2009 SAMMI Awards full of ‘incredible’ people
February 23, 2009
By Christopher Huber
It’s time to get out the suit and tie and the sparkly gowns again. The eighth annual SAMMI Awards (Sammamish Acknowledges Magnificent Moments of Inspiration) event is coming to Eastlake High School at 7 p.m., March 14.The awards event will feature a video about Sammamish, a sculpture contest and a chorus performance. The theme for this year’s festivities is, “Look what we found in Sammamish.”
This year, there were approximately 60 nominees, which organizers whittled down to the 36 finalists for the nine awards categories, with the Spirit of Sammamish being the top honor.
“The thing this year is that, particularly in the Spirit of Sammamish, this is the toughest year to choose,” said Cary Young, the event’s executive director. “All the nominees are incredible. Youth Advocate is going to be really tough too. They’re just really strong people that have done a tremendous amount of work for this community.”
This year 10 sculptures will be on display from the new sculpture contest, which will happen March 3 at City Hall, said contest coordinator Connie Walsworth. The contest involves mostly Sammamish youth, but is open to anyone.
“It’s nice to highlight the kid art,” Walsworth said. “It’s nice to get it out there.”
In the past, SAMMI awards organizers have held “flat art” contests, Walsworth said, with painting and such, but they wanted to mix it up in 2009.
“I thought it would be more fun to do something more 3-D,” she said.
Spirit of Sammamish nominees
The Spirit of Sammamish award is the highest honor of the SAMMI Awards. It goes to the person who best embodies commitment to the community, through selfless giving and inspiring others to contribute to the community’s well-being, according to the event Web site.
Dellann Elliott is the executive director of the Chris Elliott Fund for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research. After her husband’s death, Elliott became part of a movement that has changed the way brain cancer patients are diagnosed and treated worldwide. She has been nominated in other categories before, but this her first Spirit of Sammamish nomination, she said.
“I’m really excited, actually,” Elliott said. “It’s a really awesome award to be nominated for and it was a complete surprise.”
Despite her grief and hardship in the wake of her husband’s death, Elliott began her mission to help others eliminate the suffering and pain her family suffered.
Since forming the Chris Elliott Fund, Elliott has been honored by Harvard University as a national glioblastoma patient advocate and part of their “dream team.”
She has also raised nearly $1 million for research, education and awareness and received many other local and national awards while putting Sammamish on the map as the home of the fund.
Kelly Munn is a community organizer primarily focused on education. She has raised money, run campaigns and built coalitions. She also led groups to Olympia and dispatched thousands of e-mails.
She has led multiple campaigns for the Issaquah Schools Foundation, as well as campaigns to pass school bonds and levies and the campaign for the Sammamish parks bond and levy.
Munn helped lead the statewide effort to pass the simple-majority constitutional amendment and is now working for the League of Education Voters to help organize the state to provide a 21st century education to Washington children.
Jana Williams is best known for her work with Kiwanis and as the leader of the customer appreciation day in her office complex. Her motto is to always do the right thing and start with the most important task first.
She prefers anonymity in doing those things that help make another person’s life easier.
Things like spearheading a local sock drive for Operation Nightwatch, organizing donations for the Starlight-Starbright foundation, working with the Providence Marionwood foundation, helping direct the city’s efforts for the Fourth of July celebration and working with Eastside Baby Corner are but a few examples.
When it comes to schools in Sammamish, Cheryl Lewis is one of the first who comes to mind. Because of her involvement in PTSA locally and regionally, she has access to people that can get things done. Under Cheryl’s leadership, local schools have tried new things, added new events like book fairs.
Cheryl’s formula for success is a willingness to let others shine and cheer them on.
“I’m a little stunned, although I’m humbled to be in there with all of those outstanding individuals,” Lewis said.
At Eastlake High School, Cheryl supports the staff in her role as a PTSA president and supports parents and students by encouraging them to participate in the PTSA-sponsored activities and events.
For more information about the SAMMI Awards, visit www.sammiawards.org.
“It’ll be a fun night,” Elliott said. “I think I’ve gone every year. It’s just an awesome community activity. It would be really neat if we could inspire other communities to do the same.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
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