Meet Sam Carlotta
Sam Carlotta, of Union, Kentucky is known as “Coach” to hundreds of students who have had the privilege of knowing him for well over a decade of involvement at Randall K. Cooper High School in Boone County.
Coach Carlotta is a graduate of Boone County High School and is now retired from his service with the IRS. More significant than his resume, is his impact on young athletes and now deserving students who will benefit from the Carlotta Family and Friends Scholarship Fund. The scholarship fund he founded is only his latest effort to encourage and inspire young adults. His own uplifting story has long been a inspiration in the community for over decades.
In 1981, as a teenager himself, Sam suffered a severe spinal injury during a swimming pool diving accident resulting in a rare neurological condition known as Brown Sequard Syndrome whereby he suffers weakness or paralysis on one side of the his body and loss of sensation on the other side. Always positive in his outlook and with the help of talented doctors, Sam regained some of his mobility and function. He attended Eastern Kentucky University, married his high school sweetheart, Tonya, and is the extremely proud father of Cameron. He is an avid fisherman and is completing his quest to fish the five Great Lakes. Sam has used his “can-do” attitude to encourage scores of young high school athletes at Cooper High School since its inception. Now, even though he isn’t on the field as regularly as in the past, his impact is still growing.
The Carlotta Family and Friends Scholarship Fund raised over $34,000 in just its first year, and has already awarded 8 scholarships in the amount of $500 each as of 2022. Seniors attending Sam’s alma mater, Boone County High School, and those graduating from Cooper High School where Sam has spent so many years as a coach, fundraiser, and mentor, are eligible to apply for a scholarship.
The Fund partners with Horizon Community Funds, a non-profit that supports and assists with the acceptance and administration of donations. For more information or to make a gift to the Carlotta Family and Friends Scholarship Fund at Horizon Community Funds, visit www.horizionfunds.org