A Lynnwood woman is a finalist for a prestigious national honor.

Christine Umayam is in the running for the “Citizen Service Before Self” award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.

Umayam founded Child United, an international relief organization dedicated to helping the poorest children in third world countries by helping them get an education and escape poverty. She has helped thousands by building learning centers and sending educational supplies abroad.

She started Child United after taking a trip to the Philippines in 2006. She couldn’t forget the images of poor children she saw on the streets. The next year she quit her corporate job and started the non-profit.

Umayam has helped more than a thousand families so far, supplied several schools with books and educational supplies, provided sponsorships for students every month, and is helping to build a learning center.

In 2009 Child United expanded its goals to include helping families affected by natural disasters.

The awards will be given on March 25.

If you’d like to donate to Child United, go to www.childunited.org.