You click, Chase pays, our family wins!

The FISH video that was made 14 years ago captured something special; it captured a bit of who we are and a bit of what makes us tick. What makes us as an organization "tick" though is a collection of individual commitment. Us as a group can't do too much, but each person playing his role to the best of his abililty makes for what we call "wholes in allignment". We are wholes at work and we are wholes outside of work (cause let's face it, this place isn't just a job).

The FISH video shows us at work and I swear if someone were to make a film that would come close to its success, it would be about us as people and who we are in life and who we are in the community. A workplace is a workplace and you can turn that on and off, but you always have to look at yourself in the mirror when the gates close. The collection of fishmongers that have clocked in at this place know that the skills and experiences at this place do not stop with seafood. From Dan Bugge and his phenomenally successful restaurant "Matt's in the Market" to Darren Killian and his work at the Recovery Cafe here in Seattle, those are just two of the examples of recent Pike Place Fish graduates.

One alumnus in particular who's doing great things for his community is Doug Strauss. Doug married his high school sweetheart and made seven little Strausses all while becoming a full time teacher and working at Pike Place Fish. After a long battle with cancer, his daughter Gloria passed away in 2007. Following a Pullitzer-Prize nominated series of articles, Seattle Times reporter Jerry Brewer wrote the book Gloria's Miracle as a testament to the power within Gloria and the Strauss family. If you spend any amount of time with or around the Strausses, you can feel the joy, peace and love coming out of every one of them. We like to say it started at a fish market, and I'm sure his patience for the seven little ones was fine-tuned by working a retail fish market.

Either way, Doug and his wife Kristen now run a non-profit out of Federal Way, Washington in Gloria's honor called "Gloria's Angels".

From their website: We accomplish our mission in the following ways:

• Lifting burdens - guiding families through the maze of services so they can focus on care, not burdensome procedures
• Comprehensive approach - walking with people across the spectrum of needs, partnering with service agencies across all elements of care (Medical, Spiritual, Professional, Domestic, Community)
• Filling gaps - providing for essential needs not covered by other agencies
• Building communities - connecting community-based volunteers with people in their own neighborhood during their times of great need and beyond

Chase Bank is giving away thousands of dollars in the next couple days and they're doing it based on online votes. They have the money, you don't have to give any for this push. All you have to do is vote for Gloria's Angels on facebook. The link is right here, corporate giving programs are amazing ways to help out community organizations and our blog is an even better way to let you know how our family is helping others. We sell fish but as we all know, we're here to spread peace and love for the world. Well folks, I hate to say it, but today it starts on facebook...........so click to vote for the Strauss family! Chase Commuinity Giving, Gloria's Angels, vote for free so the work of the Strauss family gets some support.