heroes who have dedicated their lives to helping people in need. none of them wear a spandex leotard or cape, at least not while working, not that i'm aware of, but they are true heroes. we are live tonight in los angeles and around the world and we have a group of famous folks joining us tonight. they've generously given their time to share our hero stories with you. some have journeyed to see our honorees. jerry seinfeld, will.i.am. he went to meet one of our heros in wisconsin. my colleague dr. sanjay gupta is streaming live all night with our presenters and honorees. also ice cube, laura dern, christie turlington who went to indonesia. to learn more about one of our heros. if you would like to share these amazing stories with your friends, follow us on facebook, on twitter, use hash tag cnn heroes to bring more attention to these important issues. as i said, we are live tonight. i promise i'll try very hard not to giggle. >> i laugh like a 13-year-old girl meeting justin bieber for the first time. i admit it. it's very sad. george lopez is here to tell us how you can be a hometown hero and kurt warner will present an honoree who moved him so much that he went into the heart of texas to meet with him. if hearing these stories, you feel inspired to help, you can donate to any of our top ten cnn heroes. go to cnn.com. we'll be recognizing young wonders, kids making a difference. introduced by emma roberts, chris colfer, as well as miley cyrus. another special kid is here, he'll raise his voice with a fitting song for the show, the one and only kid rock. and if there's time left at the end of the night, i can't -- i choreographed a personally have choreographed a hip-hop dance routine to john lennon's "imagine," which i'm very excited about. my mom said, quote, it's off the hook. it gets cut for time every year. i hope this year is different. it's the fifth anniversary of cnn heroes, the impact of our shows has made a huge difference. since we began our heroes have worked in 77 different countries. they have helped hundreds of thousands of people and received more than $6 million from you at home to help them continue their selfless work. this evening we celebrate five incredible years of cnn heroes. tonight we gather to honor the best that america has to offer. >> heroes walk among us and we applaud their stories. >> toiling in obscurity but they deserve our recognition and our help. >> redemption is beautiful, dangerous, never-ending work. and a hero never fears it. >> every day this woman confronts the worst of what humanity has to offer. >> he is my hero because one day he rolled the window down and asked, are you hungry? >> last year i was in the heart of a war zone watching this show. and i can't believe that one year later, i'm standing on the stage. >> cnn heroes program totally blew the roof off of what we were able to do beforehand. we made the same in one month that we made in the entire year previous. >> since i've been recognized as a cnn hero my team has grown. brought in millions of dollars of equipment. you guys are fantastic. couldn't have done it without you. >> each person has a hidden hero within. >> a simple thing can change lives. and that's what heroes do. >> all of us have the power to make a difference. you're never too young to change the world. >> and i'm asking you to please join us. >> if you join us, we'll be unstoppable. >> don't be afraid. and never, never, never give up. >> leads ladies and gentlemen, please join me -- >> join me in honoring -- >> cnn heroes. >> cnn heroes. [ applause ] >> tonight we honor ten new heroes, one of whom later on tonight will be named our 2011 cnn hero of the year. let's get to our first honoree, a champion of the forgotten transforming people's lives by giving them the power to start their own movement. to introduce his story is an actress who recently hosted the gala to benefit colombian nonprofits. please welcome sophia. >> charity is a beautiful thing. it's powerful, magnificent and amazing the way it can grab hold of us in life. for richard st. denis, it happened in puerto rico. he was there to deliver a wheelchair to a girl who had polio. she's never walked a step in her life. that morning her mother carried her into the chapel and richard wheeled her out. that single act of kindness gave her the chance to live a fuller life. she was able to work, get married and have children. richard knew because of his own accident how valuable independence was and just one wheelchair wasn't enough. so he started the world access project. he has provided hundreds of people with wheelchairs, crutches and walkers. they can move through life because charity is a beautiful thing. >> in 1997 i was living in colorado. and a friend of mine who is a pastor invited me to come to this area to a little town called delor res egalgo. i didn't speak any spanish. they asked me if i could come down and bring one wheelchair with me to maybe give away to somebody. in a room about the size of this warehouse, people started crawling in on their hands and knees. people were pushed in, in wheelbarrows. people using branches of trees for crutches. and i just decided, somebody needs to come down here and take wheelchairs. and so i started coming down here once a year and started giving away wheelchairs. the people that work with us most of the time are people that have received wheelchairs or people that have disabilities. and so i'm blessed to be able to give them a job. and the thing that really helps is they have a compassion for the people that they give the wheelchairs to. >> but about five years ago, i came to the realization that if i just went there once a year and never went again, who would do the follow-up? what happens when the wheelchair breaks? so five years ago my wife and i decided to focus on one country. many of the people come here to our warehouse. sometimes we go to the very rural communities and we give them the equipment right where they live. the person we're going to see today, on this paperwork it doesn't say what his disability is. but we know that he's 32 years old. he can crawl. >> when we go to someone's house to get a wheelchair, we try to make it a great experience for them. not just giving them a gift, but getting to know them, getting to know their family. i think within a week, he'll be really good at this chair. we want to teach people to be independent, to be self-confident. we want to teach them to be able to live the life that you and i would normally be able to live in the united states without even thinking about it. we teach them art. we teach them music. we teach them all kinds of things. kind of like a family. i would say the heartbeat of this organization is the passion that all of us have to make a difference in the lives of other people. