Federal Way resident Megan Johnson, 19, was named the winner of the Washington State Jefferson Award on April 13. She will represent the state in Washington, D.C., for the national Jefferson Award in June.

Johnson and Federal Way resident Peggy LaPorte were among five honorees for this year’s state award. During the week of March 28 to April 1, “Evening Magazine” on King 5 TV aired stories about the five Washington finalists, and the public voted for their favorite.

Initiated in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Sen. Robert Taft Jr., this “Nobel Prize” for public service is a nationwide effort recognizing the highest ideals and achievements of volunteerism in the country. Five Washington State Jefferson Award winners are selected and celebrated annually.

Johnson is the founder of Kids Helping Kids, an organization that collects and distributes DVDs to the patients in children’s hospitals; From the Heart, an organization that makes and distributes blankets for babies affected by drugs or poverty; and Megan’s Mission, an organization that gives out blankets and other necessities to the homeless to remind them that they are not forgotten. She has donated much of her own money to various causes, from the local homeless shelter to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Johnson and LaPorte (who founded the local charity FUSION for homeless families) were chosen from more than 210 names submitted this year in the local competition sponsored by the City Club of Seattle and King 5.