Whiz Kid: Sophia Stoddard Mobilizes School for Make-a-Wish

After she learned about a cousin who was diagnosed with cancer, Sophia Stoddard was inspired to do something to help. That something turned out to be a fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation in the form of a school dance at Murphy Junior High in February, and it's the reason why Sophia is this week's Three Village Patch Whiz Kid.

• Age: 14
• Hometown: Stony Brook
• School:
• Accomplishment: Sophia's efforts resulted in about $3,000 raised for the Make-a-Wish foundation. She canvassed her neighborhood for donations and helped the student government organize a school dance attended by 300 kids. It was the talk of the school, with teachers and students alike sharing in the excitement.
• Sophia's Key to Awesomeness: Compassion for others. Sophia said while the experience of organizing a school dance was stressful, it still felt great to do something for such a good cause. She also learned some important lessons about working with others: "I really kind of learned that people are willing to help when you ask," she said. "Basically, you’ve got to keep with an open mind when you do something like this and have ideas come from wherever." Sophia's mother, Dianne, said the family is proud of her. "I hope that it inspires her to help other people, and that she does this going forward for a lot of years," Dianne said. "It’s great when you have young people doing something like this out of the goodness of their hearts."