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, cnn hero richard st. denis. [ applause ] >> when i broke my back 35 years ago, i thought my life was over. but i've learned that this wheelchair is an opportunity to make a difference. there is nothing better than to serve god and help others. for those of you out there who have a disability, never give up. and for everyone, i encourage you to help others. god can use all of us. [ speaking in foreign language ] [ applause ] next on "cnn heroes," miley cyrus. and later, jerry seinfeld. and a live performance by kid rock. "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute" is proudly sponsored by the johnson & johnson campaign for nursing's future. nurses heal. what is that? it's you! it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. and welcome back to "cnn heroes." in the richest country in the world, 49 million people live in poverty, hoping to ease some of this pain, our next hero is a guardian for those in need. what sal dimiceli does is he shows us the despair that exists in this country. we see the shack over there where the rain pours in and that a family calls home. a child sitting quietly by the candlelight. her stomach's been growling for days. that elderly woman looking for change. change she needs to keep the heat on. sal carries their burden one letter at a time. they write, "i'm hungry." "my dad lost his job." "we're living in the car." he doesn't wait to put on his marching boots because he knows the time is now. the time to help is now. 500 people a year feel the lift of this one man's arms. let me tell you, with sal in this battle, poverty is in for one hell of a fight. >> we have a grandmother of seven. her social security check is only $600 a month. one of the children are disabled. i hear she keeps having a hard time with her utilities and running out of food. we have an emergency situation with an elderly lady. we found out the trailer she's been living in for the last 30 years has been condemned. we are in fear of becoming homeless. >> every week sal provides a story of one of his visits to people in need. >> we print 5,000 papers, and people read them. and many people, one of the first things they turn to is sal's column. >> my mission is to help those that are in the desperate pains of poverty that have been forgotten. >> nice to see you. >> welcome. >> i grew up in poverty. my dad had a disease, gambling. my mom, she did not make enough money for all of our bills. it was hard times. after i got my first job, i was wanting to get home as fast as i can, because i know my mom was at home crying. and i wanted to get there and tell her, we have some relief. i got a job. it wasn't enough. i had to say, god, i will always remember those that are suffering like my mom. >> there's a war happening right now here in america. >> that's right. it's poverty. absolutely. >> poverty is really, really kicking america's ass. >> the name of my charity foundation is time is now to help. you cannot take things like tomorrow or later on. people would go to others and they'd say, okay, you qualify for food. you qualify for assistance. now there's 120-day waiting period. where's the humanity? hey, rosie. they're looking about getting you an apartment. they're working on that now. when i see people living like this it's because they've been left alone too long. and their quality of life starts to spiral. and i'm determined we're going to get her into a much better place. bye-bye, dear. we need to take her, and we need to change her life from top to bottom. full sized bed f we can make sure we get a truck. kitchen table. is it washable? i've come across a quadriplegic. their handicapped vehicle is no longer working. we have a network of wonderful people. some of the very wealthy. and they're giving back. this is going to change their world. >> good. >> oh, my goodness. >> that's a van. >> there's a lot of people that want to do and don't know how to do it. they're not waiting for people. that is a hero. >> that's what you need. >> it is. >> we not only help in material necessities, but at the same time, we let these people know that they are loved and they are cared for. >> hats off and thank you, honestly. thank you for -- for inspiring other people. >> their psyche and their depression completely changes as soon as they understand, i am not alone. [ applause ] >> we want to thank will.i.am for traveling all that way to meet up with sal. it's my honor to present cnn hero, sal dimiceli. [ applause ] >> this award is for the true heroes. the hungry children. the forgotten elderly. the neglected veterans and handicapped. the working poor i meet every day. wherever there is pain and suffering, i want to remove it. i have a fighter deep inside of me and energy that i get from god. i want to help, and i ask you to help me also. thank you so much. god bless you. [ applause ] >> some people grow into becoming heroes, but some start early on. this year we're celebrating kids who have already accomplished what we can only imagine. to tell bus our first young won derks please welcome the founder of get your good on, an organization that connects young people with community service, miley cyrus. [ applause ] >> thank you. there are millions of young people who woke up and wanted to change the world. they saw an injustice on tv about the hungry or read about kids who can't drink clean water or people who need homes. they had an idea to make a difference so they took that idea to the breakfast table and said i'm going to do some good today. but these cnn young wonders didn't only talk about changing the world, they