evening. i'm jim acosta. have a good night. meantime, celebrities helping make the world a better place coming up next. have a good night. >> tonony y hawk provividing underresourced showing safe places to skate and connect. >> the best thing i could do is provide more state parks. >> soccer superstar alex morgan bringing opportunities to girls on and off the fieield. >> i i'm so happppy to be hehere . ♪ this is "cnn heroes: sharing the spotlight." i'm anderson cooper. for 17 years we've recognized hundreds of impressive individuals as cnn heroes. these passionate men and women work tirelessly, often without a lot of money or attention, to solve problems that they see in their communities. tomorrow night we're going to be honoring the top ten cnn heroes of 2023 and naming a new cnn hero of the year on "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute" from the museum of natural history in new york. tonight we're doing something different. for the next hour, we're going to share the stories of sports figures who are channeling their energy into solving problems they see in the world. whether working to improve childhood literacy or connect kids in foster care with an adult they can count on. they're using their access and power to help those in need. kicking us off is iconic skateboarder tony hawk. pioneer, modern skater, his gravity defying moves inspired generations of skaters, earning him the nickname the bird man. for more than two decades he's given others the opportunity to fly through his nonprofit, a skate park project with his help, millions now have a safe place to practice and share their passion for skateboarding. coy wire caught up with hawk to find out how his work helps others soar. tony hawk is the face of skateboarding. a world champion for 12 years in a row, winner of 73 titles, inventntor of dodozens of skateboardrding moves.s. he turned pro o at agege 14, an within two years he was considered one of the best competitive skaters on earth. before his media york rise, he -- meteoric rise, he was an energetic 9-year-old who needed an o outlet, something he foundn skateboarding. >> it spoke to me in a wayay th other acactivities a and sports didn't. it just fefelt like thisis open book, and that you couldld do i in anyny fashionon, in any styl yoyou didn't h have to r rely o team, , didn't havave to listeta coacach. and ththere was definitely a daredevil aspect that was probably rose to the top for me because i was kind a daredevil kid even though i was pretty scrawny. the first time i went to a a ske park i i saw peoplple flyiying poolols. i was s like, ththat's for me. i wawant to do thahat t at alll. > how a about accesessibilit you were first getting out andn trying t to do this ththing you loveved to do?o? >> thehere were vevery few facilitities. and d i got very l lucky i in t was from san diego, anand one o ththe last skakate parks in the. was in san diego. >> del mar. >> del mar, that was my home away from home. at some point i figured out which bus route from school went closest to the skate park so i didn't have to go home first. i just spepent all my y not wak moments inin school and that place. it wasn't just about the training grounds of it. it was more the community of it. like i fouound my peoplele. i founund my t tribe there. and i found my support group. that was my salvation. > reporter:r: after goioing totony realilized how lulucky h. many kidids arouound thehe coun didn't have access to a skate park. so they resorted to skating in public areas where they wewere often n viewed as a nuisisance.. tonyny wanted toto helelp give place of their own w where they could skate legally and safelyl. >> so when i hadad some e sort susuccess or a a voice t that k resonateted beyond skateboardin the best thing i could do with it, i thought, was to provide more skate parks. >> tony, right herere. >> reporteter: in 2002 he found the tony hawk foundation, now known as the skate park project. since then his nonprofit has granted almomost $13 milillion help build nearly 700 skate parks in all 5 50 states. more than nine million visitors annually have e a sasafe place skate bebecause of tony's effor. >> thehe mission is to p provid more s skate parksks in ununder areas,s, and to prprovide that salvation n and that s sense of belongining and community to ki who feel disenfranchised and kids whoho h have found a sporte skateboardrding but don't havev ananywhere to do it. that is dedesignated. itit's been ththe most r reward thing i i could dodo with my success.s. >> reporter: you've helped fund projecects for skate parks in rural areas, on nanative amerir rereservationsns, inner cicitie. why is thahat imimportant toto offefer such diversese g groups communities? >> i think skateboarding in and of i itself is o one o of the m inclususive acactivities that'sr exisisted, espececially now.w. and d i think this is whwhat is unique abobout skateboarding. if you g go to in i i skate par any