have to do, this is a happy time for a lot of people here and we should not let that escape us. >> this is going to bring this hour to a close. don lemon, pleasure working with you. thanks to all of our guests, spider marks, wesley clark, all of our reporters, as well. thanks for watching. >> good night. >> good evening, everyone. welcome to "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute." how are you all doing? we live in a time, in a world full of uncertainty but tonight is all about hope. in the movies here in hollywood cape crusaders save the day. tonight you'll meet real supermen and superwomen from across the globe.

heroes who have dedicated their lives to helping people in need. none of them wear a spandex leotard or cape, at least not while working, not that i'm aware of, but they are true heroes. we are live tonight in los angeles and around the world and we have a group of famous folks joining us tonight. they've generously given their time to share our hero stories with you. some have journeyed to see our honorees. jerry seinfeld, will.i.am. he went to meet one of our heros in wisconsin. my colleague dr. sanjay gupta is streaming live all night with our presenters and honorees. also ice cube, laura dern, christie turlington who went to indonesia. to learn more about one of our heros. if you would like to share these amazing stories with your friends, follow us on facebook,

on twitter, use hash tag cnn heroes to bring more attention to these important issues. as i said, we are live tonight. i promise i'll try very hard not to giggle. >> i laugh like a 13-year-old girl meeting justin bieber for the first time. i admit it. it's very sad. george lopez is here to tell us how you can be a hometown hero and kurt warner will present an honoree who moved him so much that he went into the heart of texas to meet with him. if hearing these stories, you feel inspired to help, you can donate to any of our top ten cnn heroes. go to cnn.com. we'll be recognizing young wonders, kids making a difference. introduced by emma roberts, chris colfer, as well as miley cyrus. another special kid is here, he'll raise his voice with a fitting song for the show, the one and only kid rock. and if there's time left at the

end of the night, i can't -- i choreographed a personally have choreographed a hip-hop dance routine to john lennon's "imagine," which i'm very excited about. my mom said, quote, it's off the hook. it gets cut for time every year. i hope this year is different. it's the fifth anniversary of cnn heroes, the impact of our shows has made a huge difference. since we began our heroes have worked in 77 different countries. they have helped hundreds of thousands of people and received more than $6 million from you at home to help them continue their selfless work. this evening we celebrate five incredible years of cnn heroes. tonight we gather to honor the best that america has to offer. >> heroes walk among us and we applaud their stories. >> toiling in obscurity but they deserve our recognition and our help. >> redemption is beautiful, dangerous, never-ending work.

and a hero never fears it. >> every day this woman confronts the worst of what humanity has to offer. >> he is my hero because one day he rolled the window down and asked, are you hungry? >> last year i was in the heart of a war zone watching this show. and i can't believe that one year later, i'm standing on the stage. >> cnn heroes program totally blew the roof off of what we were able to do beforehand. we made the same in one month that we made in the entire year previous. >> since i've been recognized as a cnn hero my team has grown. brought in millions of dollars of equipment. you guys are fantastic. couldn't have done it without you. >> each person has a hidden hero within. >> a simple thing can change lives. and that's what heroes do. >> all of us have the power to make a difference. you're never too young to change the world. >> and i'm asking you to please join us.

>> if you join us, we'll be unstoppable. >> don't be afraid. and never, never, never give up. >> leads ladies and gentlemen, please join me -- >> join me in honoring -- >> cnn heroes. >> cnn heroes. [ applause ] >> tonight we honor ten new heroes, one of whom later on tonight will be named our 2011 cnn hero of the year. let's get to our first honoree, a champion of the forgotten transforming people's lives by giving them the power to start their own movement. to introduce his story is an actress who recently hosted the gala to benefit colombian nonprofits. please welcome sophia.

>> charity is a beautiful thing. it's powerful, magnificent and amazing the way it can grab hold of us in life. for richard st. denis, it happened in puerto rico. he was there to deliver a wheelchair to a girl who had polio. she's never walked a step in her life. that morning her mother carried her into the chapel and richard wheeled her out. that single act of kindness gave her the chance to live a fuller life. she was able to work, get married and have children. richard knew because of his own accident how valuable independence was and just one wheelchair wasn't enough. so he started the world access project. he has provided hundreds of people with wheelchairs, crutches and walkers. they can move through life because charity is a beautiful thing.

>> in 1997 i was living in colorado. and a friend of mine who is a pastor invited me to come to this area to a little town called delor res egalgo. i didn't speak any spanish. they asked me if i could come down and bring one wheelchair with me to maybe give away to somebody. in a room about the size of this warehouse, people started crawling in on their hands and knees. people were pushed in, in wheelbarrows. people using branches of trees for crutches. and i just decided, somebody needs to come down here and take wheelchairs. and so i started coming down here once a year and started giving away wheelchairs. the people that work with us most of the time are people that have received wheelchairs or people that have disabilities. and so i'm blessed to be able to give them a job. and the thing that really helps is they have a compassion for the people that they give the wheelchairs to.

>> but about five years ago, i came to the realization that if i just went there once a year and never went again, who would do the follow-up? what happens when the wheelchair breaks? so five years ago my wife and i decided to focus on one country. many of the people come here to our warehouse. sometimes we go to the very rural communities and we give them the equipment right where they live. the person we're going to see today, on this paperwork it doesn't say what his disability is. but we know that he's 32 years old.

he can crawl. >> when we go to someone's house to get a wheelchair, we try to make it a great experience for them. not just giving them a gift, but getting to know them, getting to know their family. i think within a week, he'll be really good at this chair. we want to teach people to be independent, to be self-confident. we want to teach them to be able to live the life that you and i would normally be able to live in the united states without even thinking about it. we teach them art. we teach them music. we teach them all kinds of things. kind of like a family. i would say the heartbeat of this organization is the passion that all of us have to make a difference in the lives of other people. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, cnn hero richard st. denis. [ applause ]

>> when i broke my back 35 years ago, i thought my life was over. but i've learned that this wheelchair is an opportunity to make a difference. there is nothing better than to serve god and help others. for those of you out there who have a disability, never give up. and for everyone, i encourage you to help others. god can use all of us. [ speaking in foreign language ] [ applause ] next on "cnn heroes," miley cyrus. and later, jerry seinfeld. and a live performance by kid rock. "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute" is proudly sponsored by the johnson & johnson campaign for nursing's future. nurses heal. what is that? it's you!

it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson.

