Top 5 CNN Heroes 2025: Inspiring Stories of Compassion and Courage | Ukraine news
Five people are changing the world with their kindness, compassion, and courage – they have been named CNN 2025 Top 5 Heroes.
All of them were nominated by you and selected by CNN to receive a $10,000 prize each. Starting today at 12:00 PM Eastern Time you can vote at CNN.com/Heroes to determine who will become CNN’s next Hero of the Year and receive an additional $100,000 to continue their inspiring work.
The CNN Top 5 Heroes will receive a grant along with support from Elevate Prize Foundation – a global nonprofit dedicated to making philanthropy more visible and inspiring the world to act.
CNN has teamed up with Pledge, a fundraising platform, to provide funding for this year’s Heroes. Fans can learn more and make online donations to the Top 5 CNN Heroes’ nonprofit organizations directly from CNN.com/Heroes.
To learn who will be Hero of the Year, watch the 19th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates, which will air on Saturday, December 6 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
Here is a brief overview of this year’s CNN Top 5 Heroes:
Quilen Blackwell: A Chicago flower farm creating jobs in a high-poverty neighborhood
Near Englewood, a South Side neighborhood of Chicago, Blackwell noticed the challenges facing local youth. He moved there over ten years ago and has been developing opportunities for teens in this neighborhood.
His social enterprise Southside Blooms transforms vacant lots into ecological flower farms and employs 25 local young people to grow, arrange, and sell flowers in a nonprofit floral studio.
“This is about creating real, tangible opportunities in a place that desperately needs it. Our young people are thriving every day.”
Learn the full story of Quilen
“A Man’s Best Friend for a Reason”: This therapy helps first responders cope with chronic stress
In California, during the large-scale fires of 2020, Karman, along with a certified therapy dog named Kerith, made this their mission – to support firefighters on the front lines. This experience inspired the founding of First Responder Therapy Dogs.
Since 2021, her nonprofit has certified more than 500 therapy-dog pairs and reduced stress levels for more than 150,000 first responders in 46 states.
“We have helped so many people. I am grateful to Kerith for showing me the way.”
Learn Heidi’s full story
She feeds the hungry in Los Angeles: a remarkable source of food
The on-set production supervisor in Hollywood, Cohen, previously watched daily as food scraps from sets ended up in garbage heaps. She founded Every Day Action with colleagues.
The nonprofit coordinates volunteers and industry professionals to collect food from movie and TV sets and other businesses and deliver it to those in need. Since 2020, the team has rescued more than 270,000 meals – reducing hunger and waste.
“Giving food to those who are hungry is the best thing you can do. Now, more than ever, we need to help one another.”
Learn Hillary’s full story
“People just let their souls spill from their pens onto the paper”: how writing changes lives in prison
After a decade of crime reporting, Debra Vinzh became a volunteer in a prison, which inspired her to found the Indiana Prison Writers Workshop.
Her 12-week creative writing program provides inmates with a safe space to share stories, process trauma, and find community. Since 2018, the program has expanded to eight facilities in Indiana, Alabama, and Illinois, engaging more than 250 inmates.
“Learning their stories and origins puts everything in a new light. It has given my life meaning and purpose.”
Learn Debra’s full story
How this rescue group saves thousands of animals
In 2011, Tim founded Animal Rescue Corps to unite efforts to rescue a large number of animals from harsh conditions.
His organization mobilizes teams to rescue animals and give them a new life. To date they have helped save more than 10,000 animals from further suffering.
“My hope for animals is that they get the best life and forget where they came from.”
Learn Tim’s full story
