Amanda Christianson, an eighth-grader at Drauden Point Middle School, will be headed to the 2012 Summer Olympics games in London this August.

The Plainfield 14-year-old was one of four girls selected as grand prize winners in the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy’s “Choose to Matter” contest.

For the last two summers, Christianson has attended a sports and leadership camp held by Foudy, at which attendees were challenged to create a community service project.

Hers was “Amanda’s Cleats for Kids,” which set a goal of collecting more than 300 pairs of athletic shoes for children in Haiti. She helped distribute them with the assistance of her church, Life Spring Community Church, which routinely sends members to work in the beleaguered country.

Winners were chosen by people voting online for various charitable projects started by Foudy group members. She received 7,663 votes; more than 60,000 people voted in total, according to Foudy’s web site.

The prize is an all-expenses paid four-day, three-night trip for Christianson and a chaperone from Aug. 9 to 12. She and the other winners will meet Olympic athletes, visit at least two Olympic venues, attend competitions and sightsee.

They will also act as youth ambassadors to help the more than 100 kids from around the world who will also be participating in the McDonald’s Champions of Play program. McDonald’s partnered with Foudy on the “Choose to Matter” contest.

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