and welcome back to "cnn heroes." in the richest country in the

world, 49 million people live in poverty, hoping to ease some of this pain, our next hero is a guardian for those in need. what sal dimiceli does is he shows us the despair that exists in this country. we see the shack over there where the rain pours in and that a family calls home. a child sitting quietly by the candlelight. her stomach's been growling for days. that elderly woman looking for change. change she needs to keep the heat on. sal carries their burden one letter at a time. they write, "i'm hungry." "my dad lost his job." "we're living in the car." he doesn't wait to put on his marching boots because he knows the time is now. the time to help is now. 500 people a year feel the lift of this one man's arms. let me tell you, with sal in this battle, poverty is in for one hell of a fight. >> we have a grandmother of seven. her social security check is only $600 a month. one of the children are disabled.

i hear she keeps having a hard time with her utilities and running out of food. we have an emergency situation with an elderly lady. we found out the trailer she's been living in for the last 30 years has been condemned. we are in fear of becoming homeless. >> every week sal provides a story of one of his visits to people in need. >> we print 5,000 papers, and people read them. and many people, one of the first things they turn to is sal's column. >> my mission is to help those that are in the desperate pains of poverty that have been forgotten. >> nice to see you. >> welcome. >> i grew up in poverty. my dad had a disease, gambling. my mom, she did not make enough money for all of our bills. it was hard times. after i got my first job, i was wanting to get home as fast as i can, because i know my mom was at home crying. and i wanted to get there and tell her, we have some relief. i got a job. it wasn't enough.

i had to say, god, i will always remember those that are suffering like my mom. >> there's a war happening right now here in america. >> that's right. it's poverty. absolutely. >> poverty is really, really kicking america's ass. >> the name of my charity foundation is time is now to help. you cannot take things like tomorrow or later on. people would go to others and they'd say, okay, you qualify for food. you qualify for assistance. now there's 120-day waiting period. where's the humanity? hey, rosie. they're looking about getting you an apartment. they're working on that now. when i see people living like this it's because they've been left alone too long. and their quality of life starts to spiral. and i'm determined we're going to get her into a much better place. bye-bye, dear. we need to take her, and we need to change her life from top to bottom. full sized bed f we can make sure we get a truck. kitchen table. is it washable?

i've come across a quadriplegic. their handicapped vehicle is no longer working. we have a network of wonderful people. some of the very wealthy. and they're giving back. this is going to change their world. >> good. >> oh, my goodness. >> that's a van. >> there's a lot of people that want to do and don't know how to do it. they're not waiting for people. that is a hero. >> that's what you need. >> it is. >> we not only help in material necessities, but at the same time, we let these people know that they are loved and they are cared for. >> hats off and thank you, honestly. thank you for -- for inspiring other people. >> their psyche and their depression completely changes as soon as they understand, i am not alone. [ applause ] >> we want to thank will.i.am

for traveling all that way to meet up with sal. it's my honor to present cnn hero, sal dimiceli. [ applause ] >> this award is for the true heroes. the hungry children. the forgotten elderly. the neglected veterans and handicapped. the working poor i meet every day. wherever there is pain and suffering, i want to remove it. i have a fighter deep inside of me and energy that i get from god. i want to help, and i ask you to

help me also. thank you so much. god bless you. [ applause ] >> some people grow into becoming heroes, but some start early on. this year we're celebrating kids who have already accomplished what we can only imagine. to tell bus our first young won derks please welcome the founder of get your good on, an organization that connects young people with community service, miley cyrus. [ applause ] >> thank you. there are millions of young people who woke up and wanted to change the world. they saw an injustice on tv about the hungry or read about kids who can't drink clean water or people who need homes.

they had an idea to make a difference so they took that idea to the breakfast table and said i'm going to do some good today. but these cnn young wonders didn't only talk about changing the world, they actually did. the first quality they have is empathy. rachel beckwith had this beautiful lasting gift when she was just 9. >> my daughter rachel was in most ways just like every other 9-year-old girl. she was goofy and wanted to have fun with her friends. there was just one little part about her that was different. she had such an empathy for others and wanted to give. so for her 9th birthday, she decided instead of getting present, she wanted her friends and family to donate to her charity water campaign. >> and she wanted to raise $300.

a crazy goal to raise $300. >> on july 20th, rachel and siena, my youngest daughter and i were in an accident. three days later she passed away. someone suggested that we open it again. >> in a matter of moments it started to grow. >> the donations were pouring in, people all over the country and eventually all over the world. >> originally rachel had $220 on her page. within days that climbed to multiple thousands. >> rachel has raised more than $145,000. >> $500,000. >> three quarters of a million dollars. >> one and a quarter million were raised on that page for charity water. she's a hero. >> next july charity water is going to be taking me to

ethiopia to meet the people and just see the wells that rachel's campaign has created. i definitely believe she was a young wonder and i hope she continues to inspire other young wonders. [ applause ] and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. who need imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance,

may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today. it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru

and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year.

"cnn heroes: an all-star tribute" is proudly sponsored by subaru. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. >> welcome back. when we hear the stories of these amazing heroes, often we're overwhelmed with gratitude for all they do, but we have a hard time imagining devoting our whole life to a cause. to share with us how even with a little effort we can make a big impact is a man whose foundation makes positive, permanent

changes for those in need. please welcome george lopez. [ applause ] >> hello. what all of these heroes do seems kind of daunting, right? most of us will never change our lives in this big of a way. but that doesn't mean we can just have to sit on the couch. what if everybody did something? together we could really change things. now, you're probably thinking, there isn't really anything i can do to help close to home. i wondered the same thing. so i did a little research. i wanted to know how many places could i volunteer at within five miles of where i'm standing right now. guess how many? ten, 15, 100? not even close. 769 organizations within a ten-minute drive from this stage. so i went to find out what i could do to help. and i helped the people at the dream center feed the homeless on skid row. we can't all be nominees. but we all can make a difference.

at the dream center every thursday they feed people a hot meal here. a lot of times this is the only hot meal they'll get. it does really bring you to the reality of the situation in our country and how easy it is to help somebody else. there's a community here and a family here. it's not difficult to become part of the family. how does it make you feel? >> i wouldn't want to do anything else. i love this. >> this is one example what volunteers are doing to make their communities a better place. and there are hundreds of opportunities for everyone every day in every neighborhood across america. you could spend time and help a child who has special needs. >> what we're looking for here is really to see the kids emerge from their silent world, to see them vocalize a lot more with the objective of getting them to participate even with their hearing loss. >> the reward is instantaneous when you walk in. >> you could work to clean up your community. >> i've always been interested in helping the environment. i knew this was a great place to get started. what we're doing today, we're removing debris and cleaning up the trails.

