Who will be the next CNN Hero of the Year? Get to know the Top 5

EDITOR’S NOTE: Top 5 CNN Heroes to be honored at the 20th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute hosted by Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates

These five people are making the world a better place with their kindness, compassion, and courage. They are the Top 5 CNN Heroes of 2026, a group of everyday people who saw problems and found unique ways to help solve them.

They were all nominated by you – our audience – and selected by CNN to each receive a $10,000 prize. And starting today, you can vote at CNN.com/Heroes to help decide who will be the next CNN Hero of the Year and receive an additional $100,000 to continue their inspiring work.

The Top 5 CNN Heroes will receive a grant along with organizational and capacity-building support from The Elevate Prize Foundation, a global nonprofit on a mission to Make Good Famous, committed to bringing visibility to the work of changemakers and inspiring the world.

CNN has once again teamed up with Pledge, the award-winning fundraising platform trusted by millions, to power giving for this year’s Heroes. Supporters can learn more and donate directly to the Top 5 CNN Heroes’ nonprofits from CNN.com/Heroes .

To find out who is named Hero of the Year, watch the 20th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates, airing on Saturday, December 5, at 8 p.m. ET.

Here’s a look at this year’s Top 5 CNN Heroes:

Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, he endured homelessness and food insecurity – often waiting for hours in line at food pantries. Since 2020, the US Navy veteran has made it his mission to fight food insecurity in his hometown with a new approach.

His nonprofit, Dion’s Chicago Dream , employs dozens of community members who deliver more than 80,000 pounds of free, fresh produce to thousands of households every week all over the city – helping recipients live healthier, less stressful lives.

“We’re the Dream Team. It’s about giving your community the best possible chance to succeed.”

Read Dion’s full story

As Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka has devoted her life to protecting the endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. When she realized their survival was intertwined with the conditions in local communities, she founded her nonprofit, Conservation Through Public Health .

Since 2003, her organization’s health and economic initiatives have educated and empowered more than 10,000 households, and the area’s gorilla population has grown by more than 50 percent.

“I always get very excited when I hear that a baby mountain gorilla has been born. As long as the communities see the gorillas as their future, the numbers are going to keep growing.”

Read Gladys’ full story

While volunteering at homeless shelters, Andrew Lunetta quickly learned that people weren’t failing at housing; housing was failing them. That insight led him to start A Tiny Home for Good , which helps people experiencing homelessness rebuild their lives with stability, dignity, and ongoing support.

Based in Syracuse, New York, the organization has built 23 tiny homes and refurbished more than a dozen others, housing 47 tenants in permanent, supportive homes paired with long-term case management.

“For my tenants, I want a sense of stability and I want connection. If our tenants are afforded both those things, then I’m doing my job.”

Read Andrew’s full story

Caring for a stray cat and its kittens in her backyard opened her eyes to the overwhelming number of community cats in need in Southern California. The experience sparked her mission to provide a lifeline for street cats and co-found her nonprofit, Cats of San Bernardino .

Today, her organization leads trap-neuter-return efforts; feeds established colonies; rescues and provides medical care for high-need cats; and has placed roughly 2,000 cats and kittens into homes.

“They give me a sense of purpose. I see cats like I see people. They all have different personalities. They all have worth.”

Read Jaina’s full story

An industrial engineer, Francisco ‘Kiko’ Trujillo saw first-hand the barriers facing people with disabilities in poverty-stricken areas along the US-Mexico border. Born and raised in Nogales, Mexico, he co-founded Arizona Sonora Border Projects for Inclusion , known as ARSOBO.

The group empowers low-income families through custom wheelchairs, prosthetics, hearing devices, and rehabilitation programs while also employing disabled individuals. To date, ARSOBO has served nearly 3,500 people with disabilities.

“We are changing the lives of not just the patient, but the entire family.”

