Meet the SAMMI Nominees for Courage and Art

The SAMMI Awards will be held on March 18 and event organizers are inviting the community to attend the annual event to honor people who have contributed to life on the Sammamish Plateau.

To honor the nominees and give the public a brief introduction to them, Sammamish Patch will be running profiles and photos of each person until the event doors open.

The written introductions and photographs were supplied by the SAMMI Awards. Sammamish Patch and other sponsors have contributed to the annual event.

"The people we honor have made unselfish contributions to the quality of life in our city, and in doing so they inspire all of us (to) give back," SAMMI Awards Executive Director Cary Young wrote in a letter to the community.

"This type of award ceremony is truly unique to Sammamish, and reflects the values that make our city one of the best small cities in America."

The awards ceremony will be held at 7 pm at Eastridge Church at 24205 SE Issaquah-Fall City Rd. in Issaquah. The doors open at 5:30 pm. The event is open to the public. But organizers would appreciate a $5 per person donation.

On average, about 400 people attend the annual event.

Here are the nominees for the 2011 Courage and Art categories:

Tyler Croshaw (Courage)

• A friend and admirer of Tyler’s described his life like a “daily human pin cushion.” His diabetes requires that he take numerous shots per day and is the cause of his kidney failure and subsequent transplant. But through it all, Tyler maintains a sense of humor and a can-do attitude. His faith and tenacity drive him to share his experiences with others for their benefit, and for his own. Despite his health issues, Tyler is a devoted husband and dad supporting his wife’s coaching activities and girl’s school. Tyler’s motto: “There’s nothing you can’t overcome. We’re here for a reason, to touch each other’s lives. Enjoy Life.”

Donna Gelinas (Art)

• Donna recognized a need for encouraging creativity amongst elementary school children in the Issaquah School District. Enthusiastically, she embarked on a journey to organize and implement docent art lessons to enhance an important dimension of elementary education, art. She has worked selflessly to organize a full curriculum that can be accessed by docents via the Issaquah PTSA website, who in turn utilize the lessons in 7 different district schools to inspire our children to greater success in the arts. Donna continues to bring art to our schools and inspiration to those around her through her ongoing commitment, passion, and hard work.