just to make it look beautiful and keep one of our natural parks here alive. keeping it look nice. >> you could provide homework assistance to kids who want to stay in school. >> you wouldn't believe how easy it is to volunteer. it's the easiest thing in the world. >> this is what matters. what matters is paying it forward, making a difference. that's what gives true value to life. >> whatever your passion, whatever experience you have, whatever amount of time that you have to spare, there is something on your doorstep that you can do, too. so what are you waiting for? one person can make a tiny difference. collectively, we can make a massive difference. [ applause ] >> please welcome one of last year's top ten cnn heroes. dan walrad. >> it's an honor to be back to introduce a performer who last year called me one of his heroes. when he rocks a town, he usually leaves a trail of destruction

behind. but on his latest tour, he's helping to build cities up. he's partnering with detroit businesses to give back money to local charities around the nation and shine a positive light back on detroit. tonight, he's here to remind us that the first step to becoming a hero is to care. ladies and gentlemen, my hero, kid rock. [ applause ] ♪ ♪ day by day my life gets colder my ice goes thin as i get older ♪ ♪ in pieces pieces bloody and

bruised i feel so helpless and confused ♪ ♪ i hear screaming on the left yelling on the right ♪ ♪ i'm sitting in the middle trying to live my life ♪ ♪ because i can't stop the war shelter homeless feed the poor ♪ ♪ i can't walk on water i can't save your sons and daughters ♪ ♪ i can't change the world and make things fair the least that i can do is care ♪ ♪ ♪ i pray and pray for life's

salvation cause faith is tried and true in tribulation ♪ ♪ oh yeah ♪ love is lost and lonely check the news ♪ ♪ and with these open arms i wait for you ♪ ♪ because i hear screaming on the left yelling on the right i'm sitting in the middle trying to live my life ♪ ♪ because i can't stop the war shelter homeless feed the poor ♪ ♪ i can't walk on water i can't save your sons and daughters ♪ ♪ i can't change the world and make things fair ♪ ♪ the least that i can do the least that i can do the least that i can do is care ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ i hear screaming on the left yelling on the right i'm sitting in the middle trying to live my life ♪ ♪ because i can't stop the war shelter homeless feed the poor ♪ ♪ i can't walk on water i can't save your sons and daughters ♪ ♪ i can't change the world and make things fair ♪ ♪ the least that i can do the least that i can do the least that i can do ♪ ♪ whoa whoa ♪ is care yes i can i care

♪ you know i can i care ♪ i can care ♪ the least that i can do whoa the least i can do ♪ ♪ the least i can do whoa is care ♪ [ applause ] next on "cnn heroes," laura dern. and still to come, kurt warner and j.r. martinez. "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute" is proudly sponsored by

tide loads of hope. providing hope and clean clothes to families affected by disaster. and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. thanks, honey. yeah. you suck at folding. [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] just one cap of tide plus bleach gives you more cleaning power than six caps of the bargain brand. visit facebook.com/tide to learn about special offers. that's my tide. what's yours?

and welcome back to "cnn heroes," where tonight we're honoring some of the most giving, some of the most selfless people in the world. none of them are any of the "real housewives of new jersey," not surprisingly. we live in a disposable world. so much of what we take for granted and throw away could actually be used to save lives. sometimes it just takes a different set of eyes like our next hero's to see something that we treat as garbage and transform it into something miraculous. tonight we're proud to introduce someone who shares his concerns by supporting healthy child, healthy world which protects children from toxic chemicals. please welcome laura dern. [ applause ] >> good evening. our next hero survived unspeakable horrors. a civil war in uganda and a refugee camp in kenya.

he then eventually arrived in america. derreck kayongo landed in the city of brotherly love. he spent his first night in a hotel and was amazed by what he saw by the bathroom sink. soap. three kinds of it. face soap. hand soap. and body soap. and because of where he came from, he had no idea there were so many. so derrek did what everybody does. he put a couple of bars in his bag and used one. the next day it had all been replaced. he quickly ran to the front desk, gave the bars back and asked for his old soap. he thought they were charging him for it and he couldn't afford it, of course. then he realized what they were really doing. they were throwing it all away. and in that moment, derreck had a life-saving idea. >> this is the place where i grew up as a kid.

but one evening, we had gunshots. they had rounded up pretty much the whole village. we were accused of a crime, these big soldiers, they were asking us who had done it. he proceeded to pick people at random. you, you, you, come up. he took out his pistol and shot all four of them. on the spot. and so that began for us this incredible journey to become refugees in kenya. ask any refugee anywhere in the world, they will tell you that they lose dignity right off the bat. right now we're at the outskirts of kampala.

these people, they have come to this place to actually seek refugee. what you see here is extreme poverty. so the problems we have here tend to be health problems because they don't have things like soap. so what we've done as global soap project is to bring some little bit of hope through a bar of soap. >> isn't that great? >> we have 4.6 million hotel rooms in the u.s. they throw away 2.6 million bars of soap every day. that is an aggregate 800 million bars of soap. in juxtaposition we lose 2 million kids to diarrhea every year. i was livid. i said, how can we say there are no resources globally to fight disease when we are throwing away one of them? that's how it all began. when i first started the soap project, i actually picked up soap with my truck from every hotel. then we recycled that soap into a brand-new bar that would then end up in the hands of the poorest of the poor. so we're going to show you how to wash your hands so you can actually kill the germs. do a good job. the ladies are looking at you,

do a good job. health for me is the number one challenge. >> can you imagine? we don't have soap. and yet the biggest problem in the community is hygiene. this is good giving. >> that's what we're trying to fight. there's a side of us that is about tenacity and being solid as a human being. because you are going through a rough time. and you've got to be tough. so we're bringing dignity. we're bringing hope. and most important of all, we're bringing good health. >> very good. this is not a job. this is a mission. as a former refugee, i feel like i'm giving back to the community in a special way. in a real way. [ applause ] >> it is my honor to present cnn hero, derreck kayongo. [ applause ] >> oh, my god. oh, my god.

you know, you could be part of this good stories because not every difficult situation has to end up badly. you -- if you encourage people to get involved, then i wonder if a result will happen. and who knows? you might, you know, help save a life. our soap doesn't just mean health. it means hope. thank you! [ applause ] >> hey, how are you? very nice to see you. wow. that was absolutely amazing. what a great speech. your energy obviously palpable. laura dern, let me bring you in here, too. it's a simple concept. we waste so many things in the country. how do we change that besides

what derreck is doing. >> that's extraordinary. just him pointing out to us that with this simple idea that we are this wasteful and that we never considered it. but from his perspective he considered it and made us all wonder why we hadn't thought of it years before. so i'm so grateful, so grateful to him. >> your energy absolutely palpable. thanks so much. if you want to join the conversation about our heroes go to facebook.com/cnnhero. follow us on twitter as well. go on twitter #cnnhero. we're live on cnn.com throughout the show as well, talking to our heroes and presenters. we'll be right back. i'm good about washing my face. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals.