skskate park r right now, t are momost likely peoplele of a races, allll gendeders, all l a all enenjoying it equally, and someme of the best in the world willll be there e with absbsolu beginners.s. i can't t think of a any other t whwhere that collectivive exist. to be able to provide more of ththose facilitities to places kids w who maybe would havave n had accecess to sosomething g l that, esespecially i inner c ci indigenousus lands, ththat's th bestst thing we cacan do with i. i i mean, ththe cities thahat c afford thehese f facilities and more affffluent areaeas, for t mostst part theyey're taken n c. you u know, we c can help p guim soso that we c can help the des prprocess betttter, but our eff are muchch more e to underprivid areas. >> reporter: y you recentltly created a fellowowship progrgra. tell me e a littlele a about th. >> w we wanted t to hehelp -- i wawant to say kids, i'i'm alleg so, 18 to o 24 -- >> reporteter: kid at t heart. >> i havave kidsds that age. but yoyouth to advocate for ska parks in their area and d to he with the desesign process. we have e a trainingng program, it's b been hugelyly effffectiv becaususe they a are o on the g. they'r're right therere in that cicity. we c can sit herere e in califo and d go, oh, it would be greato have a a skate park this that tn and that towown, andnd let's tao the city c council memembers. these fefellows are on the gror in that area knowiwing exactlyl what it't's going to take, and it's way more effective that way and way more e efficient. it's impmportant to include e b fellows s because ththat is s t ststate of skateboboarding. it's hugelely diverse.e. we w want to havave e everyone represented. and have it be very inclusive. and to be someone that you can identify with. and so i'm really proud d of th program. >> reporteter: what's the wilde trtrick you evever p pulled off? >> probabably the railil bacack. >> repororter: i metet up witht of t the fellowsws at the hihis skatate papark i in n atlanta a part b by tony's nonprofofit. 2424-year-old jordanan patteter currenently learnining how to o, advocacate, and crcreate prograg fofor skate paparks in his commununity. what have skate e parks memeant you in y your r liv? >> i i always founund d a skata as someone thahat i -- s somewh thatat i w wanted to be atat, , to grow w up at.t. >> reporteter: what hahas the s park p project felellowship prp memeant to you?? >> i wasas excitited t to see i mamake the chahange that i wanto see in morore skskate parks bei developed. i've got a lot out of the fellowshship. >> r reporter: t the fellowsws flflown to san d diego f for tr and to visit other parksks arou the countrtry. >> thihink about h how thihis f with eveverything elsese -- >> repeporter: soon, jordan hop to worork k with thehe localal governmentnt to o create more p acrossss atlanta. hehe's alreadydy got a vision os perfrfect skate e park.. >> havining g it offset t from l is notot too loud.d. not goining to cut d down trees. being susustainable.e. definitetely having g public trt so we can get toto it, whehethe people w walking, train, bikike haveve multiple e ways of f get therere e beside a car.. i fefeel it's a grgrowing sporo especialally in atlantnta. to m make e sure we hahave acce. >> reporter: as sosomeone who adadvocates fofor skate parks, what's s something thahat you w others to knowow abobout these spaces? >> really y the frfriendships y can dedevelop herere. like i it's not t just a skatet spspace. it's's where you can m meet t p you can n develop as a pererson. nonot about reallyly like your r or w whatever you'rere i into. you can just come and skatate. >> reporteter: while tony's foundation is working to train the next generation of skate park advocates, he's not done yet. the bird man has big plans ahead. >> i feeeel like we e are in a striride witith our founundatio withth our projejects, and w we gigiven away o over $1$11 milli the lastst 20 0 yearars. more imporortantly, that money s gone to raisise much more in matching funds and other donations. and i feel like there arare sti plenty of f towns that couould benefifit from a skakate park, plenty o of indidigenous c comms that couould benefitit frorom m park. bubut i think what's next t in s of the more e lofty y goals is internatational facicilities.. > an absolulute legend on a skateboard a and doing so much r communities across the country and the world. what do you want your legacycy be? >> i hope someone that raised the profile of skateboboarding as many y ways as popossible.. more i importantlyly, , provide facililities for k kids to do od not feel left out. >> tony hawk's organization says they plan to expand internationally next year. if you want to donate to the skate park project, go to cnnheroes.com. join us s tomorrow nightht f fo heroes: : an allll-star trtribu lilive at 8:8:00 p.m. eaststern. next, sosoccer s superstar morgan s shares how she'e's s g girls the e opportunitities the deserve.e. >> thihis