The SAMMI Awards... Our Story
Not all that long ago, in a plateau community 25 miles East of Seattle, a newly incorporated city was struggling to combine two halves into a whole.
Formerly, the north half tied to Redmond and south half tied to Issaquah, the challenges of blending into one community at times felt overwhelming. In the shock and horror that we all felt with the events of September 11, 2001, the search to find a positive light through so much grief and darkness became the catalyst for Sammamish residents Wendy Boglioli, Jack Barry, Karen Armstead and Loren Stayboldt to brainstorm ways to better integrate and unite our community. An idea of recognizing passionate people, who show leadership, commitment, compassion, and a strong sense of community - from all over Sammamish, was conceived, and, Sammamish Acknowledging Magnificent Moments of Inspiration, or SAMMI Awards was born.The first SAMMI Awards celebration took place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in early 2002, recognizing and awarding nominees in seven categories, including the Spirit of Sammamish. Over the past decade as the SAMMI Awards has grown in awareness and support, the award categories have also grown. Presently awards are given in 10 Categories: Art, Business, Courage, Learning Promotion, Unsung Hero, Youth Advocate, Teen Spirit (age 13 and older), Trevor Price (age 13 and under), and most recently Environment. To date, the SAMMI Awards Board of Directors has also selected two recipients of The Founder's Award, which recognizes a community member who epitomizes the definition of "Servant Leader".Residents may submit nominations from March to December for recognition in March of the following year. The nomination process is multi-staged. The first level blind review by the SAMMI Awards Nomination Committee narrows the field down to the top five in each category. At the second level each finalist goes through an interview and is scored by an interview panel. An additional evaluation and scoring by an independent panel of distinguished judges who do not live or work in Sammamish is then added to the mix, and a final weighted combination of the two sets of scores determines the award recipient.
The SAMMI Awards has become a true event in our community with entertainment, food, an art show, a showcase of area of non-profits and of course the presentations to award recipients. It is an evening to celebrate all of the wonderful contributions our residents make to our community, whether it's the meal for a very sick neighbor, or founding a philanthropic organization to better the world or advance science and medicine. Everyone can make a difference to someone!
There is no other celebration anywhere in the country like our SAMMI Awards. The SAMMI Awards Mission: "Celebrating and Promoting Community Involvement" - brings us together as ONE Community to recognize and celebrate the citizens who make Sammamish a remarkable place to live, work and play!