New Trier Sophomore Builds Support Network For Seniors In Cancer Care

WINNETKA, IL — While in the hospital supporting her own family members who had been diagnosed with cancer, incoming New Trier High School sophomore Sophia Sun noticed a gap.

Sophia said she noticed that despite seniors being the portion of the population most affected by cancer, they are often the loneliest during treatment. She decided she would bridge the gap herself by starting her nonprofit Seniors Cancer Foundation in April.

“I started SCF when I was going through a really difficult time in my life. I had unfortunately had five of my really close family members diagnosed with cancer, and three of them had passed away. So this is a really personal problem to me,” Sophia said. “During my relatives' treatment time, I noticed how a lot of them emotionally slipped away, and how important emotional support is during treatment time.”

Earlier this month, SCF partnered with Northwestern's Lurie Cancer Center, Gilda's Club Chicago, Endeavor Health, and other prominent hospitals, nonprofits, and corporate partners to provide emotional support through cards, care packages, and other patient-centered initiatives.

With the help of more than 1,000 student volunteers from New Trier’s class of 2030, as well as some adult volunteers, the SCF assembles gift baskets and writes cards to seniors undergoing treatment.

“I feel like every time that seniors receive gifts, they feel like they are appreciated and seen, and a lot of them don't feel that way in their treatment time. A lot of the types of emotional support are kind of just really simple, but also really meaningful,” Sophia said.

The creation of a 501(c)(3) from scratch involved a lot of research, Sophia said, and she ended up turning to YouTube videos. While supportive, Sophia’s parents had expertise in other fields and weren’t sure of the best ways to help, she said.

“My parents are really happy and proud that I'm so interested in social service, and I think that it's great. I'm so happy that they're supportive of me,” Sophia said.

From there, she looked for people in the community who had experience in nonprofit boards and were also passionate about supporting seniors. Once she assembled her own nonprofit board, Sophia worked together with them to fill out the necessary paperwork and acquire partnerships.

For other students who may be inspired to get involved in their communities themselves, Sophia said everyone should follow what they’re passionate about.

“Find classmates or advisors or even teachers in the community who would be willing to help with a specific problem. Try to cold email, or reach out to experienced people in the nonprofit and social service field. Don't be afraid to take this risk because it's really worth it,” Sophia said.