CNN Honors Extraordinary Deeds of Seven Everyday People in Gl...( NEW YORK Dec. 7 /- CNN Worldwide ...),Health

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- CNN Worldwide and its global audience paid special tribute tonight to seven ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary deeds, recognizing them as "CNN Heroes" in a global telecast. CNN's Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour hosted "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

"Over the past five months, our CNN Heroes initiative has shone a spotlight upon dozens of amazing people from around the globe," said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. "All of them deserve the designation as a 'hero,' and these seven we honored tonight truly stood out with their accomplishments, their courage and their humility."

From May 1 through September, CNN Worldwide has featured everyday heroes across its television networks, digital services and at http://www.CNN.com/Heroes <http://www.cnn.com/Heroes>, encouraging viewers to nominate local heroes they deem deserving of recognition as a CNN Hero. In its first year of the CNN Heroes initiative, CNN received more than 7,000 nominations from viewers in 80 countries, nominating people from more than 90 countries. CNN and its audience narrowed the nominations to a list of 18 finalists, from which a blue ribbon panel of judges selected the eventual honorees.

The honorees in each of the six categories and one selected by CNN's global audience include:

-- MEDICAL MARVEL - Peter Kithene of Seattle, who founded a clinic in his

native Kenya that has provided services to more than 18,000 patients.

As an undergraduate attending the University of Washington at Seattle,

Kithene raised money for a clinic and opened Mama Maria two years ago.

To date, the clinic has provided services to more than 18,000 patients

who previously had no health care. He plans to enlarge th
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