Sophia Schindel MILLSTONE — At the age of 12, Sophia Schindel of Millstone Township has found a wonderful way to help children who have special needs. She is an ambassador for the 2015 American Girl Fashion Show to benefit Special Olympics New Jersey.
The fashion show will be held on Oct. 18 at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township. There will be a fashion show at 11 a.m. and at 3 p.m. One hour prior to each fashion show, a buffet meal will be available.
“I want people to know about Special Olympics New Jersey and the efforts of all the girls for this special fundraising event,” Sophia said.
Sophia is a friendly youngster who is helpful and caring. She was inspired to become a volunteer after attending an American Doll fashion show four years ago.
“It looked like so much fun so I wanted to know more about it,” Sophia said. “My mom got more information and then I decided I wanted to get involved, too.”
As an ambassador, Sophia began to work on the fashion show in March. She has enjoyed meeting the challenge of raising donations for a worthy cause. Her initial goal was to raise $5,000 and she has already raised $6,100.
“It was great to have the help of my past and present teachers and the community,” the young woman said. “I have been able to raise so much with the help of my parents, my school and nearby businesses. My parents are glad to see me help others. They are happy to see my work for this event add up to so many donations for Special Olympics New Jersey.”
As an ambassador, Sophia has attended meetings for the event and she attended the opening ceremonies of the New Jersey Special Olympics in June.
Sophia, who is the daughter of Mary and Mark Schindel, has lived in Millstone all her life.
“In this day and age when you listen to the news and hear all the negativity, it makes me feel proud that my daughter is stepping forward to make a difference,” Sophia’s dad said.
Her mom added, “I am so proud of Sophia. This is something she wanted to do on her own. Sophia wanted to make a difference in some way and this has given her the opportunity to help.”
Sophia said a good friend inspired her to want to help children who have special needs. She said she would like to continue volunteering with Special Olympics New Jersey and she is considering a career as a teacher of children with special needs.
Sophia is a member of Girl Scout Troop 1098 and a helper with a Girl Scout troop whose members have special needs. In her spare time, Sophia is active in lacrosse, basketball, cross country and track and field.
Additional information is available at https://www.classy.org/monroe-township/events/2015-american-girl-fashion…
“I want to thank everyone who has donated to this event,” Sophia said. “I am grateful to be a part of this.”