''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the program was hosted by
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator from the Vanderbilt family. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at C ...
and
Kelly Ripa. Honorees are introduced during the fall of each year and the audience is encouraged to vote online for the CNN Hero of the Year. Ten recipients are honored and each receive US$10,000. The top recipient is chosen as the CNN Hero of the Year and receives an additional US$100,000 to continue their work. During the broadcast celebrating their achievements, the honorees are introduced by celebrities who actively support their charity work.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary, the 2016 edition had an additional segment where five previous Hero of the Year winners were chosen as candidates for the Superhero of the Year award, which was decided with an online poll.
Heroes
2007
The 18 CNN Heroes finalists for 2007 were (in alphabetical order):
* Florence Cassassuce,
La Paz
La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bol ...
,
Mexico
* Kayla Cornale, of
Burlington,
Ontario, Canada
* Mathias Craig, of
San Francisco
* Irania Martinez Garcia, of
Guantanamo,
Cuba
* Pablo Fajardo, of
Ecuador
* Rangina Hamidi, of
Stone Ridge,
Virginia, United States
*
Rick Hodes, of
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
,
Ethiopia
* Lynwood Hughes, of
Rocky Mount,
North Carolina, United States
* Dallas Jessup, of
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 Unit ...
, United States
*
Peter Kithene
Peter Kithene Wilson is a Kenyan - American and the founder of Mama Maria Clinics in Kenya. Kithene Wilson was named CNN Heroes Honoree in 2007 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokirxyoKKk) for his work in developing rural healthcare in Africa. In ...
, of
Seattle, Washington, United States
* Scott Loeff, of
Chicago,
Illinois, United States
* Mark Maksimowicz, of
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
Florida, United States
* James McDowell, of
Patchogue,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
, United States
* Anne McGee, of
Las Vegas,
Nevada, United States
*
Josh Miller Joshua or Josh Miller may refer to:
Musicians
*Joshua Miller, American musician with duo Nemesis also featured in '' Jacob and Joshua: Nemesis Rising''
*Josh Miller, musician with The Pappy Johns Band
Sportsmen
* Josh Miller (field hockey) in 2 ...
, of
Santa Monica,
California, United States
* Rosemary Nyirumbe, of
Uganda
* Steve Peifer, of
Kijabe,
Kenya
* S. Ramakrishnan, of Ayikydy,
India
* Julie Rems-Smario, of
Oakland,
California, United States
*
Scott Southworth, of USA
2008
The Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 were (in alphabetical order):
*
Tad Agoglia, of
Long Island,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
, United States
*
Yohannes Gebregeorgis
Yohannes Gebregeorgis is an Ethiopian businessman and the founder of Ethiopia Reads, a philanthropic organization committed to bringing literacy to the children of Ethiopia. In 2008, he was recognized as one of the " Top 10 Heroes of the Year" by ...
, of
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
,
Ethiopia
*
Carolyn LeCroy, of
Norfolk,
Virginia, United States
* Anne Mahlum, of
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States
*
Liz McCartney, of
St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Bernard; es, Parroquia de San Bernardo) is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat and largest community is Chalmette. The parish was formed in 1807. St. Bernard Parish is part of t ...
,
Louisiana, United States: CNN 2008 Hero of the Year
*
Phymean Noun, of
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
* David Puckett, of
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, United States
* Maria Ruiz, of
El Paso,
Texas, United States
*
Marie Da Silva, of (
Malawi), residing in
Los Angeles,
California, United States
* Viola Vaughn, of
Kaolack
Kaolack ( ar, كاولاك; wo, Kawlax) is a town of 172,305 people (2002 census) on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is a ...
,
Senegal
2009
The Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009 were (in alphabetical order):
*
Jorge Munoz, of
Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, United States
* Jordan Thomas, of
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
,
Tennessee, United
* Budi Soehardi, of
Kupang,
Indonesia
*
Betty Makoni
Hazviperi Betty Makoni is a Zimbabwean women's rights activist who in 1999 founded the Girl Child Network, a charity which supports Zimbabwe's young sex abuse victims. The organization has rescued more than 35,000 girls and provided mentoring to a ...
