Sophie Ysursa with Thor, her special therapy dog.
By Linda Norris
Messenger Staff
When she was 13, Sophie Ysursa began a connection with Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. At that time, it was not for philanthropic reasons, but as a patient.
Now 17, the senior at Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville is still undergoing treatment at the hospital. But Sophie also has become a leader with the Glennon Guild Junior Board.
The group is a student organization that promotes and supports the needs of Cardinal Glennon patients and provides high-school students with meaningful, hands-on opportunities to develop philanthropic skills.
For her efforts, Ysursa was awarded the junior board’s Young Philanthropist Award for the second time.
“Sophie is a natural leader, motivating peers with her charisma, positivity, dedication, innovation and gentle sense of humor,” said Laura Baylis, who helped establish the Glennon Guild Junior Board four years ago.
Ysursa joined the board a year later, bringing it to Illinois. Baylis said she is the first to step up when the organization needs a student volunteer, and she always generously donates her time.
There are eight junior board executive members at Althoff who were selected to represent their school at area meetings that include 16 greater St. Louis area high schools and Father McGivney Catholic High School in Glen Carbon.
Althoff also has 12 ambassador members, with more to join once school starts. Ambassadors help their school’s executives with fundraisers and collections.
Baylis said Ysursa has been a willing and polished speaker for Glennon Guild meetings, where she inspired a group of 100 women with her proactive, can-do approach to fundraising and service.
“She also speaks at the junior board meetings to give other teens ideas for motivating and coordinating efforts at their schools,” Baylis said. “Most recently, she did this while maintaining her high academic standing and going through chemotherapy.”
Ysursa’s innovative model was to prompt area Catholic grade schools to participate in out-of-uniform days. The $12,595 raised through Althoff and area grade schools benefits the Child Life department at Cardinal Glennon and will go toward a tribute for Thor, a
Black Labrador therapy dog, in the new Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital that will open in 2027.
“Throughout (Ysursa’s) treatment over the years, Thor has been a constant,” Baylis said. “Her love for him is palpable, and she wants people to know what an important role he plays in her care and (the care of) others.”
Sophie said: “He’s such a sweet dog, and he’s so important to the Cardinal Glennon community. We wanted to do something to commemorate him and help with getting a new dog for the hospital.
“There are many different things he can do. He’ll play with kids; he’ll do tricks. But really, the best thing for me was when he would just jump up on the bed. He’s a big Labrador, and he would just sit on my lap. It’s very funny.”
Thor will soon be 10 and will retire as a therapy dog later this year.
Ysursa has osteosarcoma, a bone cancer common in children, teens and young adults. “Once I finished my first round of treatment when I was 13, I started wondering who built the toy closets,” she said. “Where did all these books come from? Where did all these volunteers that would help us with school come from?”
The answer was Child Life services, where specialists work to reduce anxiety and stress during medical procedures or hospitalization with books, toys, games and educational play activities that help children cope with their medical care.
“For this year’s fundraising, we’ll probably do something different,” Ysursa said. “If I have to imagine, it’ll be for Child Life or the Costa Center, which is the cancer center for Cardinal Glennon.”
Sophie is appreciative of her recognition from the Glennon Guild and the connections she has made. Her experiences with the junior board will benefit her as she pursues her college education to be a lawyer or a nurse anesthetist.
