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Girl Scout designing hospital gowns for sick children showing creations at New York Fashion Week

Posted at 12:03 AM, Nov 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-19 03:03:44-05

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If luck is truly a matter of preparation meeting opportunity, then Alyssa Casa is lucky. But mostly, the 17-year-old aspiring fashion designer is hard working.

"It's definitely a lot of late nights and early mornings,” said Casa.

And she is talented beyond her years.

Her Girl Scout uniform is crowded with merit badges that she's earned since she started scouting in second grade.

Among them, the prestigious Gold Award, which is the organization's highest achievement. Winners have to come up with a sustainable project benefiting the community.

"I started this project after I met a little girl named Ellie,“ said Casa. “A super sweet little girl who has a very rare condition and she's in the hospital a lot.”

She calls it "Fashion and Hope" and custom designs hospital gowns for critically ill children like Ellie.

"The feedback that I have received has been absolutely amazing!”

While she's proud to wear a uniform, Casa is just as comfortable in high fashion -- the kind that she has already strutted down a runway in at Paris Fashion Week.

And the kind she designs at home under her own label.

Right now, Casa's working on 21 new pieces for New York Fashion Week.

"Even though it’s February, 21 is a lot,” she said. "I have to remember how good I feel when my designs are on the runway or when I receive pics of kids smiling in the hospital wearing my hospital gowns."

At least one of those kids will join her on the runway in New York, showing that a sense of style and a sense of compassion can and do go together.