>> and welcome back. so every 90 seconds somewhere in the world a woman dies on this planet from complications during pregnancy. for the most impoverished, pregnancy can become a death sentence. here to shed light on her mission is a woman who is so

impressed by our hero story she went an extra mile. in fact, she went an extra 10,000 miles to bali, indonesia, to witness her work firsthand. please welcome founder of every woman counts which works to improve maternal health around the world, please welcome christy turlington burns. [ applause ] >> eight years ago, i suffered a complication after delivering my first daughter, grace. i was fortunate to have access to a great team of health care providers who managed the situation. but i later learned that not enough women do. and that this same complication is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. my wish is that every mother have access to the same quality of care that i received, ensuring that they survive

childbirth. my friend, robin lim, shares that wish. and she spends her days and nights doing just that. this extraordinary woman found her way to this work after a year filled with grief when a devastating tragedy happened in her family. she re-examined her life and moved to bali. she opened a clinic where all mothers can give birth safely and be treated with dignity and respect. she's delivered thousands of babies. that is why they call her ebu, mother robin. >> my philosophy is pretty simple. i do believe we can be at world peace one baby, one family, one mother at a time. >> welcome to bali. >> we have a pretty high-risk population here. women die from hemorrhage after childbirth quite commonly in this part of the world. the needs of mothers commonly. commonly come last. 21 years ago i lost my sister and my niece to a complication of pregnancy.

my life just took a turn. i had to ask myself, what's your life purpose? i found my life purpose really is love. if i wasn't living for love, every minute of every day, what was the point? and it led me to midwifery. if you have to pay for health care, inevitably, poor people will suffer. >> at the clinic, we have nurses 24/7 and we have midwives 24/7 all of our services are free, and the medicines are free. having just started one mother at a time, now we have this amazing project. so far we've delivered over 4,000 babies. for the poor, we are the only place they can call on. having just started one mother at a time, now we have this amazing project. so far we've delivered over

4,000 babies. for the poor, we are the only place they can call on. >> in terms of emergency obstetric care, can you do pretty much everything here if it comes to that? >> everything but a cesarean. we have ultrasound. we do iv fluids. then we transport to the hospital. >> we are very fortunate to have a clinic like this here. she did great work for the people of indonesia here. it's amazing. thank you, robin. >> you're amazing. we know we can't solve all the problems. but we can just take a baby step every day. birth is such a heroic journey. at the end of that journey, when

you're holding that baby, you know that you did it. you did it. there's just no other place on earth where almost every single child i see is someone who i greeted into this world. i know each of those children, and i know their mother's stories. it's pretty special. >> it is my honor to present cnn hero, robin lim. [ applause ] >> every baby's first breath on earth could be one of peace and love. every mother should be healthy and strong. every birth could be safe and loving. but our world is not there yet. bumi sehat needs your help to build a permanent place where compassionate health care can happen. every mother should be healthy and strong. every birth could be safe and loving.

but our world is not there yet. bumi sehat needs your help to build a permanent place where compassionate health care can happen. i love you. >> please welcome a proud supporter of the children's cancer research fund, emma roberts. >> our next young wonder embodies that characteristic they all share. drive. that drive has to be strong and forceful and all consuming in order to make lasting change in this world.

justin churchman has it. he went on a charity trip to jaurez, mexico, just like thousands of other kids do every year. except justin is different. he set himself an impossible goal, and he kept going back again and again until he reached it. >> to give someone a home, it's from your heart and it's to their heart. you really change their life forever. my name's justin churchman. i work with an organization called casas for cristo. they build houses in jaurez, mexico. after i built my first house, i just fell in love with it. it changed my heart and it changed the way i saw the world. it's an addiction. >> he organized a team and at 13 years old led a group of

americans across the border. he built a home and he handed the keys of that home to that family in need. >> this is our first house that we built. we met this wonderful lady, and i've just fallen in love with it. >> he had a goal pretty early on that he wanted to build 18 houses by the time he turned 18. >> my parents got behind me and supported me and casas for cristo supported me, and on my 18th birthday i completed my 18th house. >> he's absolutely a young wonder. he's changing the world one house at a time. [ applause ] next, football star kurt warner and will.i.am. and still to come, ice cube and mary-louise parker. your best friend, justin. ♪ i would have appreciated a proactive update on the status of our relationship. who do you think i am, tim? quicken loans? at quicken loans, we provide you with proactive updates on the status of your home loan. and our innovative online tools ensure that you're always in the loop. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze.

nyqui tylenol: me, too. andys cougnasal congestion.ers? nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

>> welcome back. if any of the top ten cnn heroes that we celebrate tonight move you to help, don't hesitate. you can donate right now by going to cnn.com. through december 31st, google is generously waiving all transaction fees, ensuring that 100% of every dollar that you donate goes straight to our heroes' nonprofit organizations. now to our next hero. yeah. that's very nice of them. our next hero is a high school football player has about the same chance of getting injured as an nfl player. but they don't have nearly the same medical and financial resources. that is where our next hero comes in. his story touched our next presenter so deeply, he reached out to cnn wanting to meet our

hero on his home turf. he was recently voted by his fellow nfl players as the best role model on and off the field. please welcome of the founder of first thing's first charity, kurt warner. [ applause ] >> wow. what an amazing evening. i've always been inspired by those who live their lives asking, how can i help another? after spending time with eddie canales and his heroic son, chris, i realized they take this principle to heart. in my book, chris will always be a football star. chris suffered a terrible injury. in the blink of an eye, the family went from the friday night lights of texas football to struggling underneath the lights of a hospital room where the machines sighed and the machines beeped in sync with their broken hearts and dreams. when chris came home, his father

knew what he needed to do. he quit his job and did everything to care for his son. that first year was tough. despair took hold. sorrow settled in, and all hope seemed lost. so they went back where it all started. the football field. under the lights. and did what heroes do. they found a way to turn their tragedy into their life's work. >> tell me just a little bit about gridiron heroes, how it got started. >> you know, it started after chris suffered a spinal cord injury. >> it was our last home game. we had to win this game to go to the playoffs. about four or five guys missed the last tackle. i made the last touchdown. along with that, i broke my neck. >> he just reached his one-year anniversary date of his injury. chris was going through some hard times. he started to shut down on me. >> depression hit, and i was still in the wheelchair.

