BOSTON (CBS) – The men of Boston don’t always have the best reputation.
But Thursday night at the 18th annual Men of Boston Cook for Women’s Health fundraiser at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, the real Bostonian man was defined in a way Hollywood and outsiders never could.
“Nights like tonight prove that men don’t fit all the stereotypes people have for them,” said Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphy’s.
In addition to fine wine and good food, men at the Dorchester event served up a message of what makes a great Bostonian man.
“It’s an unknown fact that Boston men are very compassionate, they really care about their communities and neighbors,” said Steve Tompkins, Suffolk County Sheriff.
Gov. Charlie Baker at the Men of Boston Cook for Women’s Health event. (WBZ-TV)
One hundred dollars of every ticket purchased for the fundraiser is donated directly to supporting women’s health programs.
The fundraiser has raised more than $2 million for women’s health issues such as breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease and HIV/AIDS since 1995.
“I think a great Bostonian man has a generous heart and a belief that they’re part of a big community and that they need to show up and play,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told WBZ-TV at the event.
Michael Patrick MacDonald, an author who wrote the bestselling book “All Souls,” said that Boston men aren’t what they are portrayed to be in Hollywood.
“The image that’s been put out there a lot with all these movies like ‘Black Mass’ is the macho guy that has no interest in community at all, it’s all about themselves. And that’s just not true,” MacDonald said.