Spring Girl Scout earns Gold Award

Spring Girl Scout Sarah Mohalley has earned the Gold Award for her work in establishing a program at St. Luke's Hospital.

The program, called "Hugs, Hearts and Hats," makes heart-shaped pillows, palm-sized stress hearts and hats for newborns that are then donated to St. Luke's. According to a press release, Mohalley was able to donate 100 pillows, 50 stress hearts and 25 baby hats to the hospital.

"I chose this project because both of my parents are cancer survivors, and my father has recently undergone frequent treatment at St. Luke's," Mohalley said in a press release. "I wanted to do something to make patients feel more comfortable and loved during an otherwise cold and distant hospital stay."

Mohalley led a team of volunteers in making the pillows, hearts and hats, which each benefited a specific group of patients. And, in an effort to keep the project going after she fulfilled her duties, Mohalley created and donated instruction packets for future volunteers.

"I learned a lot about time management, planning and leadership," Mohalley, a 2012 graduate of Klein High School, said in the release. "Having people come to me with questions about the project and getting to call the shots was a new experience for me. I learned how to carry myself as a leader, how important careful planning is and how to properly management my time."

Earning the Gold Award is a significant honor that requires recipients to demonstrate leadership skills, career planning, community involvement and personal development. It takes more than 100 service hours and two to three years of intensive work to complete the requirements, which include planning and completing a project that is a service to the community, according to the release.

"Sarah learned and enhanced several skills while working on her Gold Award," said Patricia Mohalley, Sarah's mother, in the press release. "As she planned the steps of the project and used her natural creativity, her leadership and organizational skills were strengthened. This has given her confidence in herself and as a leader."

Mohalley has been a member of the Girl Scouts for 13 years and also earned Bronze and Silver awards. At Klein High School, she was president of the French National Honor Society and vice president of French Club. Outside school, she studies ballet and will study it this fall at the University of Utah.