TowBoatUS Daytona Beach company owner Shonda Kennedy shares why she decided to turn her red towboat pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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SPRINGFIELD, Va., Sept. 26, 2023

NOTE TO MEDIA: Below are quotes from the 7 individual TowBoatUS companies operating pink towing vessels on the water during October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In addition to these quotes, photos and video of the vessels are available by contacting Scott Croft, BoatUS Public Affairs, scroft@boatus.com, 703-461-2864. Interviews are also available.

TowBoatUS Daytona Beach, FL:

“I turned my red towboat pink because this disease affects so many women,” said TowBoatUS Daytona owner Shonda Kennedy, whose own family as well as her employees’ families have been stricken with breast cancer. “I am using our pink towboat to bring a message of education and awareness of breast cancer to the water to help save lives and find a cure.”

TowBoatUS Mobile, AL:

“Our mother, Barbara Bond, is just one of many women of have been diagnosed, treated and continue to fight breast cancer,” said TowBoatUS Mobile owner Capt. Shaun Curtis. “Our hope and goal of having a pink towboat in our community is to spark a conversation or idea on how others can be more involved with this continued fight. Our pink boat is to wake the complacent. Our towboat is pink for Barbara Bond.”

TowBoatUS San Diego, CA:

“This spring, my wife’s sister and godmother to my girls was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer,” said TowBoatUS San Diego owner Capt. Robert Butler. “Representing TowBoatUS with a pink boat for Breast Cancer Awareness Month has a special meaning for me this year. I plan to make the month of October one to remember.”

TowBoatUS Wrightsville Beach, NC:

“Every summer, at least one of our captains attends to some kind of emergency (on the water) that requires lifesaving skillsets,” said TowBoatUS Wrightsville Beach co-owner Capt. Matthew Wild. “This was an easy decision to bring breast cancer awareness to an environment most would not expect. A pink towboat!”

TowBoatUS Lake Texoma, TX:

Said TowBoatUS Lake Texoma owner Capt. Michael Tucker, “This year, one of our supervisors was diagnosed and is fighting breast cancer, so this hits us close to home. To be able to show support, build awareness and drive donations for her and all the other women affected means a lot to us as a company.”

TowBoatUS St. Joseph, MI:

“My mother is a breast cancer survivor,” said TowBoatUS St. Joseph owner Capt. Rich Lendarson. “She is 73. At 65 she was diagnosed, treated and is currently cancer-free after two difficult surgeries and years of treatment. It’s a pretty simple reason we are doing this.”

TowBoatUS Boston, MA:

“By supporting breast cancer awareness, we are standing in solidarity with those who have been impacted and sharing love and support for their families,” said TowBoatUS Boston owner Capt. Tim Peters. “Our hope is to fund research to end this horrible disease.”

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