Cool Kid Sophia Lorey gathers donations to take to children in Dominican Republic

LA VERNE, Calif. (KABC) -- Our ABC7 Cool Kid for Thursday, Sept. 14, is Sophia Lorey, a high school senior who is gathering donations to send to the Dominican Republic.

The Bonita High School student gathered boxes of clothes, shoes and toiletries to give to children in the Caribbean nation. She first visited the country when she was 12.

"When I went out there, there was kids with no clothing at all. I was helping them out, but really they taught me that they have so little but they're so happy with it. It taught me how to be happy with just the little things," she said.

She is also mentoring a group of eighth graders, who will head out to the country with her to deliver the items.

The timing couldn't be more critical following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Irma.

To learn more about Sophia and her mission, watch the video above.