Community spirit was the common bond that brought hundreds of Sammamish residents together for the 9th annual SAMMI Awards of Distinction at the Mary Queen of Peace church on Saturday evening.
From the very beginning, when Lynn Rehn announced that the national anthem was best sung by great crowds of people rather by one lone vocalist, and led the audience in a rousing communal rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the night was one that celebrated the community over the individual.
The SAMMI awards are fast growing into one of the most anticipated gatherings on the Plateau – an event created and run entirely by residents, for residents, celebrating residents. They recognize those residents who, in their own unique ways, work hard to make Sammamish a great place to live. They are volunteers, community servants, the behind-the-scenes folks serving others.
And though it is a cliche often used at awards ceremonies, the idea that all the nominees were as worthy as the eventual winners is one that rings true here.
“You are the reason this city has become much, much more than the sum of its concrete parts,” said Sammamish City Manager Ben Yazici, recognizing the character of the Sammamish community, “something less tangible, something more mysterious, that makes this night so special.”
By any criteria, the recipient of the second ever Founder’s Award, Marty Budzius , exemplified what the SAMMIs are all about.
“I am honored, I am blessed, and I am privileged,” he said to the crowd of hundreds, many of whom would have known Budzius from his years of service in the Issaquah School District, Rotary, and other community events.
Last year, Budzius was honored by the school district after more than 40 years involvement in everything from teaching to coaching and announcing sports.
Budzius and his wife, both teachers, moved to Sammamish in 1963, after their graduation from Central Washington University. In 1961 he began his teaching career, taking over a fourth grade class at May Valley Elementary School, before moving to fifth and sixth grade at Briarwood Elementary.
“This is just the most wonderful city in the world,” Budzius said. “When you’re able to do the things that you like to do, and get involved in the community as a whole.” As he left the podium, the large and appreciative crowd rose to their feet to applaud Budzius and thank him for his decades of community servant.
Earlier, one of the founders of the SAMMI Awards, Wendy Boglioli, told how a group of residents were inspired to create something positive and uplifting in the wake of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
“We need to celebrate the people in our community,” she recalled. And so the SAMMI Awards of Distintion were born.
SAMMI stands for Sammamish Acknowledging Magnificent Moments of Inspiration.
All the winners and nominees on Saturday night exemplified this SAMMI spirit. They were:
Arts – Adam Gross
Business – Gail Stacy Michelman
Courage – Kirstin and Brendon Lynch
Learning Promotion – Leslie Spero
Teen Spirit – Jamie Edie
Trevor Price Award – Sonya Ahuja
Unsung Hero – Secret Scholarship Fund: Alec Baer, Arend Broekmate, Billy Dimlow, Brooks Meadowcroft
Youth Advocate – Karen Skoog
The judges couldn’t split two of the nominees for the Spirit of Sammamish Award, and so, for the first time ever, joint winners were announced – Caroline Brown and Angela Kennedy.
In addition to the inspiring stories of all the nominees, a highlight of the evening were the musical performances of talented locals Robert Auerbach and Logan Krulish, Mitchell and Anthony Schmidt, and Eric Holmdahl, and a brutal display by students of True Martial Arts.
For those who haven’t seen the Schmidt brothers, aged 9 and 11, their “Schmeagal Blues” – a song about a cat named Schmeagal the Beagle – is pretty awesome.
