Fifth Annual Kiehl’s LifeRide Motorcycle Gang Ride for amfAR: Gilles Marini, Malcolm-Jamal Warner & Ben Cohen.

By Laura Medina

Kiehl's LifeRiders, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Gilles Marini, & Ben Cohen.

Gilles Marini's wife and family must be so proud of him doing an half-cross-country trek from the Midwest to New York for this next two weeks. 

For a Frenchman like Gilles, this is the idealized way of seeing America, biking on an Harley-Davidson from Milwaukee to the gateway of Europe, New York.

As far as this scribe knows, this is the second time Gilles Marini participated in being a "LifeRider" for Kiehl's.  His first time, he rode up and down the West Coast to end up in The Grove in Los Angeles a year ago.

Now, him and his fellow co-horts, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Ben Cohen, to be joined by:

Tyson Beckford, model, Jay Ellis, actor
Kevin Robert Frost, CEO, amfAR
Conrad Leach, artist
Vanessa Marcil, actor
Gilles Marini, actor
Scott Niemeyer, producer
Grant Reynolds, actor
Katee Sackhoff, actor
Chris Salgardo, President, Kiehl’s USA
Teddy Sears, actor
Jesse Lee Soffer, actor...

are going from the middle (starting on this past Sunday, August 3rd) to the "Right Coast," the East Coast...finishing this leg in New York on Governor’s Island, New York on August 12th.

The leaders of the pack are Chris Salgardo, President, Kiehl’s USA and Kevin Robert Frost, amfAR CEO.

   

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152392544614457&set=vb.175168759456&type=2&theater

Kiehl's married two All-American heritage, their history as a Colonial pharmacy that made it's own skincare from scratch with Harley-Davidson to raise funds for AIDS Research.

Along the way, Kiehl's "motorcycle gang," The LifeRiders will make stops at six retail stores along the route, the company will donate a total of $150,000 over the course of the ride. At each stop, the public will be invited to meet the riders, learn more about amfAR, and contribute to the organization.

Come these two weeks, you might unknowingly drive pass them.  Here's a clip of Gilles riding his Harley in Chicago above.

In addition to store stops, Kiehl’s is sponsoring a monumental, open-to-the-public dedication of The AIDS Memorial Quilt, Aug. 11-Aug. 12 on Governor’s Island, New York. Kiehl’s and the LifeRiders invite New Yorkers to partake in the special tradition of activities associated with major displays of The Quilt including: unfolding ceremonies, new panel dedications and the Reading of Names for the duration of the display. This program marks the first time in nearly two decades that the City of New York has hosted The AIDS Memorial Quilt with a display of this magnitude.

At each stop, the public are more than welcomed to say "Hi" and the celebrity hottie riders are more than happy to meet and greet their fans.  Don't worry, they don't bite...

The ride will celebrate at the following stops, press and public welcome!
• Aug. 3: Ride Launch at the Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee, WI – 1pm – 1:30pm
• Aug. 4: Stop 1: Kiehl’s Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL – 12pm – 1pm
Stop 2: Kiehl’s Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL – 2:30pm – 3:30pm
• Aug. 6: Stop 1: Kiehl’s at The Somerset Collection, Troy, MI – 12pm – 1pm
Stop 2: Harley-Davidson event at Lake Erie Harley-Davidson – 5:00pm – 6:00pm
• Aug. 7: Kiehl’s at Dillard’s Great Northern Mall, Cleveland, OH – 11:30am – 12:30pm
• Aug. 11: World AIDS Memorial Quilt Dedication – Governor’s Island, NY – 4:30pm – 6:60pm
• Aug. 12: Stop 1: Kiehl’s at Macy’s Herald Square, New York City, NY – 11:30am – 12:30pm
Stop 2: Kiehl’s Rally: Kiehl’s Flagship Store, 109 3rd Avenue, New York City, NY
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Stop 3: Finale Celebration: 22 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY – 6:30pm – 9:30pm
• Aug. 11-12: World AIDS Memorial Quilt Display – Governor’s Island, NY

In celebration of LifeRide, every customer that visits one of these stores on the event day will receive a 15% discount on all purchases, with the exception of charitable products and value sets. Kiehl’s will donate that 15% to amfAR, up to the $150,000 total donation. (Each stop store will also offer the celebration discount on a second day, either before or after its stop; contact each stop store for details.)

Even if you can’t attend a ride event, as a Kiehl’s customer, you can join the fight against HIV/AIDS nationwide.

When you buy a jumbo-sized tube, limited-edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve...big enough for the whole family or the whole body if for yourself...100% of Kiehl’s net profits from the sale of this product, up to $25,000, will benefit amfAR.

If you want to follow the LifeRiders' progress and see if you can meet them, follow them at Kiehls.com/LifeRide, #‎liferide5‬, @kiehlsnyc and @amfar.