>> so just to get him out of the house, i said, let's go to a football game. there was a state championship game. and at that game we ended up witnessing another spinal cord injury. as soon as chris saw that young man being put on that cart, chris turned to me and said, dad, we've got to go help him. i know what he's going to go through. you know what the family's going to go through. that was the inspiration behind starting grid iron heroes. gridiron heroes, we provide information, inspiration and hope. being there for the families long term, providing the equipment they need, financial help they need. okay. ready? well, two days ago we received a call that a young man had suffered a spinal cord injury playing football. chris and i drove ten hours to be here to go and visit with the family. you don't have to feel by yourself. there's other people that are going through this. well, luis was a football player

out of vega high school. he was a running back. suffered a c-5 fracture. it's very tough for us when we go back. we have to relive chris's injury all over again. how you doing, luis? i'm eddie. that's my son, chris. it's all gone in an instant. someone's gone from being so independent and at the prime of his life, now becoming very dependent on some of the basic things, the simplest things that we all take for granted. >> they can be mad at the world. but i'll go in there to help them just to let them know that they're not alone through this process. >> never give up that faith, man. >> this is something that we have to do. we know that this is our purpose. and so we do it. >> who else you got here? >> i like to collect sports history.

so, for me, like, i got some of the older guys like terry bradshaw. got the steel curtains. >> you know i'm not a big fan of the steelers. you know that, right? in all the time i've been with them, they don't talk at all about themselves and their struggles. they talk about how can they help someone else? how can they support another family? to me that's what a hero is all about. >> i've drawn inspiration from chris. because i know what it takes for him to be in that chair day to day. to me, that's a hero. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, please join me in honoring my friend, and cnn hero, eddie canales. [ applause ] >> those who love the game of [ applause ] >> those who love the game of football and support the game of football, we'd like for you to get behind us. and if it's okay with you, i'd like to bring my son chris out and share this with him. we ask that you help us provide

what these families need. we cheer these young men on the football field. let's make sure we don't forget them now. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> welcome, guys. great speech, eddie. thanks, kurt. chris, nice to see you again. kurt, great to see you. i understand you were so impressed by eddie's story that you reached out to cnn yourself to get in touch with eddie and chris. what did you take away from that experience? >> well, it's just amazing to me to see all the people, not just eddie and chris, but all the people that are here and

represented tonight. and what they're doing to impact another's life. that we can all accomplish great things, but what i've realized is that nothing is as great of accomplishment as impacting somebody's life. and that's what these guys are doing on a daily basis. and i just think it's pretty amazing. this next cnn hero works in a country that i hold deep in my heart. he comes from haiti. nearly two years since the earthquake hit haiti, there are still so many in need. so many families still living in squalid tent camps. so many people without a home, a job, without a future. the power and the magic of haiti is in its people. and this next hero is a wonderful example of that. to welcome him to the stage, here's the founder of the i am home fund to help prevent struggling families from losing their homes, please welcome will.i.am. [ applause ] >> four years ago, patrice

millet battled bone cancer. when the treatment started to work, he figured out what mattered most. it wasn't material. it was the desire to bring a little bit of joy to the kids in the poorest parts of port-au-prince. we forget what they went through. in the earthquake, many were trapped in darkness, under slabs of concrete without food, water, or the loving whisper of their parents telling them things would be okay. we forget what they are still going through. many are orphans living in tents and are traumatized by the screams they still hear at night. patrice gives them a belief from all the struggles. he is their moral compass. he guides them to become good citizens. patrice has one goal. and that's to give the kids two goals. a ball and the inspiration to help them restart their lives.

>> when you go to the street, you look at the kids, you see with your eyes the way they are living. in haiti, we need love. those kids, they are living in the ghetto. they are living a very, very difficult life. i was doing business, and i was doing very well. but i started to have pain, bone pain. i went to the doctor. he asked me to wait, and after a short while, he told me, you cannot live because you have cancer. at this time, the money, all the things that you have, it's nothing. and that what makes me do what i am doing right now.

i said, i love soccer. i'm going to do something for the kids. the most important, it's the love you are giving and the love they are giving to each other. >> i try to teach them what life is all about. i think that with soccer, you have the discipline. >> the kids are really happy. we are going to the soccer field, and it's a lot of joy.

i have a dream for all the kids, whatever they are going to become. the dream is that the kid can accomplish themselves in their life. it's like i'm a father for them. and they believe in me. they feel secure. whenever they come to the soccer, they're coming to paradise. the kids are so happy, you know. i make people happy. for four years, i have been the happiest man in the world. [ applause ] >> it is my honor to present cnn hero, patrice millet.

[ applause ] >> thank you. i love my kids. they still need so much help, and that's why i have so much -- i have such big plans for them. i want to buy them a field. i want to give them a school where they can paint, learn music, study, and grow up to make haiti great again. they are my inspiration. and i hope they inspire you, too. thank you. god bless you. [ applause ] next, ice cube honors a warrior against gang violence. later, we announce the 2011 cnn hero of the year. subaru is proud to sponsor "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute." highlighting extraordinary heroes with the drive to give back to the world.

that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. when you're a sports photographer, things can get out of control pretty quickly. so i like control in the rest of my life... especially my finances. that's why i have slate, with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off big stuff faster... or avoid interest on everyday things. that saves me money. with slate from chase, i'm always in control. financially, anyway. get slate with blueprint and save money. call 855-get-slate today. your new progresso rich & hearty steak burger soup.

[ dad ] i love this new soup. it's his two favorite things in one... burgers and soup. did you hear him honey? burgers and soup. love you. they're cute. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

welcome back to the fifth anniversary of cnn heros. to join in the conversation about tonight's show follow us on facebook, at twitter.

use the hashtag in the corner here. i can't see it. i've been told it's there. i believe there's a hash tag there. keep an eye open for it. now back to our honorees. it's estimated there are 20,000 gangs in america with more than 1 million members. in some gang infested neighborhoods, people know better than to open their doors to a stranger. well, our next hero not only opened her door, she welcomed some of those troubled young people into her home and built a safe haven away from the bloodshed. to invite us into her world, please welcome actor, rapper, producer and philanthropist, ice cube. [ applause ] >> there's a force in the city of chicago. she moves through her beloved

roseland neighborhood in search of young people who've gone down the wrong path. when she finds them, she takes them by the hand, and with the roar of a lioness, she says, "i will not give up on you." diane latiker is the mother of 8, grandmother of 13, and the pride keeper of kids off the block. [ applause ] she turns lives around, and i know that's hard to do. she offers gang members, troubled kids, and good ones, too, a safe place to go. they have it in her living room and the community center next door she bought for them where they can go and be safe, study and make music. for every one of those 1,500 kids, today was a good day. >> what's roseland like? a war zone. baghdad.

i don't understand what makes you all think there's no hope out there beyond the gun. that worries me. y'all got four occupations. basketball, football, singing and rapping, and drug dealing. my name is diane latiker. i am a founding president of kids off the block. just how the sunrises every day, it's like a guarantee you're going to hear gunshots. like this block here, this is basically one gang. and then my block, which is this block, it's another gang. one of our members, he was shot here. he was shot at 30 times. when that happened and i thought that he was gone, i said that was it. i was giving up. and he survived. he still has five bullets in him, though. he came in and sat down in my living room, and then he said, miss diane, if this door wasn't open, i don't know where i'd be. i'd probably be dead or in jail. and right then, i changed my mind.

