October 8, 2008 - Top Ten CNN Hereos

This morning CNN’s Anderson Cooper announced that I was selected along with nine other people by a blue ribbon panel as a finalist for CNN’s Hero of the Year 2008! It was exciting because I was a bit nervous, not knowing if I would make it to the top ten or not. I knew that if I made it to the top ten the exposure would be great for the team!

For the last year and a half, I have fully paid for this operation myself, and I’m at the point where I have completely exhausted my financial resources. The only way I can continue the work of the team is to start a non-profit, and this exposure will help get it off the ground. Funding is needed for the 2009 storm season, and I’m hoping this endorsement from the most trusted name in news will help us with that.

Being in the top ten means I and nine other honorees will be saluted during the 'CNN HEROES All-Star Tribute' to be broadcast on the global networks of CNN on Thanksgiving night, Thursday, November 27th.

The Blue Ribbon Panel of judges that chose us included: Queen Rania Al Abdullah, founder of the Jordan River Foundation; Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, founder and chair of This World: The Jewish Values Network; Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Unite, the not-for-profit foundation of Virgin Group; Deepak Chopra, doctor, philosopher, author and speaker; Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute; Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; Earvin “Magic” Johnson, founder and chairman of the Magic Johnson Foundation; George Lopez, comedian, actor and founder of The George & Ann Lopez-Richie Alarcon CARE Foundation; Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute and co-founder and president of the Millennium Promise Alliance; Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu; Kristi Yamaguchi, founder of The Always Dream Foundation; and Holly Robinson Peete, activist and advocate through the HollyRod Foundation.

The public will be able to vote and select the “CNN Hero of the Year” via voting at the CNN Heroes site from now through Wednesday, Nov. 19. At the November gala, CNN will honor the 10 heroes and reveal the CNN Hero of the Year, who will receive an additional $100,000. In its second year, the multiplatform initiative received nearly 4,000 submissions from 75 countries. So in other words…please vote for me. The team could really use the money!