On Friday, December 12, 2014 there was a television program called CNN Heroes on CNN TV. CNN heroes are amazing people who contribute to the world extremely and make a difference in their communities. This all-star tribute comes once every year on CNN TV and it encourages us to make a difference in our communities by helping others in need. The top 10 CNN heroes selected all get a souvenir and 50,000 US dollars and later the host (Anderson Cooper) announces the CNN hero of the year who get an additional $100,000 to help contribute to his/her work that is doing. The audiences of the broadcast are encouraged to vote for the CNN hero of the year. There are also young wonders who are young CNN heroes, but they do not get an award. All candidates are introduced by celebrities during the broadcast. CNN heroes: All-star tribute’s original run was December 6, 2007. It originated in the United States of America and it runs for 120 minutes per episode. In total, they have had seven seasons of the broadcast.

The 2014 CNN heroes were Arthur Bloom of the USA, Jon Burns of the UK, Pen Farthing of the UK (CNN hero of the year 2014), Elimelech Goldberg of the USA, Leela Hazzah of Kenya, Patricia Kelly of the USA, Annette March-Grier of the USA, Ned Norton of the USA, Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes of Guatemala, and Dr. Wendy Ross of the USA. The young wonders were Lily Born, Maria Keller, and Joshua Williams.

  • Jon Burns started an organization that is called ‘Lions Raw” it helps to bring people to the world cup to watch soccer games and his organization helps to find local charities to help contribute to build homes for families in poverty.
  • Pen Farthing is a former royal marine sergeant and his organization helps to rescue dogs and cats in Afghanistan for serving soldiers around the world. They help to reunite dogs and cats with soldiers.
  • Leela Hazzah has an organization called ”Lion Guardians” who track lions and other carnivores, and they inform herders to avoid areas were they might have problems. If people lose their livestock’s they help them retrieve them. They preserve the lion population in Kenya.
  • Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg started a program that provides class to children who are sick to teach them the martial arts to make them feel powerful. They use martial arts as a way to achieve meditation, relaxation to allow students to attain these tools to defeat the fear and anger that pain has.
  • Annette March-Grier started a program to provide children a safe place and security to recover from the deaths of their love ones. It helps children explore their feelings and it helps bring families back together.
  • Patricia Kelly has an organization uses horses as a hook to keep at risk youth children off the street in her hometown. It helps them achieve pride, esteem, and healing. It helps children Know that they are the center of their environment.
  • Arthur Bloom is a professional musician that helps injured troops at Walter Reed Medical Center through the healing power of music. He even started a band with six injured soldiers.
  • Ned Norton has provided strength, conditioning, and training for many people with disabilities for the last 25 years. He does not worry of what they cannot do; he worries of what they can do.
  • Dr. Wendy Ross helps families with autistic children navigate the challenge of public setting. For example, she helps autistic children go to a baseball game without the autistic children getting scared. She provided storybooks of experiences that may happen at the baseball game for the autistic children.
  • Juan Pablo Romero Fuentes turned his family’s home into a refuge for young people to provide educational opportunities and support. His organization has helped more than one thousand children.

In conclusion, this list of people is doing an amazing job to benefit the world. From this TV broadcast you can learn to make a difference in your community to help others in need.

Josiah Damian