CNN 2010 Hero Awards.....A Must Read!

 I lucked out on Sunday evening when I was able to watch this show on T.V. ....It is a show where thousands have been nominated as heroes and ten are chosen. They had the most inspiring stories I had ever heard, and I can only admire these people. What struck me the most is that these were all down to earth people, they looked like you and me. From watching the show it is the smallest things that can change a world, save a life,

feed a hungry individual, give light for thousands to read by so they have educations. If after seeing the show, I can not imagine one person not feeling empowered that they too can make a difference and change the world.

The below information was found in the India Journal on Wikepedia

Anuradha Koirala Named ‘CNN Hero’       Date Submitted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 LOS ANGELES, CA - In a star-studded ceremony on Nov. 20 at The Shrine Auditorium, here, Anuradha Koirala was named the ‘2010 CNN Hero of the Year’, after nearly two million votes were cast at CNNHeroes.com. Actress Demi Moore introduced Anuradha Koirala as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes; host Anderson Cooper announced Koirala as the CNN Hero of the Year at the end of the evening, after a powerful performance by Grammy Award-winning band Sugarland. Each Top 10 CNN Hero received $25,000, and Koirala’s organization, Maiti Nepal, will receive an additional $100,000. Anuradha Koirala is fighting to prevent the trafficking and sexual exploitation of Nepal’s women and girls.   Her group, Maiti Nepal,has facilities throughout Nepal and India, with its main campus in Kathmandu.  Roughly translated, Maiti means “Mother’s Home.”  By raiding brothels, patrolling the India-Nepal border and providing safe shelter and support services, Koirala and Maiti Nepal have helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 12,000 Nepali women and girls since 1993.     Koirala was voted CNN Hero of the Year from among the Top 10 CNN Heroes, who were all honored at the event. Celebrity presenters included Halle Berry, Kid Rock, Renee Zellweger, Jessica Alba, Marisa Tomei, Gerard Butler, Kiefer Sutherland, Aaron Eckhart, and LL COOL J. Bon Jovi, Sugarland and John Legend featuring Common & Melanie Fiona each performed. Now in its fourth year, CNN Heroes is a multiplatform campaign that shines a spotlight on individuals who go to extraordinary lengths to serve others; in 2010, the campaign received over 10,000 submissions from more than 100 countries. The Top 10 CNN Heroes were selected by an esteemed Blue Ribbon Panel, which included, Muhammad Ali, Ela Bhatt, Sir Richard Branson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Ricky Martin among other humanitarians.       “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming  obstacles.”By Christopher Reeve “A boy doesn't have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn't like pie when he sees there isn't enough to go around”by Edgar Watson Howe. The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010 (in alphabetical order): Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega of Juarez, Mexico Susan Burton of California, USA Linda Fondren of Mississippi, USA Anuradha Koirala of Kathmandu, Nepal : 2010 CNN Hero of the year[1] Narayanan Krishnan of Madurai, India Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow of Scotland, UK Harmon Parker of Kenya, Africa Aki Ra of Cambodia Evans Wadongo of Kenya, Africa Dan Wallrath of Texas, USA Please go through the list, you will be inspired by each and everyone of them, so often we read of the hardships and they can be overwhelming, so it is wonderful to see the stories and feel a renewed hope

A Hero

A lady reaches out to save the children

from the harsh reality of prostitution,

a man destroys the minefields,

that he and other children were taught to assemble,

his reality is the necessity within him to save another life,

so far he has dismantled over fifty thousand,

A man sees veterans coming home from war,

he does what he can by building homes so that they can have a better life,

It is because of these men and women that he is free,

Another man goes against his culture

by taking care of the poor, the hungry, the sick,

He even hand feeds some of them,

and knows that everyone needs love.

Another lady fights to save people from obesity,

to give guidance and better understanding,

another man distributes 14,000 lights to homes

so children can read and do their homework,

so they can have a better life,

Another man builds bridges for safety

so people are not swept under water when the rivers run high,

Another woman cares for the sick in the hospitals

helping to change a country,

another man, another woman,

another child,

just one moment,

when one acts,

another hero

has awoken.

Hope

continues,

everlasting.

....

written by:

Cinner