Boston Whaler and the other 14 brands belonging to Lake Forest, Illinois-based Brunswick Corp. made a Crowdtilt donation to help raise funds to replace David Henneberry’s boat, which was recently damaged in a police shootout to apprehend a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. The Brunswick contribution brought the total amount raised for Henneberry’s replacement boat past the $50,000 mark, which was the initial Crowdtilt goal.
“As a leader in the marine industry, we understand and appreciate the passion boaters have for their time on the water, and we hope that Mr. Henneberry will be back out on a boat soon,” says Dustan E. McCoy, Brunswick chairman and CEO. “In a recent interview, Mr. Henneberry called himself an ‘incidental hero.’ In the aftermath, Mr. Henneberry has relied on his modesty and sense of community as his guide in reacting to this tragedy.
“He told Boston’s Channel 5 news, ‘It makes me feel wonderful that people are thinking like that, but it is my boat. People lost lives and lost limbs. I’d rather that [the money] go to the One Fund Boston. To buy me a new boat is a wonderful thing. I don’t want that, really. They lost limbs. I lost a boat.’
“As with any good pilot, we rely on Mr. Henneberry’s moral compass to navigate this situation and maintain a course that is both sensitive and respectful to Boston’s loss and healing process,” McCoy continues. “We, therefore, have joined a fellow mariner in his support of the Boston community.
“With this donation, we believe Crowdtilt will reach or exceed its stated goal of $50,000. Given Mr. Henneberry’s recent statements, we at Brunswick also support whatever decision he makes regarding the money raised on Crowdtilt.”
Photo by David L. Ryan AP/Boston Globe
