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90.5 WESA Celebrates People Making A Difference

Western Pennsylvania has a strong tradition of neighborhood, personal and community commitment. Our pride in pulling together goes far beyond supporting our deep-rooted sports teams. 90.5 WESA Celebrates People Making a Difference honors the individuals that are making a difference in people's lives on the ground level and reminding us we are all truly a part of each other's lives.This special series, supported by UPMC, will highlight, honor and celebrate Western Pennsylvanians who are unsung heroes daring to make a difference to others in our community.00000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770c8000000000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770ca000000000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770cc000090.5 WESA PA listening area counties:Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, Westmoreland, Butler, Armstrong, Cambria, Somerset, Bedford, Fayette, Indiana00000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770cd0000This project is made possible by a generous contribution from UPMC.

Sophie Levitt, Making a Difference Through Technology

90.5 WESA | By WESA Staff

Published February 7, 2014 at 7:47 AM EST

Read and listen to a story about Sophie Levitt as part of a series honoring the individuals who make a difference in people’s lives: 90.5 WESA Celebrates People Making a Difference.

Eleven-year old Sophie knew she wanted to do a bat-mitzvah project that would make an impact on children’s lives. Thoughts of her cousin Marla, who is also 11 years old and has autism, sparked an idea.

Marla has an iPad which has been a great entertaining and learning tool for her.

“She uses an iPad at home to look up recipes because she likes to cook,” Sophie said. “And then at school she uses it to learn. IPads keep her calm and help her to learn differently than the teachers.”

Her close relationship with her cousin lead to her creation of “Electronics for Autism,” and she began raising money to buy iPads to for kids with autism.