Naperville girl wins smile contest

Seven-year-old Naperville resident Sophie Michael will spend Monday bringing presents and smiles to the patients at Children's Memorial Hospital.

Michael is Duracell's official Chicago area holiday ambassador, thanks to a beaming smile brought out by a little on-the-fly coaching from her mom, Naveen.

At the audition to become the ambassador, children opened a bag with a gift in it while a panel judged the smile and excitement each child was able to muster.

Unfortunately, the gift itself was something that didn't inspire a whole lot of enthusiasm for Sophie. The gift was a 20 Questions game, an item Sophie was familiar with.

"She opens it up, sees it and says, 'I already have this,'" Naveen Michael said. "She said, 'I got this on my birthday, and my brother took it.'"

But mom knew the gift that would evoke a sparking smile from her daughter.

"I told her, 'Hey Sophie, how did you feel when Uncle Chris got you your first American Girl doll?' She starting jumping up and down and screaming."

The smile Sophie put on her face proved unbeatable. Sophie and her mom soon found themselves spending three days in New York with four other Duracell ambassadors. Mom and daughter received a $500 shopping spree and a visit with Abigail Breslin, star of "Little Miss Sunshine."

Sophie used the shopping spree to visit, where else, an American Girl store.

While all that was the experience of a lifetime, Neveen believes the real value of being an ambassador will come Monday at Children's Memorial Hospital.

Sophie has a school friend who is battling cancer. Neveen said the hospital visit will be a chance to see what that's like for her daughter's friend.

"I think that understanding is really important," Neveen Michael said. "I'm so glad this is an experience that will ground her rather than just inflate her."