Jenny Gore DwyerJennifer Gore Dwyer is the owner of St. George Marine. The family-run company was established in 1986 by Jenny and her husband Pat. After her beloved husband passed away from ALS in June 2013, Jenny became sole owner and president of St. George Marin, working with her children Sean and Brenna to continue to run and grow the family business. The company owns two vessels. The F/V Jennifer A fishes crab in Alaska's Bering Sea, and in summer works with its sister ship, the F/V Brenna A, purchasing salmon on behalf of seafood processors in various parts of Alaska. Jenny and Pat built their company from the ground up, working together on Alaska's fishing grounds and becoming involved in fisheries politics. Together, they lobbied state and federal officials on issues related to the Alaska seafood industry. In 2005, when Pat was diagnosed with ALS, the partnership built to lobby government on fish issues became a partnership working to live with ALS. Through that partnership, Jenny became a committed advocate for the ALS cause. She started out with her local ALS chapter, raising over $100,000 to benefit PALS in the Pacific Northwest area. Jenny's involvement expanded to the national level. She and her family worked extensively behind the scenes in Washington, D.C. to ensure passage of the ALS Registry, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2008. At the same time, recognizing the need for innovative research funding and federal funding, Jenny became a vocal supporter of ALS TDI. She established the first National YFALS Corntoss Tournament in Seattle. Jenny solicited sponsors, donors and participants from the family's significant network in the region. In 2013 the Seattle Corntoss event raised $55,000 for ALS drug development programs at ALS TDI. On a national level, Jenny has made several trips to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on behalf of ALS TDI. Jenny and ALS TDI met with ranking members of both the U.S. House and Senate to bring attention to the need for increased federal support for ALS translational drug research. Jenny reached out on the national level for all families living with ALS, including those of the military, who are diagnosed with ALS at a rate twice that of other individuals. In February of 2013, Jenny's advocacy went to the White House. She wrote directly to President Obama outlining the dismal statistics and the lack of research funding for this insidious disease. Her letter was so compelling that it made its way to President Obama's desk, and the President sent a hand-written note to her and Pat. The president said he would look for ways to support ALS specifically. Jenny is determined to continue reaching out to Washington, D.C. and the White House on behalf of ALS TDI, to ensure there is recognition and continued translational research funding for ALS, before more families are confronted with the life decisions that face all people with ALS. Read More Read Less