Liz Gorton often looks out on to the waters of Puget Sound from her office in downtown Seattle.  On a crisp morning last fall, an email announced the Step It Up challenge, a run up the 42 flights of stairs of the newly opened WaMu Center.

Part of Washington Mutual’s employee giving month, the challenge included the company’s commitment to match pledges dollar for dollar for the non-profit of the runner’s choice.With fresh views of the Sound in mind, combined with her deep beliefs about the importance of outstanding hands-on learning experiences for youth, Liz knew just what to do. 

She selected Salish Sea Expeditions as the nonprofit that she’d support through the program, and began collecting pledges for each floor she’d ascend.With fresh views of the Sound in mind, combined with her deep beliefs about the importance of outstanding hands-on learning experiences for youth, Liz knew just what to do.  She selected Salish Sea Expeditions as the nonprofit that she’d support through the program, and began collecting pledges for each floor she’d ascend.

After a month of asking support, and then a quick 15 minute jaunt up 42 floors – Liz with the match from WaMu raised over $15,000 in total contributions for Salish!

“Think how great it would be if it was always possible to raise a thousand dollars a minute for such a worthy organization!” joked Liz after her climb.

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Each holiday season, the scientists of Integral Consulting’s Mercer Island office select a nonprofit to support – in 2007, they chose Salish Sea Expeditions.  For Dr. Deb Rudnick, one of the members of the selection committee, the decision was easy.  “We wanted to do a support the work of a nonprofit that was similar in mission to the work we are involved with as a company,” said Deb. “We’re deeply involved in science and the environment, so Salish is a great fit.”

Additionally, several of the scientists from this national consulting firm live on Bainbridge and have watched Salish grow in student numbers and quality over the years, so they feel a personal connection to Salish’s mission.

Integral Consulting Inc. is a national science and engineering consulting firm providing multidisciplinary services in the environmental, health, natural, and physical sciences industries. The company has offices in Colorado, Maryland and Oregon in addition to three offices in the Puget Sound region.