, oscar nominated-actress viola davis.hank you for coming tonight and thank you for participating with us. >> thank you. >> being one of our celebrity presenters. we were talking earlier, you were telling me, off long history with cnn heroes. this is an event you really hold dear to your heart. >> i do i find it really inspiring. it's -- you know, it's the one event that i feel that people who are kind of celebrated and kind of devoted and loved on are really deserving of it. >> yeah. it definitely is. and one of the things that cnn heroes prides itself on is telling those extraordinary stories of people just like you and me, every day people thought who are really making a difference. how does this differ, this night differ from all of these award shows that you've been to in hollywood? >> well, because we are really -- we are really elevating heroes. we are really elevating people who have stepped out of their lives and they are living for something bigger than themselves, a higher purpose. and in doing that, they are ch

thank you. [ applause ] >>> next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david spade.ive performance by phillip phillips. what do you got? restrained driver in a motor vehicle. sir, can you hear me? two, three. just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the house tonight. we are very glad that our cnn heroes family could be here with us. so thanks for being here. [ applause ] because of your support, they continue to do their life-changing work. now, let's go to our next honoree. nelson mandela said education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the word -- the world. but in afghanistan right now the taliban have destroyed hundreds of schools, especially targeting ones that are educating young women and young girls. our next hero has

thank you. [ applause ] >>> next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david spade. a live performance by phillip phillips. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. 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. (announcer) when subaru owners look in the mirror,e, they see more than themselves. so we celebrate our year-end with the "share the love" event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all. now through january 2nd. >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the hou

. >> announcer: next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david speed.ive performance by phillip phillips. the johnson & johnson's campaign for nursing future is proud to sponsor cnn heroes: an all-star tribute. [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, duhamel. why not make lunch more than just lunch? with two times the points on dining in restaurants, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy. >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the house tonight. we're very glad that our cnn heroes family could be here with us. so thanks for being here. because of your support, they continue to do their loi loi loif-changing work. now let's go to our next honoree. nelson mandela said education is the most powerful weapon you can use to chan

. >> announcer: next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david speed.ormance by phillip phillips. the johnson & johnson's campaign for nursing future is proud to sponsor cnn heroes: an all-star tribute. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. 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. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [

thank you. [ applause ] >>> next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david spade.ormance by phillip phillips. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. 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. this is america. we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. [ applause ] >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the house tonight. we are very glad that our cnn heroes family could be

please welcome a proud supporter in her central town, viola davis. . >> per let's remember this number. 32 million. that's how many girls around the world are deprived af a primary school of education every day. for too many they are denied this right simply because they are girls. note allowed to learn how to read and write, add and subtract, understand science and the stars. 32 million brilliant girls told they can't reach for the heavens. that's why a woman who embodies the word courage says not on my watch. we are going to change this. after she saw the towers fall on 9/11, she did just that. she returned to afghanistan to educate those girls and help rebuild her country. under looming threats and real danger, she opened the doors of the education center. today these students walk with their heads held high, determined to raise their voices after being silenced for too long. greeting them each day is rozia, helping each one dream and say loud and proud, i want to learn. >> i came to afghanistan and i saw mostly desperate girls. if you see the history, the women and girls have suffe

thank you. [ applause ] >>> next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david spade.ive performance by phillip phillips. 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. (announcer) when subaru owners look in the mirror,e, they see more than themselves. so we celebrate our year-end with the "share the love" event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all. now through january 2nd. [ applause ] >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the house tonight. we are very glad that our cnn heroes family could be here wi

thank you. [ applause ] >>> next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david spade.ive performance by phillip phillips. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. 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. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. when i take a picture of this check, it goes straight to the bank. oh. oh look the lion is out! no mommy no! don't worry honey, it only

thank you. [ applause ] >>> next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david spade.ive performance by phillip phillips. [ applause ] >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the house tonight. we are very glad that our cnn heroes family could be here with us. so thanks for being here. [ applause ] because of your support, they continue to do their life-changing work. 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. >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the house tonight. we are very glad that our cnn heroes family could be here with us. so thanks for being here. [ applause ] because of your support, they continue to do their l

thank you. [ applause ] >> announcer: next on cnn heroes, viola davis and david speed.e performance by phillip phillips. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. 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. by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. campbell's. restore revive rejuvenate rebuild rebuild rebuild >>> welcome back to cnn heroes. i want to take a moment to acknowledge 32 of our heroes of past years who are in the house tonight. we're very glad that our cnn heroes family could be here with us. so thanks for being here. because of your