On Thursday, March 28, 500 corporate and civic leaders, elected officials, community partners, and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay supporters gathered at the Seaport Hotel for Destination Boston Harbor, Save the Harbor’s annual fundraising gala.
Each year, Save the Harbor recognizes men and women as Boston Harbor Heroes for their commitment to Save the Harbor’s mission, the community, and the Harbor. Save the Harbor’s Board Chair and National Grid’s Vice President of Government Affairs for Massachusetts, Joseph Newman, along with Save the Harbor’s new President, Tani Marinovich, thanked the guests and introduced this year’s heroes which included South Boston Resident Kathy Lafferty, Executive Director, South Boston Neighborhood House, for her commitment to sharing Boston Harbor with kids and families and her lifetime of service to the South Boston community.
The additional 2019 Harbor Heroes are:
- The Honorable Martin J. Walsh, Mayor, City of Boston
- Tom Crohan, John Hancock Financial Services
- David Spillane, President Principal, Goody Clancy
- Allen Huang and Veera Mahadomrongkul, Ohana NE Dragon Boat Team
- Shelagh Mahoney, Eastern Salt Company, Inc.
- John Sullivan, Boston Water & Sewer Commission
- Sam Bowman, Maeve Fitz, Kharliyah Ortiz, Save the Harbor’s Youth Environmental Education Program
This year’s event was particularly special as it included several tributes to the contributions and hard work of Patty Foley, who has retired after 20 years as President of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Mayor Walsh began by reflecting on his work with Foley during his time serving in Massachusetts Legislature as the Representative from Dorchester. He credited her with educating him about the challenges faced by the neighborhood beaches and being a tireless advocate for the investing resources for their improvement. Mayor Walsh also reflected on the threat posed by climate change and the need to work collaboratively with organizations such as Save the Harbor to ensure resiliency for future generations.
Marinovich thanked everyone for their support, for making 2019 the most successful Destination Boston Harbor ever with more than $750,000 raised for continued advocacy for, and programming on, Boston Harbor, the harbor islands and the regions beaches.
Save the Harbor would like to thank all of our sponsors, silent auction donors, and supporters including presenting sponsor Wells Fargo for the support of the important work we to restore and preserve Boston Harbor for future generations.
You can find a complete list of the 2019 Destination Boston Harbor Donors and Sponsors here: http://blog.savetheharbor.org/2019/04/our-funders-and-supporters.html
