Youth Charity Earns Praise for Mount Pleasant Youngster

Sophie Estoppey, 12, has won a $1,000 scholarship for from Kohl's department store for her work with Keys for Hope, a charity run by youngsters that has raised $40,000 for a new shelter and soup kitchen at Crisis Ministries.

Estoppey is one of a handful of Charleston-area youngsters who convert discarded keys into miniature works of art. The decorated keys sell for $5, and the proceeds benefit an expansion at Crisis Ministries. 

The teens hope to raise up to $1 million, Estoppey said. 

"It's not just me, there are a bunch of kids doing this," Estoppey said. "We sell them at festivals, and we have stores, such as Wonder Works and Royall Ace Hardware who also sell them for us."

Wedding parties have given the keys as gifts to their guests, and sometimes generous folks simply donate money, with no expectation of a key, to help further the cause.

The hard work has earned Estoppey honors from Kohl's Department Stores, which recently awarded the 12-year-old Mount Pleasant girl with a $1,000 scholarship. She was one of just 200 youngsters to receive the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program for their charitable works.

She's in the running for a $10,000 scholarship, which will be announced in the coming days. 

Winners are chosen based on initiative, leadership, generosity and project benefits and outcome, according to Kohl's. Each regional-level winner qualifies for one of Kohl’s 10 national scholarships.

Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares cause merchandise program.