On September 11, 2001, in the living room of Wendy Boglioli, the Sammi Awards were born. A day when our country was overwhelmed with terror and grief, four Sammamish residents - Wendy, Jack Barry, Karen Armstead and Loren Stayboldt, decided that something positive could come out of something so horrific. 

The city of Sammamish had just been incorporated. .Formerly half Redmond, half Issaquah, Sammamish was having difficulty blending into one community.  As these four citizens brainstormed ways to integrate the community, the idea of recognizing passionate people who give with compassion, was conceived .  Sammamish Acknowledging Magnificent Moments of Inspiration or SAMMI was created. 

The first year the celebration was held on Martin Luther King Jr’s Day  and featured the nominees and an inspirational performance by the Sammamish Symphony.  The awareness of the annual SAMMI Award ceremony continues to grow..  Dubbed, the Oscars of Sammamish,  we celebrate the talent and the inspiration of our citizens. We average 45 nominations per year in nine award categories. To date we have received 225 nominations with 44 awardees. The first year the ceremony started with 40 audience members and last year we had  400 people enjoying  the show!

 There is no other celebration throughout the country like our Sammi Awards.  Where the community comes together; where the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Kiwanis, businesses, schools, and city officials all work as a team to acknowledge and celebrate the citizens, who make Sammamish a remarkable place to live, work and play!.