morning,” said Nick Mehnert, a close friend of Micciulli since their school days at Monsignor Farrell High School. “That morning, we laughed about how we wished we were playing golf that day.”

A finance professional, Mehnert worked only a block away from Micciulli’s office in the Twin Towers. (“I remember everything about that day, from the smell of the air to the weather,” Mehnert poignantly recalled.) Though saddled with grief, Micciulli’s father and troupe of tight-knit friends gathered the following month at a country club in New Jersey to tee-off in honor of Micciulli. There, on the greens of their buddy’s favorite golf course, something special began to take shape.

“At one point while we were playing, Billy’s father pulled me and Billy’s cousin, Charlie, aside and before he could say anything, I told him, ‘Don’t worry, we will go bigger and better and honor your son for the rest of our lives.’ Billy was such a special person. He was the one who always got everyone together, and he never left anyone out. We wanted to do something to keep his name alive and to honor him in a bigger way than just doing a golf outing with friends every year.”

This outing laid the groundwork for the Friends of Bill Micciulli Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to Micciulli’s alma mater, Monsignor Farrell. “The high school is a special place,” noted Mehnert, who’s served as chairman of the foundation since its official launch in 2003. “It’s not just about the great education, but the people you meet. We wanted to give kids from the next generation in Staten Island the same opportunities we had.”

The foundation started small, but its impact was significant, covering the tuition cost for one senior every year. Eventually the foundation introduced a second scholarship, paying for one student’s entire education from 9th through 12th grade. To raise money for the program, Mehnert and friends couldn’t think of a better way to honor their friend than by hosting a charity golfing tournament.

“We call it Billy’s Celebration,” said Mehnert. “We sell out every year. We get 144 golfers that compete, and another 200 that come to the lunch. It’s my favorite day of the year. We get to watch people smile as they’re doing something in Billy’s name.”

Over time, as more people learned of Micciulli’s story, the foundation’s reach started to grow. The Staten Island community, much like Monsignor Farrell, is tight knit, its members eager to show up and support each other. When Mehnert began coaching his son’s baseball team, one of his players happened to be the son of Keith Manfredi and Linda Maffeo Manfredi, co-founders of the Maffeo Foundation, a nonprofit created in honor of Linda’s brother, Joseph Maffeo, a New York City firefighter who lost his life on 9/11. Through the foundation, the Manfredis have raised millions of dollars over the years to support Staten Island University Hospital’s ongoing initiative to improve medical care and build state-of the-art specialized treatment centers in the borough.

Some might call this encounter luck, but Mehnert believes that in many ways, his best friend is guiding him. “I’m confident that Billy is still guiding me and making sure I meet certain people,” noted Mehnert. “Keith became a mentor for our foundation. He showed me that if you’re going to do it, go all in.”

Mehnert and his fellow board members (which include Vice Chairman Charlie McAteer, Tom Collins, Mike Kucher, Tom Kramer, Matt Rozzi [Treasurer], Joe Saraceno, Mike Scavetta, and Jack Spillane) soon teamed up with the Maffeo Foundation to support the development of the Joseph Maffeo Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, part of SIUH’s Gruppuso Family Women and Newborn Center, a cutting-edge new facility that strives to elevate the birth experience for mothers, babies, and families. Over the course of a five-year pledge, the foundation raised $25,000 for the NICU wing. Once they hit that mark, the foundation became benefactors of the hospital’s pediatric care unit. “What the hospital is building is truly incredible,” noted Mehnert, whose kids were born at SIUH. “It’s rewarding to be a part of it in Billy’s name.”

Since its inception, the Friends of Bill Micciulli Foundation has awarded 34 scholarships and is committed to raising $50,000 to improve medical care for the borough’s most precious patients. In addition to the annual golf outing, the foundation recently started hosting a bocce tournament in February, Micciulli’s birthday month. The committee works closely with many of Staten Island’s charitable organizations, including the Songbird Foundation and the McKenna Foundation, both run by loyal Islanders who strive to strengthen the community and serve those in need. “The Staten Island foundation community is special,” noted Mehnert. “We all support each other. Between scholarships, hospital donations, and little league sponsorships, our foundation has raised and donated more than $500,000 to date. As a small organization, this makes us incredibly proud.”

“I vowed I would never forget that day,” continued Mehnert, whose license plate still reads “no forget” today. “Being from Staten Island, I knew so many people who perished in the attacks. It’s a healing process that happens over time. I would trade it all to have my friend back, but to be able to do good for the community after such a tragedy still brings tears to my eyes. Billy was the gatherer, so when I set these events up, I ask myself, ‘What would Billy do?’ It’s now on me to encourage people to gather. But the community is amazing; we all show up, we drink, we dance, we cry. Through our actions, we are teaching our kids the value in being a servant to the community. Our foundation will never dismantle; even if only ten people show up to the golf outing, we would still do it.”

Friends of Bill Micciulli Foundation friendsofbillmicciulli.org