the memorial is a tribute to young people killed by violence. from 24 years down. but those stones over there, they don't say whether you're a man or not, do they? what makes you a man? they don't have a clue. because they haven't had a chance to be a kid. >> before i met miss diane, i was doing a lot of things. >> i was feeling like kill or be killed at the time. >> how easy to pick up a gun as easy to pick up a book. >> they grew up with uncles and fathers selling drugs. and now guess what? they're in the same thing. >> when you're around violence, around people that sell drugs, you get scared. like, i want to go out but i can't. where can i go? >> she opened up her home, her living room, to kids she didn't even know. kids who were labeled as failures. >> a woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many kids she didn't know what to do. >> one day i came in the house, there was like 50 kids in the house. >> all because i said a few words. all because i took five minutes. >> we talked, and she hugged me. i'm like, man, miss d.

i really do want to change. you know what i'm saying? like, i want to get out off these streets. ♪ i'm trying to change i'm trying to change ♪ ♪ but the streets are calling me it's the same old thing ♪ >> tito is a 26-year-old, needs help. he's in a gang. and wants to change his life. >> everybody want to be the dope king or they want to ride in the chevy, the big wheels. i got to eat, miss diane. of course you do. i'm not knocking that. but, wow, imagine if you could eat and you could sleep at night. the one thing i said about you, tito, you're a leader. there's just so much negative stuff out here, you know. but if you was in your element to lead right, i believe you'd lead right. straight up. >> you're right, miss diane. >> i wish i could build an army of young people. and then see the power. if our young people knew how much power they had, they would be unstoppable. ♪ everything is okay everything

is all right everything is all right ♪ ♪ everything is okay hey hey [ applause ] >> please join me in honoring cnn hero, diane latiker. [ applause ] >> i go to bed at 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. i get up at 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning. i'm always excited. always know something good's going to happen today.

because some kid is going to say, thank you, miss diane. some parent won't have to bury their child. all because of what we have done. [ applause ] i know some father would be proud because their kid changed their mind and decided to live a life of positivity. please don't give up on our young people. please care about them. please love them. i needed it, and so did you. thank you. [ applause ] next on "cnn heroes," mary-louise parker, chris colfer, and later a musical performance by miley cyrus. so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol

and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a mace, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet?

how great was diane latiker. she was just incredible. [ applause ] >> there's a lot of tissues being given out backstage right now. welcome back to the program. the hiv/aids epidemic continues to ravage many parts of the world. in particular, africa. there are many ways to fight

hiv/aids. education, prevention, medicine. our next hero has joined that battle, and she's fighting in a very unique and very innovative way. to tell us her story is a proud supporter of hope north, a refuge for escaped child soldiers in uganda, mary-louise parker. [ applause ] >> good evening. there is a universal desire in all of us to connect. perhaps it's for survival, or maybe a little divine inspiration. but i'm glad it's there, just waiting for us to listen to its direction. sometimes it is simple, and other times it sends us on a journey. our next hero, amy stokes, traveled to africa to adopt her beloved son. but for her, that was just the beginning. because of hiv/aids, she knew there were millions of children growing up alone, without guidance, care and love.

so she found a way for them to connect with someone who cares, someone to say things like, "what a beautiful drawing." "you did great in school." "i'm so proud of you." because every child ought to know the answer to this university question: do i matter? a hero knows to always say, yes. >> if you're growing up in a community where a significant portion of the young adult population hasn't lived past 30, then it's very easy to believe that you won't either. the young adult population in subsaharan africa, the parents who teach their children how to be good community leaders, that part of the population is what has been most hit by hiv/aids. children are basically growing up alone and learning from each other. infinite family is based on the

relationships that transform the lives of children and young adults by teaching them life skills. once or twice a week, the children come to the computer labs. they turn on the computer. they turn on the web cam. and they see their mentor. >> hi! >> hi, lisa. >> the minute i see surprise, it is like fuel for the soul. >> can i ask you a question? >> this little guy is having to deal with such grown-up issues. the drugs that he sees and that he encounters. and the peer pressure. so then he asks me those questions. >> as soon as someone half a world away believes that you have a future, all of a sudden we see the self-confidence start to develop, focus on schoolwork improve. >> and three times nine? >> one of the things we saw last year was that the national average on passing the metric exam was about 67%. and amongst the infinite family net buddies that took the exam, it was a 90% pass rate.

>> how are you? >> i am well. everyone at infinite family is extremely proud of ayayna. he was the head of a child-headed household. within six months of becoming involved with infinite family, he was in the front of the class and then went on to finish his i.t. certification. now we're extremely proud of ayana because he's working at first national bank. >> i didn't know anything about computers. but i wanted to do i.t. so it was amazing to touch a computer for the first time. >> when we open our next lab, will you build us the computers? >> i would love to. >> that's cool. anybody can be a mentor. to a child with very few adult role models in their life, each of us is a treasure-trove of information. >> this is something that anybody could do, no matter their level of experience with children, their experience with technology. >> the net buddies at infinite family are all working so hard to create a different future for themselves. it's all the inspiration i need to keep working to help them.

>> it is my honor to present cnn hero, amy stokes. [ applause ] >> together, with your talents and determination, we can help prepare these children to rebuild their communities. mentoring makes the difference between a child that survives and one that thrives. support infinite family's work and help us create a world where no children grow up alone. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, please

welcome chris colfer. [ applause ] >> when you're near death, it's hard to think about anything but your own mortality. when you survive that kind of illness, it takes extraordinary grace to then put others first. this is compassion in its purest form. a quality all young wonders share. especially michael caraway. he got so sick he almost died. but that was just the beginning of his remarkable story. >> when michael was born, he was normal. he was active. he ran around. he played football. he was just like any other child. and one day he just got sick. >> in 2008, when i was 11 years old, i was diagnosed with liver failure. >> they told me straight up, if he does not get a liver transplant, he will die. >> it was halloween. and the doctor came in, dr. rosenthal, liver specialist. >> he walked in and he said, i

hate to sound like the grim reaper, but it's raining outside and it's halloween. he says, i've been doing this for 30 years. somebody's going to die. your son is going to get a liver. >> so this guy right here, his name was johnny hernandez. he was 18 years old. and he was killed on a motorcycle accident. this family gave something to me that i needed, which was a liver from their son. so i really couldn't pay them back. so i feed the homeless in honor of their son, johnny hernandez. >> it was mikey's idea to feed the homeless and his vision. >> december 25th, 2008, we packed up 25 meals, put them in my mom's truck and drove around. ever since then we've launched mikey's meals. we've fed over 4,000 people in the city of oakland. and every time we feed, we promote donor awareness. >> we sign up at least 30 people to become organ donors at each event we have. >> it's really important to help your community. because without you, there is no community. >> mikey is truly a young wonder.

