Benefit Auction
The Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial held its annual (although on hold since the pandemic) Benefit Dinner, Live Auction, and Online Auction on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at Chinooks at Salmon Bay.
The SFM funds scholarships, supports safety training, offers grief counseling, and gives back to our local fishing community when needed. Fishermen’s Finest is proud of the efforts of the volunteers to keep this non-profit true to its mission and goals. The SFM counts on people like the Fishing Companies and Industry Vendors listed below to fund their programs.
Thank you to the Fishing Companies and Industry Vendors for their support.
The Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial Board thanks you and provides this summary of the board’s efforts made possible through the generous support of the companies listed above.
Maintenance of the Memorial
Our Memorial is maintained in cooperation with the Port of Seattle, keeping it presentable year-round. The first Sunday in May each year we hold a Memorial Service attended by family and friends from across the country; at which time we honor fishermen and community supporters.
Grief Support
Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial has a long-standing commitment to supporting our families, friends, and crew during the grieving process that follows the loss of one of our own. Captain Dave Shoemaker serves as our Grief Coordinator and provides comfort and support to those in need.
Scholarship
Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial maintains a needs-based scholarship to serve the families of those we honor on the Memorial. Our scholarships are benchmarked against the University of Washington tuition and expenses, which have steadily risen over time and for 2022/2023 are up to $27,257.00 per student for the year. The Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial recently had another scholarship recipient graduate and we currently have two scholarship recipients paying out over $50,000 in awards this year.
Gunnar Ildhuso (1924-2018) was a pioneer of the Alaska fisheries, and a generous benefactor of the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial. The Memorial, consistent with its mission to promote safety and competence in the local fishing industry, recognizes a need to support and enhance the training of the next generation of fishermen. Therefore, in honor of Gunnar Ildhuso’s legacy, the Memorial established this scholarship in 2019 to promote safety training, skills training, or USCG licensing for committed fishermen. This scholarship provides assistance to applicants interested in enhancing or advancing their maritime qualifications and safety credentials. The scholarship provides up to $2,500 toward training or coursework for fishermen in the areas of marine safety or safety certification, skills enhancement (e.g., vocational training such as marine welding, electrical, refrigeration, shipwright, etc.), or USCG licensing procurement or upgrading. So far in 2022, we have provided scholarships to two individuals for maritime skills enhancement.
If you are interested in supporting the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial, either through donations, volunteering, or both, please contact board member Kristian Uri.
Finally, it was a special evening for the Uri family as emcee John Curley congratulated Helen and Konrad Uri a day before their 65th wedding anniversary (November 16, 1957).
Konrad and Helen Uri, recognized for 65 years of marriage.