On the Town: Teen’s dedication creates an ice treat

Every teenager wants to be cool, and when it comes to Sophia Augustine, she is as “ice cold” cool as anyone can be in the eyes of both the staff and members of the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and the Greater East Valley.

While the reasons for that stem from the dedicated volunteer work Sophia does for the club on a regular basis, her coolness has hit the freezing point because of an annual event she established three years ago: “Sophia Skating for Smiles.”

Held at Burbank’s Pickwick Ice Skating Rink, this festive and fun evening gives club members who may otherwise never have the opportunity the chance to have a night of private ice skating.

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This year’s event, held earlier this month, was the culmination of Sophia rallying the support of sponsors, family members and friends to stage the evening that included ice-skating demonstrations and lessons, crafts, dinner topped off with hot chocolate and the opportunity for the kids to meet very special guests including Princess Tiana of Maldonia, aka Taleia Gill, and Rapunzel, who also goes by Christina Rose.

The evening’s most special guest was Richard Dwyer, an Olympic medalist who has held numerous championship titles and has been delighting audiences around the world as “Mr. Debonair” with the Ice Follies and Ice Capades.

Dwyer, a Burbank resident who, at 81, still skates every day and is a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall Of Fame, took to the ice during Sophia’s event to escort kids around the rink while giving them skating tips.

“Sophia is a true angel for doing this,” said Shanna Warren, who serves as the local Boys & Girls Club’s chief executive. “She came up with the concept for this event on her own, and it has gotten better with each passing year. And throughout the year, she is a constant volunteer presence at the club who really bonds with the kids. We are so grateful for her.”

This year, more than 60 club members were treated to a night of skating.

“This is meant to be a really fun night,” Sophia said. “But I also feel it helps kids to build self-confidence by doing something that, for many of them, they had never tried before.”

The 16-year-old Sophia, who raised funds for the event by selling poinsettias at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church during the Christmas season, is an accomplished skater who, for the past seven years, has been on Pickwick’s ice at least five days a week.

She is a member of the Los Angeles Ice Theater and has participated in numerous local, national and international competitions.

A Burbank native who is currently a sophomore at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, she said her spirit of volunteerism stems from her years as a Ticktocker with the local chapter of National Charity League and by growing up in a family that has a longtime track record of service to the Burbank community that included her aunt, Mary Lou Howard, who was the first woman to serve as a member of the Burbank City Council and as mayor.

Along with her flower sales, Sophia also funded this year’s event with the sponsorship help from her parents Chris and Natalie Augustine, her grandparents, Dave and Pat Augustine, and others including Don Brown, Charlie and Alice DiIorio, Scott and Carol Singer, Nat and Alma Rubinfeld, Mike and Debbie Maddigan, Todd and Cheri Kehrli, Richard and Kelly Bertain, Vic and Sue Georgino, Dino and Renee Savant, Brett and Ali Howard, John and Jennifer MacDonald and Paul and Jolie Augustine.

Sophia was also assisted in making the event a success by her family members, classmates, National Charity League friends and fellow skaters including Isabella Augustine, Lily Cowan, Jessa Pilner, Andie Kaess, Madelyn May, Ariel Davydv, Alfred Bartel, Carolyn Bartel, Caroline Teele, Shayanne Casapao, Abby Sipes, Kaitlyn Maddigan, Bianca Valle, Hayley Easton, Farah Severied, Ali Flores, Lolly Diehl, Lindsay Bowen, Mary Catherine Smith, Izzy Taglioretti, Avery Valentino, Brook Acosta, Emily Pearson, Sofia Paglia, Dahlia Macatangay, Ava Pulvers, Pia Montanez, Maddie Joseph, Dante Valle, Nick MacDonald, Joseph Augustine, Ashley Guapo and Ella Horsting.

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DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.