Lifestyle Spotlight

The Year of Sheltering Dangerously By Ben Fong-Torres

Posted by Ben Fong-Torres - on Wednesday, 31 March 2021

The Year of Sheltering Dangerously By Ben Fong-Torres
The Year of Sheltering Dangerously By Ben Fong-Torres   Well, hasn’t THIS been a fun 365? As we approached the anniversary of the shelter-in-place orders for the San Francisco Bay Area, on March 16, I thought of some of the changes we’ve been through.  In February, our calendar was packed with restaurant dinners and a large, loud gathering at Harbor Villa, saluting our friend, the civil rights attorney Dale Minami. And there was my 24th time as co-anchor of the...

CNN HEROES Honors Efren Penaflorida of The Phillipines and Budi Soehardi of Singapore

Posted by AC Team on Sunday, 17 January 2010.

With the massive humanitarian efforts underway in Haiti after the earthquake devastation, we are reminded and inspired that heroes are everywhere.

Here below is a list of heroes that were honored from more than 9,000 nominations at the third annual CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE.

Efren Penaflorida of The Phillipines and Budi Soehardi of Singapore are among the honorees at CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE.

With the massive humanitarian efforts underway in Haiti after the earthquake devastation, we are reminded and inspired that special people like Efren Penaflorida are working hard to make our world a better place.

Here below is a list of heroes that were honored from more than 9,000 nominations at the third annual CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE.

Press release from CNN:

Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis Perform at Third Annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute"

Celebrity Presenters, Performers Honor Everyday Citizens Changing the World

Hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, the third annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," honored everyday citizens who are making a difference in their communities and beyond.

Celebrities scheduled to present the awards included: Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Neil Patrick Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Randy Jackson and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

During the November 26 broadcast, the Top Ten Heroes will each be awarded $25,000, and CNN will reveal the CNN Hero of the Year, who will receive an additional $100,000.

The Blue Ribbon Panel judges included: Sir Elton John, Colin Powell, Mariane Pearl, Shakira, Wallis Annenberg, Tavis Smiley, Ted Turner, Tory Burch, Kirk Cameron, Whoopi Goldberg, Malaak Compton-Rock, Rossana Rosado, and Masi Oka. In its third year, the CNN HEROES initiative garnered a record number of nominations - over 9,000 - and a record number of online votes for CNN Hero of the Year, surpassing two million votes. The program aired globally on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2009.

THE 2009 CNN HEROES HONORED:

EFREN PENAFLORIDA,
THE PHILLIPINES:
Efren Peaflorida gives Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. His Dynamic Teen Company's 10,000 members have taught basic reading and writing to 1,500 kids living in the slums.

Getty reporter Palani Mohan writes for CNN: Efren Peaflorida's work in the slums of Cavite city in the Philippines. For the past 12 years, Peaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets. Their main tool: A pushcart classroom. Photos shows Efren and his volunteers conducting a class using books and computers at the "cemetery school."

BUDI SOEHARDI,
SINGAPORE:
Budi Soehardi founded a children's home in one of the poorest areas of Indonesia. Today, Roslin Orphanage in West Timor provides food, shelter and education to more than 45 children.

BRAD BLAUSER,
DALLAS, TEXAS:
Brad Blauser, currently residing in Baghdad, is providing hope and mobility to disabled children and their families in Iraq. Since 2005, his Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program has distributed nearly 650 free pediatric wheelchairs to children in need.

ROY FOSTER,
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA:
Army veteran Roy Foster started Stand Down House to help veterans struggling with addiction and homelessness in Florida. Since 2000, his program has provided life-changing services to nearly 900 veterans.

DOC HENDLEY,
BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA:
Bartender Doc Hendley is providing clean water to communities worldwide. Through creative fundraising, his nonprofit Wine to Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries.

ANDREA IVORY,
MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is bringing early detection to the doorsteps of uninsured women. With mobile mammography vans, her group has provided more than 500 free screenings.

BETTY MAKONI,
ESSEX, ENGLAND:
Zimbabwe native Betty Makoni founded the Girl Child Network to provide a haven for young victims of sexual abuse. The organization has rescued more than 35,000 girls since 2001.

JORGE MUNOZ,
QUEENS, NY:
School bus driver Jorge Munoz is helping hungry New Yorkers make it through tough times. Since 2004, he has handed out more than 70,000 meals from his mobile soup kitchen in Queens -- for free.

DERRICK TABB,
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA:
Derrick Tabb started The Roots of Music to give young people an alternative to New Orleans' streets. His music education program provides free tutoring, instruments and music instruction to more than 100 students.

JORDAN THOMAS,
CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE:
Jordan Thomas, 20, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.

This year's Blue Ribbon Panel includes retired Retired Gen. Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Turner, Shakira, Rosanna Rosado, Mariane Pearl, Malaak Compton-Rock, and Sir Elton John, among other humanitarians.