Sophia West was molested as a young child. Her attacker was a family member, and the abuse continued for many years of her youth. Other family members knew of her suffering, but were afraid to speak out. When Sophia had children of her own, she believed that she had done everything possible to keep them safe and secure. But on Christmas Eve of her son's senior year in high school, he attempted suicide. In this near tragedy, it came to light that when only eleven-years-old, Sophia's son had been molested by his own soccer coach. The teenager’s suicide attempt culminated only after years of depression resulting from the abuse he had suffered. Sophia felt that she not only had to safeguard her children from any other predators, but also empower all children with the knowledge and awareness for self-protection.
To help children attain this knowledge, Sophia dedicated herself to the Good Knight Deception Awareness Program.
Founded in 1985 by a group of retired law enforcement and military officers, the program empowers children and adults to become champions, active citizens, and protectors through education on preventing crimes and violence against children. Sophia now spearheads the organization, mentoring her staff, children, and adults on how to recognize the ten basic psychological deceptions that predatory individuals employ to lure children into unsafe situations. Toward these goals, she founded Mothers Against Predators, (M.A.P.), an initiative dedicated to making all citizens aware of the behavior patterns of sexual predators. She played a central role in having the program’s literature and videos translated into Spanish, strengthening the organization’s multicultural outreach, and uniting communities to protect their most vulnerable members: children. With these translations, the Good Knight program has reached an additional eight million individuals, bringing the total readership and viewers to eighteen million worldwide.
Even though she is now a new mother again, Sophia never allows the demands of motherhood to interfere with her volunteer work. In fact, Sophia has even based a character in program presentations on her beloved baby, Michaela Victoria. Sophia works five, six, sometimes seven days a week, twelve to sixteen hours a day, to get out the lifesaving, crime and violence-prevention message. Additionally, Sophia created Castle Nirvana, a rejuvenation center providing affordable holistic health treatments. Sophia convinced all the health-care providers to donate their fees to the Good Knight Network's Deception Awareness Outreach materials fund. Familiar to the program’s readers and viewers as the crusading mother in a snow white gown, gleaming silver breastplate, sword on one hip and her baby on the other, Sophia continues in her mission to protect children from attack, exploitation, abuse––or worse. And Sophia knows intimately that the loss and/or victimization of a child is also an attack on a parent’s sense of hope and security as well.
Sophia West is a child-abuse survivor, a caring mother, and a hero. She has committed her life to saving the lives of as many children as possible, preventing them from what she and her son endured -- and saving parents from the nightmare and heartache of having their child suffer. From her base at the Good Knight Magic Castle in Beltsville, MD, Sophia travels throughout the nation, lecturing and presenting the Good Knight Program at schools, festivals, and conventions. In working to protect children everywhere, Sophia West is a true Good Knight. For her years of service to the children of her community and the world, Sophia received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Governor of Maryland and the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President George Bush. Through her tireless efforts, Sophia has claimed victory for the forces of good, while going a great distance toward redeeming the suffering of her youth -- and own son.
To learn more about Good Knight Quest, please visit
www.goodknight.org
Read More Hero Stories >