empowermenent camp wa helping girls understand what they're capable of and using sport as a vehicle for that. later, gymnastics legend simone biles is on a mission to help vulnerable young people rise above their challenges. nice footwork. man, you're lucky, watching live sports never used to be this easy. now you can stream all your games like it's nothing. yes! [ cheers ] yeah! woho! running up and down that field looks tough. it's a pitch. get way more into what you're into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. she's been a fierce advocate for women's rights and gender equity. and she decided to channel that passion into a fond profferity of her own. -- nonprofit of her own. erica hill found out how she's helping empower women and girls on and off the field. >> reporter: alex morgan is one of the most celebrated players in women's soccer history. a two-timeme world c cup champi and olympic gold medalist, she is the highest paid female player in the game today. her impact transcends soccer. she's also a children's book auththor, entrepreneneur, and ss icon who in 2022 had more endorsement deals than any other female athlete in the world. she's also a fierce advocate for women and girls, both on and off the field. the passion that recently inspired her to start her own charity in her hometown of san diego.o. earlier r you started the alexe morgan fououndation. tell me ababout that. whwhat's the focus? >> s sports equiuity is a bibig. growing coconfidence and opportunities s for girls s and giving supupport to moms, especialally new moms. > reporter:r: i was strtruck that lasast one.e. support for moms. >> the mom piece i was really passionate about having a 3-year-old daughter. >> mommy -- >> i think the burdeden fafalls the mom m a lot more in a famil and so i wanted to provide as much support as possible. >> repororter: her f foundation papartnered wiwith a local nonpt to support their work helping low-income women become community advocates. alex has also teamed one nike to provide essential kits to new mothers. >> thank you, alex. >> i think with a lot t of momo sometitimes all ththey need d i little e extra suppoport here o there e to help their family an help themselves, too. >> reporter: also, here you are as a working mom, right? >> it is so truly difficult. so lending any support i want to prprovide thatat to o other mom. >> repororter: it's not just mo. alex has long been focused on creating more opportunities for girls. [ cheers ] one of her newest efforts, alex's home break, brings girls' soccer teams to see her professional team, the san diego wave, play in person. >> defefense! >> some e of them haven't had a opportunity to come watch a a profofessional women's's soccere inin a packed stadium. something i think like changes when you go to that first game. >> reporter: it's also an experience that alex didn't have in her early years. [ cheers ] when you were 7 you said you wanted to be a profefessional soccer player.r. you didndn't have e necessarili alex morgagan toto look upup to that point. now young girls can point to you and say, that's exactly what i want to do when i grow up. >> when i was 7 years old, i i couldn't turn on tv and see women's soccer let alone women's sports. >> reporter: that changed in 1999 when 10-year-old alex watched u.s. women's national team win the women's world cup. >> i was just completely inspired by that. [ chants ] i knew that was s my callingng, that's whahat i wawanted to dod. i was so competitive, and it just brought something out of me. >> reporter: ultimatately, theh drive e and tatalent made alex morgan one of the most successful female players in the sport. in 2015 she helped the u.s. women win the world cup once again in a final that was, at the time, the most-watched soccer game in u.s. history. [ chants ] the victory helped usher in a new era for women's sports. the u.s. -- >> you guys are the best. honestly the best in the world. you guys are j just t awesome. >> reporter: last june, alex's group p partnered d with anothe lolocal nonprorofit, let's g go bay, to host a girls empowerment camp foror young sococcer playe. >> the bigiggest reasoson why i so excited was that it wasn't all jujust about s soccer. it was also just getting in groups and talking through really difficult things. mental health, situations at home, hohow sport can giveve yo confidence, opportunity, a sense of communinity. i i really l leaned onon spoporg up to provide soso much more t me, anand i knknow that this empowewerment campmp was helpin them undererstand d what thehey actutually capapable of and usi sporort as a vehicle for that.t. >> r reporter: 13-yearar-old ni was thrilled to be a part of it. >> i've been playing soccer since i was 3 yeyears old.d. for as lonong as i c can rememb alex morgan's beenen my idol. and d you know, she's a huge inspiriration to g girls likike. not ononly o on ththe fifield b the field. she'e's suppororting girls in spororts. it