By Jack Delaney | jdelaney@queensledger.com
MASPETH — Carrie Sampogna is making waves in a national competition to crown the country’s most impressive “super mom,” but she could just as easily be recognized as an exceptional friend.
Sampogna, a lifelong Maspeth resident, learned last week that she had reached the quarterfinals of Colossal.org’s Super Mom competition, which has whittled down its pool of contestants since opening in April from 4000 groups to 288.
Founded in 2023 and underwritten by supermodel Heidi Klum, the annual contest chooses one lucky winner to receive $20,000, a dream family vacation, and a feature spread in NewBeauty Magazine.
Sampogna discovered the event on social media, and was initially attracted to its mission: the Super Mom competition has already raised almost $15 million for the nonprofit Children’s Miracle Network.
Sampogna was inspired to join in the hopes of supporting causes that are near and dear to her own heart. One organization is the AMT Children of Hope Foundation, which helps save the lives of infants who have been abandoned, or sees that they are given a proper burial.
Sampogna’s generosity runs in the family. Her mother, who passed away in 2020, would crochet baby gowns for the Children of Hope, and her father — a member of the Blue Knights motorcycle club — would rally the group to stage a procession from the church whenever there was an infant’s funeral.
Another family tradition for the Sampognas was holding a Special Olympics at their house during the holidays, inviting a busload of New Yorkers with disabilities to join in the festivities.
Sampogna is also fundraising for the #OOMPHFROMKATY Foundation, for personal reasons. The nonprofit was created in honor of Sampogna’s best friend, Katy Monte, who battled cystic fibrosis for years while contending with multiple double-lung transplants.
Sampogna and Monte both attended St. Agnes in College Point, bonding while sitting next to each other in homeroom. “She always had so much courage, and I was lucky to call her my best friend in high school,” said Sampogna. “She’s impacted my life so much, and so many other people’s lives — keeping her legacy alive is really important to me.”
As a single mom, Sampogna is extremely proud of the person her 17-year-old son, Kaden, is growing up to be. She recalled one of his elementary school teachers at P.S. 229 saying that he was the “keeper of the children,” because he took care of all of his peers. Now an Eagle Scout, Kaden enjoys lifting Giglio each year in the family’s old hometown of Williamsburg. (Sampogna’s grandmother Lucy — a dressmaker in the neighborhood — once made an outfit for the WWE icon “Sensational Sherri,” and her mother did the superstar’s hair.)
“I became a mom at the age of 26,” said Sampogna. “It was a tough decision but I knew with my faith that my baby deserved a chance in this world.”
“As I myself am adopted, I knew giving my child up for adoption was not an option I wanted to bear with for the rest of my life,” she continued. “My life became about my son. With the amazing support of my parents, he was raised in a home of love. I am both mother and father to him.”
And what advice does Sampogna have for other parents? “A lot of love and kindness,” she offered. “Always be prepared for silly situations, knowing that you are going to fail sometimes. Everyone goes through their struggles, and it’s just about getting past that and putting the spirit into your kids that they can make it.”
The next round of voting for the Super Mom competition closes this Thursday, June 4. For more info on how to support Sampogna, visit thesupermom.org/2026/carrie-sampogna.
