Meet the SAMMI Nominees for Unsung Hero

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 Unsung Hero category:

Del Goehner

• Del is a hard-working member of the Sammamish Rotary who plays a pivotal role in the success of the Nightmare at Beaver Lake. The event raises over $50,000 yearly which is distributed to not-for-profit groups in this community. Del's contibutions range from constructing sets,  event operations, and clean-up to using his experience as a CPA to manage the finances of the event. Del is additionally involved in an international teaching program, traveling to Vietnam each year. Del consistently builds mutual respect and trust with others. In his quiet, business-like way, he builds a stronger community through mentoring and leadership.

Jerry Grummer

• For six years, Jerry has passionately coached the Junior Varsity tennis teams at Skyline emphasizing fun. He provides a tennis experience beyond the call of duty by having a no-cut philosophy. This allows as many kids to play tennis as want to. In order to do so, he generously provides three practice sessions each day  instead of the one he’s contracted to do. He’s on the court from 3:30 to as late a 7 pm. Jerry typically has upwards of 60 kids, many of them beginners, that have an opportunity to participate an after-school activity that they otherwise wouldn’t have.

Man Jae Lee and Family

• The Lee Family members are devotional volunteers for the Faith in Action program. For the past year and a half, they’ve been helping an elderly woman who is unable to leave home.They shop and take groceries to her, clean her house, change linens, and visit her on a weekly basis. Man Jae helps with chores that need to be done and he and his boys make sure the yard is kept up. Although the elders members in the Lee Family face difficultly communicating in english, they feel their ability to humbly serve others in their community breaks down this barrier.