SAMMI Awards herald generous, selfless locals

Following the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, a group of Sammamish residents came together with the tremendous aim of building a community event that would reward and recognize all those people who do wonderful things for their friends, neighbors, peers and perfect strangers.

By Jake Lynch • February 4, 2010 2:27 pm
Sammamish teenager Matt Larsen was honored with the prestigious Courage Award at the 2009 SAMMIs.
Sammamish teenager Matt Larsen was honored with the prestigious Courage Award at the 2009 SAMMIs.

Following the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, a group of Sammamish residents came together with the tremendous aim of building a community event that would reward and recognize all those people who do wonderful things for their friends, neighbors, peers and perfect strangers. The idea was to create something positive at a time when the nation was overwhelmed with grief, anger and uncertainty.

Nine years later, and the idea of those four residents, Wendy Boglioli, Jack Barry, Karen Armstead and Loren Stayboldt, has become an institution of the city, loved by many for its commitment to goodness and generosity.

The SAMMI Awards of Distinction, or SAMMIs as they are better known, honor those businesses, schools, residents and officials who make Sammamish a remarkable place to live, work and play. SAMMI organizers particularly look for the unheralded, the behind-the-scenes, those residents who do what they do and don’t seek recognition or reward.

This year’s SAMMI Awards will be held at March 13, at 7:30 p.m., at the Mary Queen of Peace Church at 1121 228th Avenue SE, Sammamish.

For the past few weeks, a team of community volunteers has been going through the many nominations in the nine SAMMI Award categories, and has announced its list of final nominees.

The 2010 SAMMI Awards Nominees are:

• Arts – Sponsored by KeyBank

Barbara Jirsa, Lynn Roberson, Adam Gross, Karen Abel

• Business – Sponsored by Regence BlueShield

Gail Stacy Michelman, Jana Williams, Kelly Jenson, Scott Moore

• Courage – Sponsored by Swedish Medical Center

Kirstin and Brendon Lynch

• Learning Promotion – Sponsored by Eastside Catholic

Caroline Friesen, Leslie Spero, David McGibney, Liz Sirjani, Mike Martucci

• Trevor Price – Trevor Price Foundation & Sammamish Kiwanis

Megan Nazarino, Sonya Ahuja, Chirag Vedullapalli

• Teen Spirit – Sponsored by Rotary of Sammamish

Sarah Pancottine, Jamie Eide, Emily Baer, Emily Dickson, Danielle Dales, Lindsay Mannion

• Unsung Hero – Sponsored by Evergreen Healthcare

Jon Bromberg, Janell Faletto, Dick Gram, Edie and Dave Herb

• Youth Advocate – Sponsored by Friends of Youth & Youth Eastside Services

Athena Angelis, Karen Skoog, Kathi Eide, Corinne Immel, Curtis Madden

• Spirit of Sammamish – Sponsored by Overlake Medical

Steve VanWambeck, Caroline Brown, Angela Kennedy, Marty Budzius

The Reporter joins the people of Sammamish in congratulating all the nominees on their great work in the community.

For more information on the SAMMIs, go to www.sammiawards.org.