Sophia Tuinstra, a senior at Westmont Hilltop Jr/Sr High School in Johnstown, PA, passed away in August of 2021 from complications due to leukemia. 

Sophia was a cheerleader on the varsity team. She excelled in school, particularly in Forensics and Student Technology Association (TSA), winning state awards and moving to nationals. Serving on the Tribune-Democrat Reader's Committee, Sophia was the founding member of On Point, a section of the newspaper by and for youth. She helped garner teen interest across Cambria County to participate in writing about topics of interest to students and young people, while helping to craft journalistic ethics and standards. 

A Girl Scout Troop 40309 member, Sophia completed the requirements for the prestigious Gold Award, the highest level a Girl Scout can attain. Her project was to sew, recruit others to sew, and deliver cloth facemasks for immune-compromised children at Children's Hospital, an effort started well before the COVID pandemic. Altogether, she made and donated over 2,000 masks. Sophia's greatest joys were her cat Snickers, reading in her hammock in the backyard, and spending time with her siblings. 

Sophia’s Promise was kicked off through generous donations by the Hilltop Action Committee, Westmont Cheerleading, West Hills Fire Department, Ms. Cici Smith, and Mr. and Mrs. Tim Tuinstra (Drexel Hill).

According to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, less than 4% of the federal cancer research budget is dedicated to childhood cancer research. Each day, 43 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer.

With your generous donation, we can help one more child live another day cancer-free.