Geri Hamilton Silent Advocate Award

By Andrea Busche

The Rosie Awards “Silent Advocate Award” is given to a woman who silently helps her communities and neighbors. Duluthian Geri Hamilton, the winner of this award, has been giving back by quietly leaving her creations – special, but silly-looking stuffed dolls referred to as Dammit Dolls – for patients to take, free of charge, at infusion centers in the Northland and beyond.

These dolls put a smile on the faces of all who receive them, and the saying tied around each doll’s neck provides encouragement. And most of all, they honor the memory of her beloved brother, Dean.

Hamilton, a mother of two, step-mother of two, and grandmother of three, has been sewing all her life. As the oldest of six kids, she shared, “My grandma taught me to sew before I was 5.” When Hamilton’s granddaughter, Madeline, returned from a trip to Las Vegas, where she had seen a Dammit Doll for sale, she suggested they make them together.

Hamilton started by making a few dolls for the family. But after Hamilton’s brother Dean (Dino) was diagnosed

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