
Courtesy Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
This recognition, created by unanimous vote of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors in 2017, is a community service-focused award to honor an individual who has been faithful and loyal to the Saratoga County community for more than 25 years.
Carlson is the Director of Sales for the Saratoga Casino Hotel and has been with this organization for more than 40 years. She is a founding member of the Board of Directors at Jake’s Help from Heaven and is currently the organization’s Treasurer. The organization’s main goal is to create opportunities for individuals with complex medical needs and disabilities to thrive.
“When we started in 2011, I cried over each grant. Now I find joy in the support and quality of life opportunities Jake’s Help from Heaven gives to so many families,” she said.
Carlson volunteered as the General Manager, in 2009, and Host Family Coordinator, from 2005-2009, for the Saratoga Phillies Baseball Organization. Her involvement with the Saratoga Phillies led to her appointment by Mayor Scott Johnson to the Saratoga Springs Recreation Committee where she became the Vice Chair. “Hiring John Hirliman as recreation director after Linda Terricol retired as well as the construction and opening of the City’s Recreation Center were significant accomplishments for the City and the Commission during those years,” added Carlson.
For the past ten years, she has served on the Adirondack Trust Fund Advisory Committee. Committee members routinely read 80 grant applications each year to determine which applicants will receive grant funds. From 2013 to 2022, she served on the Board of Directors of the Saratoga Hospital Foundation. In her role with the Saratoga Casino Hotel, Carlson has worked with numerous local charitable organizations to organize successful fundraisers from the Wesley Community, to Saratoga Hospital, to Sponsor-A-Scholar, and more.