, of
London, United Kingdom
*
Doc Hendley, of
Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Blowing Rock is a town in Watauga and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 1,397 at the 2021 census.
The Caldwell County portion of Blowing Rock is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropoli ...
, United States
*
Efren Peñaflorida, of
Cavite City
Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish language, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 ...
,
Philippines: 2009 CNN Hero of the Year
*
Derrick Tabb, of
New Orleans,
Louisiana, United States
* Roy Foster, of
Palm Beach,
Florida, United States
*
Andrea Ivory, of
West Park, Florida
West Park, officially the City of West Park, is a municipality in Broward County, Florida, United States. It was created on March 1, 2005. It is located in the southeastern part of the county and consists of the neighborhoods of Carver Ranches, ...
, United States
* Brad Blauser, of
Dallas,
Texas, United States
2010
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010 (in alphabetical order):
*
Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega of
Juarez,
Mexico
* Susan Burton of
California, United States
* Linda Fondren of
Mississippi, United States
*
Anuradha Koirala
Anuradha Koirala (born Anuradha Gurung on 14 April 1949), Okaldhunga district, is a Nepalese social activist and the founder of Maiti Nepal – a non-profit organization in Nepal, dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking. She was appoi ...
of
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...
,
Nepal: 2010 CNN Hero of the year
*
Narayanan Krishnan of
Madurai,
India
*
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow of
Scotland, United Kingdom
* Harmon Parker of
Kenya,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
*
Aki Ra
Aki Ra (sometimes written Akira, born ) is a former Khmer Rouge conscripted child soldier who works as a deminer and museum curator in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He has devoted his life to removing landmines in Cambodia and to caring for young landmin ...
of
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
*
Evans Wadongo of
Kenya,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
* Dan Wallrath of
Texas, United States
Also all of the 33 Chilean Miners came on the show to be honored after the
2010 Copiapó mining accident
The 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known then as the "Chilean mining accident", began on 5 August 2010, with a cave-in at the San José Mine, San José copper–gold mine, located in the Atacama Desert north of the regional capital of Co ...
before awards were given out to the list of heroes shown above. Kareem Taylor is the promotional voice for the commercial campaign leading up to the show.
2011
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 (in alphabetical order):
* Eddie Canales of
Texas, United States
*
Taryn Davis of
North Carolina, United States
*
Sal Dimiceli
Sal Dimiceli is a real estate businessman from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin who writes a column on charity for thLake Geneva Regional News Dimiceli's column, "The Time is Now to Help," has been likened to "a 'Dear Abby
Dear Abby is an American adv ...
of
Wisconsin, United States
*
Derreck Kayongo of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, United States
*
Diane Latiker of
Chicago, United States
*
Robin Lim of
Bali
Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and N ...
,
Indonesia: 2011 CNN Hero of the year
* Patrice Millet of
Haiti
* Bruno Serato of
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
,
California, United States
*
Richard St. Denis of
Mexico
* Amy Stokes of
South Africa
2012
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2012 (in alphabetical order):
*
Pushpa Basnet
Pushpa Basnet (Nepali: पुष्पा बस्नेत ) is a social worker and the founder/president of Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) and Butterfly Home, non-profit organizations, in Kathmandu, Nepal. Her organization works ...
of
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...
,
Nepal: 2012 CNN Hero of the year
* Wanda Butts of
Ohio, United States
* Mary Cortani of
California, United States
*
Catalina Escobar of
Cartagena,
Colombia
*
Razia Jan of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, with an organization located in
Massachusetts, United States
* Thulani Madondo of
Kliptown
Kliptown is a suburb of the formerly black township of Soweto in Gauteng, South Africa, located about 17 km south-west of Johannesburg. Kliptown is the oldest residential district of Soweto, and was first laid out in 1891 on land which form ...
