CLARKS SUMMIT - Sophia Rinaldi couldn't just sit and watch as the same 20 children's faces flashed across her television screen a couple of weeks ago.
More than 120 miles from Newtown, Conn. - where a gunman killed 27 people, including 20 elementary students, on Dec. 14 - the 15-year-old Scranton Prep student racked her brain, thinking of ways to help the families affected.
She found it in music.
More than 30 people filed into Duffy's Coffee House Sunday for "Summit Sings for Sandy Hook" - a benefit concert organized to raise money for the Newtown Family Recovery Fund.
"When I heard about it, I immediately wanted to do something to help the Newtown community," said Sophia, who said they had raised more than $300 after just one hour. "I love music, so this was just a natural fit."
Organized by Sophia and several of her friends, the concert featured live musical performances from a number of area high school students, including Scranton Prep's Jillian Gratz and Lakeland's Bradley Strong.
But most importantly, said Duffy's owner Mari Walker, it provided additional support to "those who need it the most."
"Everyone in the world is so horrified by what happened in Newtown," Ms. Walker said. "What the kids did here is heartwarming."
Standing alongside each other on the stage, the three Mackarey sisters adjusted the microphones and performed a song they never had before - "Heaven Holds You Now," by the Storys.
"We wanted to have a tribute song for when we came here," said Amelia Mackarey, 21, whose younger sister, Marala, attends Scranton Prep. "This is actually the first time we are performing together. But we will always remember it because of why we decided to do it.
"It is for the victims' families."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter