Sixteen-year-old Shannon Hickey has received a lot of recognition for her charity work over the last five years.

But the Lancaster Catholic High School 11th-grader may have enjoyed her highest honor to date Tuesday when she sat in first lady Laura Bush's box at the State of the Union address.

"It was such an awesome experience," Hickey said. "It was so amazing."

She said the first lady walked by her and smiled on the way into the House of Representatives chamber.

"She's so beautiful in person," said the East Hempfield Township teenager, who was one of 24 guests invited to sit with Mrs. Bush.

Hickey landed on the first lady's guest list for her five-year effort in building Mychal's Message, an organization committed to aiding the homeless through donations of clothing and other supplies.

She founded Mychal's Message when she was 11 to continue the mission of family friend the Rev. Mychal Judge, who was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Hickey's mother, Kelly Lynch, said she found out about the State of the Union invitation Monday morning when she received a telephone call from the White House.

"I couldn't believe it at first," Lynch said.

Hickey said she found out about it Monday afternoon when she was called out of her classroom and told that her mother was at school to take her home.

"I thought something bad had happened, but when my mother told me (about the invitation) I just started crying," Hickey said.

She said other highlights of her experience at the State of the Union included meeting other guests.

She was especially moved by Wesley Autry, the New York construction worker who jumped onto the tracks at a subway station to save a man who had fallen into the path of a train.

"He is more than humble," she said. "And I actually became good friends with his two cute little daughters."

She said she exchanged e-mail addresses with the Autry family and plans to keep in touch.

Hickey also got a chance to talk with NBA star Dikembe Mutombo.

"He's like a skyscraper to me, and his hands are probably five times as big is mine," she said of the 7-foot-2-inch Houston Rockets center.

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts expressed pride after hearing the president recite tales of courage and volunteerism by Americans during the State of the Union.

"I felt that was inspiring," he said. "It nearly brought tears to your eyes."

Hickey started Mychal's Message in January 2002, when she was marking the 11th anniversary of her life-saving liver transplant. In lieu of gifts, she asked for socks for the homeless.

Along with family members, Hickey makes four trips to New York City a year to deliver donations to people in the bread line at St. Francis of Assisi Church, the parish Judge served for six years.

To date, the organization has distributed more than 100,000 new items to the homeless and poor.

For her dedication, last November Hickey was featured on NBC's "Today" as part of the Macy's "Parade on Parade" promotion, which recognizes young people who have made special contributions to their family or community.