,
South Africa
* Leo McCarthy of
Montana, United States
* Connie Siskowski of
New Jersey, United States
* Scott Strode of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
, United States
*
Malya Villard-Appolon of
Kofaviv,
Haiti
The 3 Young Wonders of 2012 (in alphabetical order):
* Cassandra Lin
* Will Lourcey
* Jessica Rees
2013
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2013 (in alphabetical order):
* Dale Beatty, co-founder of Purple Heart Homes
* George Bwelle
* Robin Emmons
* Danielle Gletow, founder of
One Simple Wish
* Tawanda Jones
* Richard Nares
* Kakenya Ntaiya
*
Chad Pregracke
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic t ...
of the USA: 2013 CNN Hero of the year
* Estella Pyfrom, creator of "Estalla's Brilliant Bus"
* Laura Stachel
2014
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014 (in alphabetical order):
*
Arthur Bloom of the United States
* Jon Burns of the United Kingdom
*
Pen Farthing of the United Kingdom: 2014 CNN Hero of the year
* Elimelech Goldberg of the United States
*
Leela Hazzah of
Kenya
* Patricia Kelly of the United States
*
Annette March-Grier of the United States
* Ned Norton of the United States
* Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes of
Guatemala
*
Dr. Wendy Ross of the United States
The 3 Young Wonders of 2014 (in alphabetical order):
* Lily Born
*
Maria Keller, Read Indeed,
* Joshua Williams, Joshua's Heart
2015
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2015:
*
Maggie Doyne, of
New Jersey, United States: 2015 CNN Hero of the year
*Jim Withers, United States
*Monique Pool, of Suriname
*Richard Joyner, United States
*Sean Gobin, United States
*Bhagwati Agrawal, India
*Kim Carter, United States
*Rochelle Ripley, United States
*Jody Farley-Berens
*Daniel Ivankovich, United States
2016
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2016:
*Jeison Aristizábal of
Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
,
Colombia: 2016 CNN Hero of the year
*Craig Dodson, United States
*Sherri Franklin, United States
*Brad Ludden, United States
*Luma Mufleh, United States
*Georgie Smith, United States
*
Umra Omar, Kenya
*Sheldon Smith, United States
*Becca Stevens, United States
*Harry Swimmer, United States
*
Pushpa Basnet
Pushpa Basnet (Nepali: पुष्पा बस्नेत ) is a social worker and the founder/president of Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) and Butterfly Home, non-profit organizations, in Kathmandu, Nepal. Her organization works ...
, of
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...
,
Nepal: 10th Anniversary CNN SuperHero
2017
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2017:
*Stan Hays
*Samir Lakhani
*Jennifer Maddox
*Rosie Mashale
*Andrew Manzi
*Leslie Morissette
*Mona Patel
*Khali Sweeney
*Aaron Valencia
*
Amy Wright
Amy Wright is an American actress and former model. She has appeared in such films as ''The Deer Hunter'', ''Breaking Away'', '' The Accidental Tourist'', ''Hard Promises'', ''Crossing Delancey'', and '' Miss Firecracker''. She is the widow of ...
: 2017 CNN Hero of the year
2018
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2018:
*Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin
*Maria Rose Belding
*Amanda Boxtel
*Rob Gore
*Luke Mickelson
*Susan Munsey
*Florence Phillips
*Ricardo Pun-Chong: 2018 CNN Hero of the Year
*Ellen Stackable
*Chris Stout
2019
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2019 each received US$10,000. The 2019 CNN Hero of the Year received an additional US$100,000. The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2019:
*Staci Alonso, Noah's Animal House (pet shelter for escaping domestic violence)
*Najah Bazzy, Zaman International (helping women & children living in poverty)
*Woody Faircloth, RV4CampfireFamily.org
*
Freweini Mebrahtu, 2019 CNN Hero of the Year, Dignity Period (helping Ethiopian girls stay in school)
*Mark Meyers
*Richard Miles
*
Roger Montoya
Roger Evan Montoya (born February 3, 1961) is an American humanitarian, painter, former professional dancer and gymnast, and politician serving as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from the 40th district. Elected in 2020, he ...
*Mary Robinson
*
Afroz Shah
Afroz Shah is an Indian environmental activist and lawyer from Mumbai. He is best known for organizing the world's largest beach clean-up project, which has grown into a movement that has inspired people around the world to clean up their sur ...
