MIAMI – For days, the hope was that 14-year-old Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos were holding on to a white cooler to float in open sea.
Before his disappearance, Perry shared pictures of the cooler on Instagram. It was a permanent fixture on his 19-foot boat. It wasn't on the capsized vessel when it appeared off of the coast of Daytona Beach Sunday.
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After the U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday that the government would suspend the search for the boys, there was activity on the families' GoFundMe account. The fund is meant to fuel their private search effort.
UPDATE: U.S. Coast Guard suspends search
"Should there be any surplus funds at the conclusion of the search and rescue efforts, they will be directed to aid in similar activity that will benefit saving lives in related situations," Perry's mom, Pamela Cohen, said on the site.
The fund had more than 3,000 donations. As of 5:30 p.m., the fund collected $337,706. The largest donation was from the maker of the cooler -- YETI Coolers. It was $25,000.
There was a flood of kind messages with donations that mostly ranged from $5 to $100.
"As a mother of 3, I cannot imagine what the family & friends are going through. Let's bring these boys home!! Praying for you all," GoFundMe user Megan Harold said.
There were about 100 comments. A user identified as Nikki R. donated $5. She said she was sorry she didn't have much to give. She had been checking for updates numerous times a day, she said.
"So sorry for what has happened. I will continue to pray for your boys and your families," the user said. "Don't lose faith."
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