SUNRISE ASSOCIATION NAMES SOPHIA DeBELLAS ITS FIRST VIRGINIA B. TOULMIN LEADERSHIP SCHOLAR
Pediatric cancer survivor and Sunrise Day Camp counselor begins year-long mentorship with Sunrise President and CEO Arnie Preminger and senior leadership
New York, NY — Sunrise Association has named Sophia DeBellas, a junior at Nova Southeastern University, its first recipient of the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship. The $15,000 award, paired with a year-long mentorship from Sunrise President and CEO Arnie Preminger and the organization’s senior leadership team, is designed to create a pathway for emerging female leaders in the nonprofit and business worlds.
DeBellas was selected unanimously by the women of Sunrise Association’s senior leadership team from a competitive pool of high-achieving female undergraduates. A pediatric cancer survivor herself, she is majoring in Public Health on a pre-health track, carries a 3.88 GPA, and aspires to become a pediatric oncologist who blends clinical care with nonprofit leadership. She has been part of the Sunrise community since 2023 and served as a volunteer counselor at Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island in 2025, where she will return as a counselor again in summer 2026.
“As an organization with deep, rich ties to the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, Sunrise takes great pride in being chosen to carry on Virginia’s legacy by helping to mold a strong, female leader in her image,” said Arnie Preminger. “Sophia was chosen from a group of remarkable candidates, and I have no doubt that both she and Sunrise will be enriched through this internship. I am beyond honored to serve as one of her mentors and to have a small part in carrying Virginia’s legacy forward. I’m excited to see what Sophia will accomplish in years to come.”
DeBellas, who first connected with Sunrise as a volunteer in 2023, said her experience with the organization shaped her path.
“Sunrise is where I first saw my experience as a cancer survivor become a source of connection and comfort for others who understood the fear and exhaustion of the journey without judgment,” said DeBellas. “Medicine, to me, is not simply about removing disease; it is about restoring hope and trust during life’s most vulnerable moments.”
“What mattered most to Virginia was leadership,” said William S. Villafranco, lead trustee of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. “She understood that great organizations are not built solely on worthy missions, but on the people entrusted to carry those missions forward. When she saw strong, principled leadership aligned with a meaningful purpose, she believed extraordinary things could happen. Time and again, she proved that belief was well founded. Arnie Preminger and the leadership team at Sunrise Association are shining examples of that belief in action.”
Over the 2026–2027 academic year, DeBellas will participate in at least four full-day mentoring sessions with Sunrise senior leadership, attend a Sunrise Board of Directors meeting, and gain exposure to the organization’s hospital programs, fundraising events, and core operations. Her counselor role at Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island this summer will serve as a hands-on learning experience, with a joint mentorship structure connecting her camp work to her broader development as a future nonprofit leader.
The Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship honors the late Sarasota-area philanthropist’s lifelong commitment to expanding opportunity for women in leadership. The Sunrise Association award provides financial support along with direct mentorship from Sunrise’s President and CEO and senior team, with the goal of preparing the recipient to lead in mission-driven work.
“To carry forward Virginia Toulmin’s legacy means turning compassion into action,” DeBellas added. “I am committed to building a career that blends clinical expertise with nonprofit leadership to ensure no child or parent faces illness alone.”
Founded in 2006, Sunrise Association now operates 14 day camps, 85+ in-hospital programs, and virtual offerings serving approximately 77,000 children annually, all offered free of charge. More than 2,600 children attended a Sunrise Day Camp in 2025. Learn more at sunriseassociation.org.
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About Sunrise Association:
The mission of the Sunrise Association is to bring back the joys of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings worldwide. Sunrise accomplishes this through the creation and oversight of welcoming, inclusive summer day camps, year-round programs and in-hospital recreational activities, all offered free of charge. Learn more at sunriseassociation.org.