actually did. the first quality they have is empathy. rachel beckwith had this beautiful lasting gift when she was just 9. >> my daughter rachel was in most ways just like every other 9-year-old girl. she was goofy and wanted to have fun with her friends. there was just one little part about her that was different. she had such an empathy for others and wanted to give. so for her 9th birthday, she decided instead of getting present, she wanted her friends and family to donate to her charity water campaign. >> and she wanted to raise $300. a crazy goal to raise $300. >> on july 20th, rachel and siena, my youngest daughter and i were in an accident. three days later she passed away. someone suggested that we open it again. >> in a matter of moments it started to grow. >> the donations were pouring in, people all over the country and eventually all over the world. >> originally rachel had $220 on her page. within days that climbed to multiple thousands. >> rachel has raised more than $145,000. >> $500,000. >> three quarters of a million dollars. >> one and a quarter million were raised on that page for charity water. she's a hero. >> next july charity water is going to be taking me to ethiopia to meet the people and just see the wells that rachel's campaign has created. i definitely believe she was a young wonder and i hope she continues to inspire other young wonders. 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"cnn heroes: an all-star tribute" is proudly sponsored by subaru. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. >> welcome back. when we hear the stories of these amazing heroes, often we're overwhelmed with gratitude for all they do, but we have a hard time imagining devoting our whole life to a cause. to share with us how even with a little effort we can make a big impact is a man whose foundation makes positive, permanent changes for those in need. please welcome george lopez. [ applause ] >> hello. what all of these heroes do seems kind of daunting, right? most of us will never change our lives in this big of a way. but that doesn't mean we can just have to sit on the couch. what if everybody did something? together we could really change things. now, you're probably thinking, there isn't really anything i can do to help close to home. i wondered the same thing. so i did a little research. i wanted to know how many places could i volunteer at within five miles of where i'm standing right now. guess how many? ten, 15, 100? not even close. 769 organizations within a ten-minute drive from this stage. so i went to find out what i could do to help. and i helped the people at the dream center feed the homeless on skid row. we can't all be nominees. but we all can make a difference. at the dream center every thursday they feed people a hot meal here. a lot of times this is the only hot meal they'll get. it does really bring you to the reality of the situation in our country and how easy it is to help somebody else. there's a community here and a family here. it's not difficult to become part of the family. how does it make you feel? >> i wouldn't want to do anything else. i love this. >> this is one example what volunteers are doing to make their communities a better place. and there are hundreds of opportunities for everyone every day in every neighborhood across america. you could spend time and help a child who has special needs. >> what we're looking for here is really to see the kids emerge from their silent world, to see them vocalize a lot more with the objective of getting them to participate even with their hearing loss. >> the reward is instantaneous when you walk in. >> you could work to clean up your community. >> i've always been interested in helping the environment. i knew this was a great place to get started. what we're doing today, we're removing debris and cleaning up the trails. just to make it look beautiful and keep one of our natural parks here alive. keeping it look nice. >> you could provide homework assistance to kids who want to stay in school. >> you wouldn't believe how easy it is to volunteer. it's the easiest thing in the world. >> this is what matters. what matters is paying it forward, making a difference. that's what gives true value to life. >> whatever your passion, whatever experience you have, whatever amount of time that you have to spare, there is something on your doorstep that you can do, too. so what are you waiting for? one person can make a tiny difference. collectively, we can make a massive difference. [ applause ] >> please welcome one of last year's top ten cnn heroes. dan walrad. >> it's an honor to be back to introduce a performer who last year called me one of his heroes. when he rocks a town, he usually leaves a trail of destruction behind. but on his latest tour, he's helping to build cities up. he's partnering with detroit businesses to give back money to local charities around the nation and shine a positive light back on detroit. tonight, he's here to remind us that the first step to becoming a hero is to care. ladies and gentlemen, my hero, kid rock. [ applause ] ♪ ♪ day by day my life gets colder my ice goes thin as i get older ♪ ♪ in pieces pieces bloody and bruised i feel so helpless and confused ♪ ♪ i hear screaming on the left yelling on the right ♪ ♪ i'm sitting in the middle trying to live my life ♪ ♪ because i can't stop the war shelter homeless feed the poor ♪ ♪ i can't walk on water i can't save your sons and daughters ♪ ♪ i can't change the world and make things fair the least that i can do is care ♪ ♪ ♪ i pray and pray for life's salvation cause faith is tried and true in tribulation ♪ ♪ oh yeah ♪ love is lost and lonely check the news ♪ ♪ and with these open arms i wait for you ♪ ♪ because i hear screaming on the left yelling on the right i'm sitting in the middle trying to live my life ♪ ♪ because i can't stop the war shelter homeless feed the poor ♪ ♪ i can't walk on water i can't save your sons and daughters ♪ ♪ i can't change the world and make things fair ♪ ♪ the least that i can do the least that i can do the least that i can do is care ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i hear screaming on the left yelling on the right i'm sitting