Lake Forest Park girl earns Girl Scouts' highest award

Sophie Knudson achieves
Girl Scout Gold Award

Sophie Knudson of Lake Forest Park has just completed requirements for the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts. Fewer than six percent of all Girl Scouts ever receive this award.

The Gold Award challenges girls to change their communities - and the world - in a way that has a sustainable impact. The quest is to solve a problem and Sophie identified and addressed just that by organizing an event to educate her community about the tremendous number of deaths caused by malaria throughout the world.

Last year, Sophie organized the first annual "One Day 5K run" to help combat malaria in rural Africa.

This year the race was organized by the Lake Forest Park Youth Council, of which Sophie is president. Held on April 13 at Kellogg Middle School, 16045 25th Ave NE, it raised enough money to provide 647 mosquito nets to families living in rural Kenya.

The Youth Council has agreed to host the 5K annually.

She is glad that she was able to explore her passion and showcase her dedication with the project, adding, “My mission isn’t only about combating malaria, it is also about building youth leaders to make a change in our local as well as global community.”

Lake Forest Park Youth Council
and volunteers at the 5K run

Scout research has shown that Girl Scout Gold Award recipients do well in life. They rate their general success in life significantly higher than their peers and report higher success in reaching their life goals. 

Knudson will be honored for her accomplishments at s special Gold Award Gala at the Tacoma Art Museum on June 22.

Girl Scouts of Western Washington information here.