w was great t to o hang out girls who stand for the same thing i stand for and admire alex just as much. >> reporter: and even though alex was away at the world cup -- >> i'm so happy to be here. >> reporter: -- she zoomed in fofor a virtuaual visisit. > it was a breathtataking mo. i i was s freaking out, fan gir a little bit. >> reporter: nina's experience at the camp also inspired her to make a difference. as a girl scout, nina is working on a project about girls and sports and wants t to helplp le the playing field for all femame athletetes. >> everyrybody, alexex morgan. [ cheers ] >> reporter: in october, at the alex morgan foundation's celebration of confidence event, nina was honored with a leadership award. she finally got to meet her idol and is excited to help alex continue to advocate for girirl. >> empowermement in this case means supporting girls and having them fight for what they believe in. >> reporter: girls like nina helped motivate alex to take on her biggest fight -- a battle against the u.s. soccer federation for equal pay. the women's national team had always been paid substantially less than the men's team for international play despite all of their wins. alex and other team leaders first filed a complaint in 2016 followed by a lawsuit. when the u.s. team won the women's world cup again in 2019, the crowd voiced their support. [ chants ] finally in 2022, the end of a six-year-long legal battle, equal rate of pay going forward, that includes lucrative world cup bonuses. [ cheers ] that $24 million settlement was a victory for the team and for all women. >> i've always played team sportsts. i completetely buy into the ide that you can do so much more together than alone. as much as i can continue using my voice a and my platatform t speak out for women in situations where they are didiscriminateted against,t, i o so. rarainbows arere like my favavo. >> me, too. > reporter:r: alex hopes heh foundatition will enenable her o even more e in t the y years to helping to build an equitable future for all women and girls, including her 3-year-old dadaughter, charlie. how has s being charlie's s mom changed your focus? >> i want to create the best future possible for her. i want her to be able to be proud of her mom. i i want herer t to know t that has reallyly chahanged a lot of lives for the better. and i think that i'm on the right path. in the coming years, alex morgan hopes to expand her work to reach girls and women nationwide. if you want to support her efforts, go to cnnheroes.com. and join me tomorrow for the 17th annual "cnn heroes: an all-starar tributete" lilive on. coming up -- >> ready f for a ridide? >> he e helped make nascar paraf popular culture.e. > stop p -- jeff! >> how he's now steering cancer research in new directions. anand later, gymnastics ico simone biles shares her deeply personal reasons for helping kids in the foster care system. welcome back. nearly 10,000 american kids are diagnosed with cancer each year. the impact of the disease is devastating. while survival rates have improved in recent decades, many of the treatments that help these kids survive can lead to health problems later in life. when nascar legend jeff gordon watched a close friend's young son battle cancer the experience moved him deeply and propelled him to take action. alisyn camerota caught up with gordon to find out how he's driving new research to find better options for kids with cancer. >> reporter: legendary nascar hall of famer jeff gordon took the race car world mainstream in the 1990s, becoming a household name. what's less well-known about this four-time nascar cup series champion and three-time daytona 500 winner is his dededication findnding cures for childhood cancers. what statarted y your connectit pepediatric cancer? >> yeah, it sort of began here, here at hendryk motor sports. my crew chief at the time, we were both young and new to nascar. his son was diagnosed with leukemia at 1-year-old. it was just a shock toto him, shock k to e everybody. anand it was thehe firstst timi that hadad really y hit home fo somebobody close t to meme.. thatat was 1993. in 199999 i decideded to start own foundation and really focus everythingng on pepediatric can. >> reporter: most of gordon's financial l contributitions go toward resesearch. > that kindnd of goes back t racing for me. you know, my experience as being a part of a race team is when we go and find ways to make the car go faster, find ways to win raraces -- [ [ cheers ] -- find d ways t to get anan edr our cocompetition,n, it's usual through research and development. when i go into a lab and i'm around researchers, it remind me of t these engineers that are finding and seararching and creatingng ways toto revolution hohow we look k at cancer and d better l long-term t treatments it. and so i've seen the resulults that on the racece t track, anae seenen the resulults of f it in reresearch lab, , as well. > this s onone. > is th