Our Mission:
Founded in 2009 by former Cleveland Browns Head Coach Sam Rutigliano and Dr. Greg Collins of the Cleveland Clinic, Coach Sam’s Scholars provides free youth programming in Northeast Ohio. Our mission is to provide educational and social-emotional support to underserved children through programming that emphasizes literacy intervention and enrichment. We serve students in 1st through 4th grade through a variety of premier wraparound services:
School-Day: In-school support reinforces foundational reading skills during the time of day when students are most geared towards learning.
After-School: Students receive homework help and a healthy snack followed by literacy, fitness, and personal development activites in a safe, structured environment.
Summer Camp: Summer sessions blend reading support with hands-on enrichment activities to prevent learning loss and keep students growing year-round.
Coach Sam’s Big Mission
Coach Sam’s Big Mission continues, bringing dynamic, life changing literacy resources to Cleveland’s children. Our mission originated with a big idea, a fearless dream that one day Our Children Can Soar. What Do You Do With An Idea? You work to grow it, protect it, fight for it until it takes flight and becomes a reality, until you see the dream alive throughout our city. Coach Sam’s vision started with Something Beautiful, the children of Cleveland, and our mission continues to grow. Coach Sam Rutigliano told our Aiming Higher students that on The Day You Begin to pursue your dream, you can make a real difference in the world. We believed then, and continue to believe that Coach Sam’s program can and will make a difference in this Great Big Life. By providing literacy resources to at risk children in the Cleveland schools, each Radiant Child in Coach Sam’s Aiming Higher Program will receive the critical literacy skills to create a promising life. This Is It! Life is a masterpiece, and each of our aspiring young scholars, the artist, creating his or her moment to soar. Join Coach Sam’s Scholars to ensure that all of Cleveland’s children soar.
Our Generous Sponsors
Premier Sponsor:
Electronic Merchant Systems loves this town and its people. Cleveland has been our home since we began in 1988, and during that time we have supported and continue to support many charitable causes. None are so near and dear to our hearts as Coach Sam’s Scholars. The teachers and tutors at Coach Sam’s Scholars work directly with the future of this great city. We love seeing the smiles on the faces of the children they serve and hearing about their achievements in the classroom and beyond. EMS is happy to support such a noble cause and proud to be affiliated with the great people at Coach Sam’s Scholars.