Read Kiko’s full story

编者按：CNN五大英雄将在由安德森·库珀和劳拉·科茨主持的第20届年度“CNN英雄：全明星致敬”活动中受到表彰。

这五位人士以他们的善良、同情心和勇气让世界变得更美好。他们是2026年CNN评选出的五位杰出英雄，一群平凡人，他们发现问题并找到了独特的解决方案。

他们全部由你们——我们的观众——提名，并由 CNN 选出，每人获得 1 万美元奖金。从今天开始，您可以登录 CNN.com/Heroes 投票，帮助选出下一位 CNN 年度英雄，并获得额外的 10 万美元奖金，以支持他们继续开展鼓舞人心的工作。

CNN 五大英雄将获得来自 Elevate Prize 基金会的资助，以及组织和能力建设方面的支持。Elevate Prize 基金会是一个全球性非营利组织，其使命是让善行广为人知，致力于让变革者的工作为世人所知，并激励世界。

CNN再次携手屡获殊荣、深受数百万用户信赖的筹款平台Pledge，为今年的“英雄”们筹集善款。支持者们可以访问CNN.com/Heroes了解更多信息，并直接向CNN评选出的五大“英雄”非营利组织捐款。

想知道谁将获得年度英雄称号，请收看由安德森·库珀和劳拉·科茨主持的第 20 届 CNN 英雄：全明星致敬节目，该节目将于美国东部时间 12 月 5 日星期六晚上 8 点播出。

以下是今年CNN评选出的五大英雄：

他在芝加哥南区长大，曾饱受无家可归和食物短缺的困扰——经常要在食物救济站排几个小时的队。自2020年以来，这位美国海军退伍军人致力于用一种全新的方式解决家乡的食物短缺问题。

他的非营利组织“迪翁的芝加哥之梦”雇佣了数十名社区成员，每周向全市数千户家庭免费运送超过 80,000 磅的新鲜农产品，帮助受助者过上更健康、压力更小的生活。

“我们是梦之队。我们的目标是为社区提供最佳的成功机会。”

阅读迪翁的完整故事

作为乌干达首位野生动物兽医，格拉迪斯·卡莱马-齐库索卡博士毕生致力于保护布温迪禁猎区濒危的山地大猩猩。当她意识到大猩猩的生存与当地社区的状况息息相关时，她创立了非营利组织“通过公共卫生进行保护”。

自 2003 年以来，她所在的组织的健康和经济举措已经教育和赋能了 10,000 多个家庭，该地区的大猩猩数量增长了 50% 以上。

“每次听到有小山地大猩猩出生，我都非常兴奋。只要当地社区把大猩猩视为他们的未来，它们的数量就会持续增长。”

阅读格拉迪斯的完整故事

在流浪者收容所做义工期间，安德鲁·卢内塔很快意识到，并非人们在住房方面存在问题，而是住房辜负了他们。正是这种认识促使他创办了“美好小家”（A Tiny Home for Good）项目，旨在帮助无家可归者重建生活，让他们拥有稳定、有尊严的生活，并获得持续的支持。

该组织总部位于纽约州锡拉丘兹，已建造了 23 栋微型房屋，并翻新了十几栋其他房屋，为 47 名租户提供了永久性的支持性住房，并辅以长期个案管理。

“对于我的租户，我希望他们感到稳定，也希望他们与我保持联系。如果我的租户能够获得这两点，那我就尽到了我的职责。”

阅读安德鲁的完整故事

在她家后院照顾一只流浪猫和它的小猫，让她意识到南加州有大量流浪猫需要帮助。这段经历激发了她为流浪猫提供救助的使命感，并促使她与他人共同创立了非营利组织“圣贝纳迪诺猫咪救助中心”。

如今，她的组织领导着诱捕-绝育-放归工作；喂养已建立的猫群；救助并为需要高度护理的猫提供医疗服务；并已为大约 2000 只猫和小猫找到了新家。

“它们给了我一种使命感。我看待猫就像看待人一样。它们都有不同的性格，也都有各自的价值。”

阅读贾娜的完整故事

工业工程师弗朗西斯科·“基科”·特鲁希略亲眼目睹了美国-墨西哥边境贫困地区残疾人面临的种种障碍。他出生于墨西哥诺加莱斯，并在那里长大，后来与人共同创立了亚利桑那-索诺拉边境包容性项目（Arizona Sonora Border Projects for Inclusion，简称ARSOBO）。

该组织通过定制轮椅、假肢、助听设备和康复项目，帮助低收入家庭，同时还为残疾人士提供就业机会。迄今为止，ARSOBO 已为近 3500 名残疾人士提供服务。

“我们不仅改变了患者的生活，也改变了整个家庭的生活。”

阅读Kiko的完整故事