*Zach Wigal
The 4 Young Wonders of 2019 (in alphabetical order):
* Jemima Browning, Tadcaster Stingrays
* Grace Callwood, We Cancerve Movement
* Bradley Ferguson, Post Crashers
* Jahkil Jackson, Project I Am
2020
The 14th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute focused solely on inspirational heroes from the biggest stories of the year -- the fight against coronavirus and the battle for racial equity and social justice. Frontline workers, advocates, scientists, Young Wonders and everyday people were saluted and 8 nonprofit organizations working to tackle these issues were highlighted. Each organization received $10,000 and viewers were encouraged to donate to these vetted, trusted organizations.
In lieu of the traditional Top 10 and CNN Hero of the Year, the 2020 edition saw viewers selecting the year's Most Inspirational Moments.
The nonprofit organizations highlighted included:
*
AdoptAClassroom.orgBring Change To MindCenter for Disaster Philanthropy
* Equal Justice Initiative
IssueVoter
* Make-A-Wish America
* Water.org
*World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. Founded in 2010 by chef José Andrés, the organization prepared food in Haiti following its devastating ...
The 3 Young Wonders of 2020 (in alphabetical order):
Cavanaugh BellCool & DopeTiana DayYouth Advocates for ChangeTJ Kim
2021
The 15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute returned to the long-running shows' traditional format honoring the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2021 with viewers voting online for the CNN Hero of the Year. Shirley Raines was selected as the 2021 CNN Hero of the Year.
Honorees included:
Jennifer Colpas, Colombia
Tierra Grata
Lynda Doughty, United States
Marine Mammals of Maine
David Flink, United States
Eye To Eye
Dr. Patricia Gordon, United States
Cure Cervical Cancer
Hector Guadalupe, United States
A Second U Foundation
Michele Neff Hernandez, United States
Soaring Spirits
Zannah Mustapha, Nigeria
Future Prowess Islamic Foundation
Shirley Raines, United States
Beauty 2 The Streetz
Made Janur Yasa, Indonesia
Plastic Exchange
Young Wonders recognized included:
Chelsea Phaire, United States
Chelsea's Charity
Jordan Mittler, United States
Mittler Senior Technology
2022
The 16th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute premiered live on Sunday December 11th, 2022. Nelly Cheboi was selected by viewers as the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year.
Honorees included:
Carie Broeker - Pacific Grove, CA
Richard Casper - Nashville, TN
Nelly Cheboi - Mogotio, Kenya and Shabbona, IL
Nora El-Khouri Spencer - Carrboro, NC
Tyrique Glasgow - Philadelphia, PA
Teresa Gray - Anchorage, AK
Meymuna Hussein-Cattan - Santa Ana, CA
Aidan Reilly - Santa Ana, CA
Debra Vines - Maywood, IL
Bobby Wilson - Atlanta, GA
Young Wonders recognized included:
Ruby Chitsey - Harrison, AR
Sri Nihal Tammana - Edison, NJ
Awards
In 2022, the program was honored with the News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Live News Special for its 2021 15th Annual Show. The program's director Brett Kelly was also nominated for Outstanding Direction and the original full-length CNN Heroes segment on Shirley Raines o
Beauty 2 The Streetz
was nominated for Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Short Form.
In 2020, the program's director, Brett Kelly, received the inaugural Outstanding Direction News & Documentary Emmy Award for its 2019 13th Annual Show. In 2019, the program was nominated for the News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding News Special for its 2018 12th Annual show.
In 2017, the program received a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Direction and Scenic Design its 2016 10th Annual show.
In 2012, the program received a Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
for its 2011 campaign and show. CNN Heroes has also been nominated for additional News & Documentary Emmy Awards
The News & Documentary Emmy Awards, or News & Documentary Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Scien ...
and is the winner of 3 Gracies and multiple National Association of Black Journalists
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of African-American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists, the NABJ's stated purpose is to provide quality p ...
Salute to Excellence Awards.
See also
* List of awards for volunteerism and community service
References
External links
Official CNN Heroes website
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{{CNN
CNN
American annual television specials