[ applause ] next, jerry seinfeld honors a chef who feeds the soul. still to come, j.r. martinez steps out on stage. ♪ mom? dad? guys? [ engine turns over ] [ engine revs ] ♪ he'll be fine. [ male announcer ] more people are leaving bmw, mercedes, and lexus for audi than ever before. take advantage of exceptional values during the season of audi event. take advantage of exceptional values tank top v neck 3 piece suit dance wear bolo snakeskin boots sequin costume under things stiletto heels skinny jeans houndstooth snuggie pork pie hat oshkosh socks 5% cash back. right now get 5% cash back at department stores.

it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. here you go. driver's license. past five years' tax returns. high school report cards. and i'm gonna need to see a receipt for that watch you're wearing. you know, you really should provide us with a checklist of documents we're gonna need up front. who do you think i am? quicken loans?

at quicken loans, we provide a checklist of the mortgage documents you'll need up front. it helps keep you in the know every step of the way. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson.

tonight, 16 million children in this country will go to bed without a meal. seeing a way to help, our next cnn hero came up with a recipe for hearty food with a sprinkling of hope. to introduce us to him is a comedian working with his wife's organization, baby buggy, helping needy parents with essential clothing and baby gear, please welcome my friend, jerry seinfeld. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you, anderson. i'm sure you're not aware of this, but that tie is wonderful with your eyes. [ laughter ] i am so pleased to be part of this great event. this is the only reality

television that i absolutely love. such a great thing you're doing here. you know, when the world sees images of america, they think, yeah, they've got a lot of food, but they don't think hunger is a serious problem for our children. and it is, and chef bruno serato knows that. hunger here looks different compared to the rest of the world, but the sadness you see in kids' eyes who are hungry, that despair is universal in its heartbreak. it is hard to dream big dreams when you don't have basic nutrition. you can't let your imagination conceive of becoming an engineer, a doctor, or an artist when your stomach is empty. so bruno makes sure at least some of our kids always have a good dinner. seven nights a week, he is making sure they don't go to bed hungry. that is the work of a hero. >> i'm from verona, which is the north part of italy.

i come from a very poor family. i personally grew up eating spaghetti with marinara sauce every single day because it was the cheapest thing to serve. and i came here with $200 in my pocket. and i don't speak english. i never left. that was 30 years ago. my mama, caterrina, is special. >> on april 18, 2005, bruno and his mother were touring the boys and girls club of anaheim. as i was giving a tour, we walked through the room. >> they saw this little kid eating a bag of potato chips. my grandmother asked, what's that little kid eating? the executive director of the club said he's eating a bag of potato chips. >> we don't serve them dinner at the boys and girls club. we don't have the means to do that. and bruno's mother, in italian, said, bruno, why don't you feed them pasta? >> i thought. this is very nice. we're going to have a hot meal for these kids one night. he's done it every day since.

>> when i do the marinara, i add a lot of vegetables. after that i blend them. when i blend them, you don't see the veggie. one time, when i prepared pasta with broccoli, nobody eat it. i have to hide it. kids are kids. >> what i really like most about this program, here we have some of the poorest children in orange county. one of the wealthiest counties in the country, eating from the most exclusive restaurant. every night. how great is that? >> when the kids have finished the pasta, we take them back to the motel. when i know where they go back and spend the night, that break my heart. there's three types of family who live in the hotel. they have the poor family because of economy situation. you have the prostitution. and you have the drug addict, drug dealer. on top of it, you find a family with five, six kids live in one room. mom cannot even cook for them even if she wanted to. >> living in one room with five

people, with three other kids, as much as you try to keep everybody with their own space and everything apart, you're always in one place together all the time. bruno seems like the type that he's just doing it because he wants the kids to succeed. i don't even know if he realizes how much it helps everybody, but it does. >> the problem with the kids is a nationwide problem. you can buy toys. you can buy clothes. but there's nothing compares to feeding kids. mama and dad always told me, never forget where you come from. i will never forget where i come from. >> pasta! [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, please join me in honoring cnn hero, bruno serato. bruno! [ applause ]

>> i love to feed the kids who are starving all other the world. but before i do that, i want to feed the children here in america. we should not have hungry children in our own backyard. it's time to start to talk about, but to do something about it. ciao, mama! [ applause ] >> congratulations, bruno. what a great story. thanks so much for sharing it. jerry, you hear a story like

this, i mean, should what bruno's talking about be a call to action for the country, do you think? >> absolutely. each one of the stories that we've heard tonight has been so moving, you just -- each one just knocks you over. it's palpable, if i may use your word. >> it's a medical term, i think he means. it really is. it is in our backyard. and it's something we simply can't ignore. what's the impact of this, you think. people hearing bruno's story? >> i think people are going to want to immediately respond to bruno. the energy that comes out of him, palpable. we want to help him. i mean, everyone tonight is -- everything they're doing is going to expand because of this wonderful show. >> that's great, great night. thanks so much, both of you. we'll be right back after this. next, j.r. martinez honors a woman who's turned tragedy into triumph. later, miley cyrus performs before we announce the 2011 hero of the year. so i like control in the rest of my life... especially my finances.

that's why i have slate, with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off big stuff faster... or avoid interest on everyday things. that saves me money. with slate from chase, i'm always in control. financially, anyway. get slate with blueprint and save money. call 855-get-slate today.

will be giving away passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. your new progresso rich & hearty steak burger soup. [ dad ] i love this new soup. it's his two favorite things in one... burgers and soup. did you hear him honey? burgers and soup. love you. they're cute. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

not financially. so we switched to the bargain detergent, but i found myself using three times more than you're supposed to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. thanks, honey. yeah. you suck at folding. [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] just one cap of tide plus bleach gives you more cleaning power than six caps of the bargain brand. visit facebook.com/tide to learn about special offers. that's my tide. what's yours? tide loads of hope is proud to sponsor "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute." highlighting amazing individuals who offer a helping hand to those in need. >> jerry seinfeld is right. it's palpable. it really is. i think that's going to be the new slogan for "cnn heroes."

it's palpable. welcome back to the program. since the wars in iraq and afghanistan started, more than 6,000 service members have lost their lives. 50% of them were married, leaving behind 3,000 surviving spouses devastated by their passing. our next hero has become a beacon of light and support for war widows across this nation. to share her story, please welcome a former u.s. army soldier and an inspiration to all of us, plus a hear he's a pretty good dancer, j.r. martinez. [ applause ] >> what an amazing night. i know that when men and women like me serve this country, we ask a lot from our family. they give up so much so that we can do the job that we have to do. they are brave and strong, and we carry their pictures in our pockets to help us get back

home. but not all of us do. that means flag-draped coffins, taps, and widows and widowers are in our hometowns. taryn davis is a widow. she lost her husband, michael, in iraq just 17 months after they said "i do." she reached out for a community of other widows like her, but couldn't find one. so she created the american widow project where 900 young women gather in person and on facebook to support one another and remember. taryn felt a void and filled it herself, and others. this is why i salute her. [ applause ] >> the truck flip and landed upside down with the truck on top and he was killed. >> killed by an ied in afghanistan. >> suicide bomber. >> he committed suicide. >> he took off and the nose dipped, and then it spiralled to the ground. >> they came to my house thursday morning.

