Garage sale benefits much‑loved woman
by Jennifer Krahe

ANTHEM – This weekend, just down the street from the hustle and bustle of a very

successful Anthem Days, a group of girl scouts and their mothers solemnly held a garage sale on Territory Drive. The sale was a huge success. 

"We've had tons of people come through," said Allie Holst. Holst has just become the leader of Girl Scout Troop 2693. The garage sale was held in memory of the troop's former leader, Christina "Tina" Hanson, who passed away March 17.

"We were waiting the next day for Tina to call us so that we could take the kids to the cookie booth," remembered Elizabeth Gallagher, whose daughter is a member of the troop. The annual Girl Scout cookie sale was in full swing and the girls were scheduled to head to the booth at the grocery store. "We got a call from a neighbor who knew she was our troop leader. We called her (Hanson's) cell phone and her mother answered." 

The shocked group of girls and their mothers learned that their healthy, vibrant 33‑year‑old troop leader had died the previous night, March 17, upon returning from her son's baseball game. Her daughter, a girl scout trained in CPR, knew Hanson was choking, according to Elizabeth Gallagher. She performed CPR on her mother as her brother ran across the street to alert the neighbors and call 9‑1‑1. Despite her children's heroic efforts, Hanson never recovered respiration.

Just before their troop leader's death, Troop 2693 was working toward the Bronze Award, one of the three highest awards in Girl Scouts. The girls had planned a service project with homeless women and children at a center in Phoenix. After Hanson's death it was immediately and unanimously decided that the service project would instead focus on Hanson's two orphaned children, and raising funds for their future.