money being contributed here in angola have gone to 300,000 bed nets. they have saved close to a million lives. for $10 urks you can actually make a huge difference. malaria no more. the future is right here. larry: we re back with ryan, simon, ellen, randy and kara talking about idol gives back. five charity, and many people around the world are going to benefit. children s health funds, feeding america, malaria no more, save the children and the united nations foundation. you want more information? go to cnn.com/larryking. how did this idea start, ryan?
wednesday night on fox, five charities and many people around the world are going to benefit. children s health funds, feeding america, malaria no more, save the children and the united nations foundation. you want more information? go to cnn.com/larryking. how did this idea start, ryan? i think it was simon fuller s idea who created american idol. we ve done this now, this is our third time now doing the show. it s raised over $140 million for different charities in the u.s. and around the world, which i believe is more than any other television event. larry: how does it work, randy? basically we all go out to different areas and the charities we support with the show. the last year, we didn t do one because we felt it wasn t really right with the economy being where it was. so this year we brought it back. i think we re happy we brought it back. larry: you go and visit the people you help? i went down to mississippi and you saw kara in africa. simon went to arizona. i w
27 different shelters in 6 states. take as many books as you want. if one child finds the love of reading through books that i ve given them, then that will turn their life around entirely. i really think that reading can do that for someone. larry: mackenzie s given nearly 40,000 books to kids in 6 states. mackenzie, we applaud you. you re a terrific kid. got a hero of your own? nominate them at cnn.com/heroes. back with more of dr. laura after this.
these things are going to happen. larry, you have to think about it. these kids are taught by us to be nasty. i mean, even american idol you have judges that say nasty things to the people out there trying their best. we have reality television. what s the exciting part of reality television, when people are nasty to each other and it s mean. much of what you heard on radio, on television, on music and on the internet is all mean. we have raised our children to believe mean is the norm. we really shouldn t be surprised, but we have to stop it. larry: good point. as we know, not all teens behave badly. a case in point is our cnn hero of the week. a big-hearted bookworm who helps abused and homeless children. mackenzie lives with an agonizing and incurable disease but spends her time easing the pain of others by sharing her secret for relief. reading. she s only 16.
think everyone, it s time this project has touched their heart. it s made them feel passionate about tv, doing the job that it was invented for. i think we think it s a moment in time where actually it s not just a story, it really could be a revelation. if everyone watches the show and feels passionate and emotional about it, everyone watching can do something, can contribute. this show is not a spectator sport. i mean, i think good things can happen in the next three to six months. larry: well said. our cnn hero of the week is someone who s been here before. ann mallelm was honored back in 2008. for helping the homeless get back on her feet. now her program is nationwide. and this week we caught up with her in washington as she expands it to the nation s capital. cnn hero, ann mallelm. reporter: two years ago, ann mallelm was honored as a cnn