>> nobody else is going to be at your door at 5:45 in the morning. >> they told me my husband was not coming home. >> you don't marry someone, and look at them and go, oh you're going to die. >> to lose your best friend, your life. >> the most difficult thing about being a widow is waking up every day knowing that my husband's not going to be there. >> when you have lost the one person that made you feel like you'll never be alone, and then all of a sudden that person's gone, it's hard to find a reason to live. when i thought about a widow, i thought about, like, 90-year-old woman in black, knitting a sweater for one of her 100 cats. i wanted to embrace the title. i knew that that title represented michael's sacrifice and my own. i went on to google and i typed in "widow" and it came back with the response "did you mean

window?" and it was the catalyst to me creating what the american widow project is now. the options that were out there are sterile. i don't want to go to a seminar and have somebody tell me how to cry or tell me what stage i was in. so i took a step back and said, okay, what is it that's going to help me get through this? and realizing that that was seeing someone else like me and just talking to them. and believing in the possibility of life after death. we have had the hardest waves pound us down in life. we still, for some reason, are going to paddle out a little farther and hope that maybe the right wave will come. if we only ride it for a couple seconds, it's enough to let us know that it's possible to ride it. >> the only way to describe it is a recharge of the soul. >> i feel like these women get me. and i get them. and they give me hope. >> this weekend i found that i'm

normal. that i can have the emotional swings and not feel like a freak. >> she's showing us that we can still live. and that's saving lives. maybe we're not going to die from being sad, but we're not going to be living. >> there's thousands of widows out there. and i want them to be able to have what these women had these past weekend. and that's just the knowledge that i'm not alone. i'm going to get through this. and it's okay to smile. [ applause ] >> please join me in honoring cnn hero, taryn davis. [ applause ]

>> we must remember to honor our calling. even if it means embracing our most tragic circumstances. i believe that widowhood is a lifetime process, and when the war ends, our war is just beginning. the american widow project is a source of healing and hope to this generation. and heaven forbid, for generations to come. i love you, michael. [ applause ] coming up, a special musical performance from miley cyrus. and we reveal the 2011 cnn hero of the year. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money.

[ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. who need that can help lower cholesterol? imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need.

i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today.

well, unfortunately, a lot of people pay attention to the uniform, but they often forget about those who support us. i think the biggest thing is for

all of us that have a platform to go out there and say think of the spouses, the mothers, the fathers, the brother sisters, and show them support as well and she is doing an amazing job at this. >> i learned so much from you and j.r. as well. thank you both very much. an incredible night as you know. we are just moments away from announcing the hero of the year. first our final performer is back to salute all of our heroes with her song, "the climb." ♪ ♪ i can almost see it ♪ that dream i'm dreaming ♪ but there's a voice inside my head ♪ ♪ saying you'll never reach it ♪ every step i'm taking ♪ every move i'm make feels lost with no direction ♪

♪ my faith is shaking ♪ but i, i got to keep trying ♪ got to keep my head held high ♪ ♪ there's always going to be another mountain ♪ ♪ i'm always going to want to make it move ♪ ♪ it's always going be an uphill battle ♪ ♪ sometimes i'm going to have to lose ♪ ♪ it ain't about how fast i get there ♪ ♪ it ain't about what's waiting on the other side ♪ ♪ it's the climb ♪ the struggles i'm facing ♪ the chances i'm taking ♪ sometimes might knock me down ♪ ♪ but no i'm not breaking ♪ i may not know it ♪ but these are the moments that

i'm going to remember most ♪ ♪ just got to keep going ♪ and i ♪ i got to be strong ♪ just keep pushing on ♪ because there's always going to be another mountain ♪ ♪ i'm always going to want to make it move ♪ ♪ always going to be an uphill battle ♪ ♪ sometimes i'm going to have to lose ♪ ♪ ain't about how fast i get there ♪ ♪ it ain't about what's waiting on the other side ♪ ♪ it's the climb ♪ yeah ♪

♪ there's always going to be another mountain ♪ ♪ i'm always going to want to make it move ♪ ♪ always going be an uphill battle ♪ ♪ and sometimes i'm going to have to lose ♪ ♪ it ain't about how fast i get there ♪ ♪ it ain't about what's waiting on the other side ♪ ♪ it's the climb ♪ yeah ♪ keep on moving ♪ keep climbing ♪ keep the faith, baby ♪ ♪ it's all about ♪ it's all about the climb ♪ keep the faith

♪ keep your faith ♪ whoa [ applause ] >> miley cyrus. tonight we celebrated extraordinary men and women from around the wormd who have sacrificed for us all. it's time to present our final honor, hero of the year. more than 6 million votes have been cast by you at home. between grants and generous donations, more than $8 million is going straight to the hearts of our hero's missions. it makes a huge difference in their lives. we asked you to vote at cnnheroes.com.

all of them received an overwhelming amount of support. the one with the most votes will get an additional $250,000 to advance their important cause. and now, ladies and gentlemen, it's my great honor to announce the 2011 cnn hero of the year. the 2011 cnn hero of the year is robin limm. ♪

♪ [ applause ] >> today on our earth, 981 mothers in the prime of their life will die and tomorrow again and yesterday. and i'm asking you to help change that. we don't even know how many babies are lost, but all of us can help change that. the very best way that i know is to support your midwifery to mother care so that the mid wives can help lower the risks

of motherhood and we can save lives together, mothers and babies. thank you. [ applause ] [ cheers and applause ] >> i would like to invite all of our heroes back up on the stage to join robin. if all of our heros will come back up here. during the challenging times we are blessed to have these heros in our corner fighting for a better world. you can help aid them by donating. i hope tonight's hon rees have inspired you to take action in your own lives. you, too, can be somebody's hero. thank you very much and good night. [ applause ]