Lenny Kravitz, Will Ferrell, other celebs at the 2018 CNN Heroes All-Star Gala

By Tricia Escobedo, Drew Kann and Melonyce McAfee, CNN

Updated 3:30 p.m. ET, December 10, 2018
26 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
3:30 p.m. ET, December 10, 2018

Our live coverage has ended. Read below to see how the night unfolded.

10:32 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

And the CNN Hero of the Year is...

... Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong for his tireless work helping families with young children who come into his hospital in Lima, Peru.

He will receive $100,000 to keep his cause going and the title of CNN Hero of the Year for 2018.

Many of the families who benefit from Pun-Chong's nonprofit, Inspira, must travel far from home to seek the best medical treatment. Often unable to pay for a place to stay, these families can find themselves homeless while fighting for their children's lives. Some camp out in the hospital corridors.

"I couldn't get the picture of the families sleeping on the floor out of my mind," Pun-Chong said. "So, I decided to do something for them."

Since 2008, Inspira has provided free housing, meals and overall support for sick children and their families while they undergo treatment. The organization has helped more than 900 families who've come from all over Peru.

Pun-Chong, who lives a few blocks from the shelter and is there almost every day, runs the organization with the help of a small staff and an army of passionate volunteers. He spends every holiday with the families there.

"The kids inspire me every day," Pun-Chong said. "When I'm with these kids, and I feel how strong they are, I understand that there are no problems that we can't resolve." Read more here

10:10 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

Watch: Lenny Kravitz performs "Here to Love"

9:56 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

CNN Hero Amanda Boxtel is a real-life bionic woman

Years after a skiing accident left her paralyzed, Amanda Boxtel learned about bionic exoskeleton suits -- machines that help people with mobility issues walk.

In an exoskeleton, Boxtel took her first step in 18 years.

Realizing this technology was not easily accessible or affordable, she started Bridging Bionics which provides high-tech physical therapy to people with mobility impairments near Aspen, Colorado.

Read more about Boxtel's project and click here to donate to her cause and the others supported by the 2018 Top 10 CNN Heroes.

10:25 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

CNN Hero Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong: "The real heroes are our kids"

Since 2008, Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong's nonprofit, Inspira, has provided free housing, meals and support for sick children and their families while they undergo medical treatment. The organization has helped hundreds of families who've come from all over Peru.

Pun-Chong, who lives a few blocks from the shelter and is there almost every day, runs the organization with the help of a small staff and an army of passionate volunteers. He spends every holiday with the families there.

"The kids inspire me every day," said Pun-Chong, who was honored for his work at tonight's event.

Read more about Pun-Chong's work here and click here to donate to his cause and the others supported by the 2018 Top 10 CNN Heroes.

9:36 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

She ran away from home at 15. Today, she's protecting vulnerable young women from sex traffickers.

CNN Hero Susan Munsey's arrest at the age of 16 for prostitution saved her life. Today, her nonprofit GenerateHope offers a safe place for survivors of sex trafficking to heal and build new lives. The group provides long-term housing, therapy, education and medical care.

"It's not just about creating safety physically, but psychologically as well," Munsey said.

Read more on Munsey's work here and click here to donate to her cause and the others supported by the 2018 Top 10 CNN Heroes.

9:29 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

CNN Hero Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin asks the world to "join us in this fight"

Each week, girls in Lagos, Nigeria's poorest neighborhoods get a glimpse of another world when they attend GirlsCoding, a free program run by the Pearls Africa Foundation that seeks to educate -- and excite -- girls about computer programming.

Since 2012, the group has helped more than 400 disadvantaged girls gain the technical skills and confidence they need to transform their lives.

It's the vision of CNN Hero Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, who was honored tonight for dedicating herself to this work.

"Technology is a space that's dominated by men. Why should we leave that to guys?" she said. "I believe girls need opportunities."

Read more about Ajayi-Akinfolarin's project here and click here to donate to this cause and the others supported by the 2018 Top 10 CNN Heroes.

9:17 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

CNN Hero Dr. Rob Gore: It's "more powerful to prevent someone from becoming a patient" than to save a life

Dr. Rob Gore finds violent injuries particularly hard to stomach -- a feeling compounded by the fact that many of the victims he treats are young men of color.

So he started the Kings Against Violence Initiative -- known as KAVI -- which has anti-violence programs in the hospital, schools and broader community of Brooklyn, New York, serving more than 250 young people.

Read more about Gore's work here and click here to donate to this cause and the others supported by the 2018 Top 10 CNN Heroes.

10:08 p.m. ET, December 9, 2018

CNN Hero Florence Phillips honored for her work helping immigrants

Today, at 87 years old -- when most people are deep in retirement -- Florence Phillips shows no signs of winding down her mission to help immigrants in her community.

To serve their needs, she started the ESL In-Home Program of Northern Nevada, a nonprofit that provides free English as a Second Language, citizenship, GED and computer classes.

Since its inception in 2004, the nonprofit has helped more than 5,000 immigrants and their families.

“To have the gift of language gives them the ability to feel they are contributing not only to their family but to their new home in the US," she said.

Read more about Florence Phillips' work.

Click here to donate to this cause and the others supported by the 2018 CNN Heroes Top 10.