Scribble

Krista Bo

00:00:00

Hey there. We want to honor everyday people who are changing the world. And I'm talking about the 2024 class of CNN Heroes. So on today's special episode of the Five Good Things podcast, we're highlighting the good work of the top five CNN Heroes. They're all winners in our book, but only one can be the CNN Hero of the Year. We'll also tell you how you can vote for your favorites. From CNN, I'm Krista Bo, and this is Five Good Things.

Ron Davis Alvarez

00:00:36

Music changed my life. Music gave me opportunities to, that never imagined. So I know that if I can do something in life to help others, it's going to be through music.

Krista Bo

00:00:51

That's Ron Davis Alvarez, an accomplished violinist and orchestra conductor who's transforming the lives of immigrants and refugees through music.

Krista Bo

00:01:06

'The 38-year-old grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, surrounded by drugs and violence. He was just ten-years-old the first time he heard a violin or any kind of classical music.

Ron Davis Alvarez

00:01:17

I fell in love with music from my first class because I have a teacher who was always showing us, doesn't matter where you come from and what is your background.

Krista Bo

00:01:28

By the age of 14, Ron was teaching other kids and teens how to play stringed instruments, hoping to give them the same kind of comfort he found in music.

Ron Davis Alvarez

00:01:37

Teaching an instrument is to give you a tool to communicate your soul; is to give a word to your soul.

Krista Bo

00:01:44

In 2015, during a visit to Sweden as a student, he was standing on a train platform in Stockholm, stunned by what he saw. Crowds of exhausted refugees getting off trains from war torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ron Davis Alvarez

00:02:00

It's like imagine for a moment in your life that you have to be in a place that you don't know, that you don't speak the language, and you don't know where you're going, but you just want to go because you need to go. So that was my feeling when I see all these young people. They were completely lost.

Krista Bo

00:02:18

Ron believed that music could offer them hope and a sense of belonging. So when he later moved to Sweden, he founded the Dream Orchestra. It's a free program where anyone, regardless of age, background or language can learn to play an instrument and perform together.

Ron Davis Alvarez

00:02:46

I want to create an orchestra, but not orchestra for refugees. I want orchestra for everyone and for these kids or youth who are arriving. These ones who are looking for a better opportunities.

Krista Bo

00:03:05

Since its founding in 2016, more than 400 participants from 25 countries have been a part of the Dream Orchestra.

Ron Davis Alvarez

00:03:12

Dream Orchestra is more than just a notes. This offers something for your soul. It's a dream, but it's a dream who come true.

Krista Bo

00:03:27

'In 2011, Stephen Knight from Dallas had lost everything to meth addiction - his family, his job, his home, and nearly his life.

Stephen Knight

00:03:37

I ended up going to rehab. I really, really got serious about it and worked hard and got a second chance in life.

Krista Bo

00:03:45

Eight months into his recovery, his friends showed up at his doorstep in tears with her dog, Jade, in her arms.

Stephen Knight

00:03:52

She's like, "I realized I needed to go to treatment. I don't know what to do with my dog."

Krista Bo

00:03:56

She asked him for a ride to an animal shelter to give up her beloved pup.

Stephen Knight

00:04:00

I said, "I'll take her." That moment was, that one act of kindness I would never thought would turn into thousands of other dogs getting help that they need.

Krista Bo

00:04:09

Stephen began his new life as a dog dad to Jade that night. And soon after he realized many others struggling with alcohol or drug addiction had to make the same tough choice: seek treatment and send their pets to a shelter. Or delay or completely forgo rehab to care for their pets.

Stephen Knight

00:04:27

We're finding the bond between the animal and the human made such a big difference in their recovery, and it becomes their motivator to stay healthy.

Krista Bo

00:04:34

And as more foster requests came in saving pets while their owners went to rehab became Stephen's passion that turned into a nonprofit he started, called Dogs Matter.

Stephen Knight

00:04:44

We provide free, temporary fostering services for people that are ready to change their life.

Krista Bo

00:04:50

Since 2015, they've saved over 1200 dogs with an intense vetting process, recovery accountability plans and everything. Plus, this year, they partnered with Dallas Pets Alive to serve even more people and animals, including cats. Now that Stephen's nearing 14 years sober, he hopes to make dog matters a national model so more people and their pets get the same second chance at life that he got.

Stephen Knight

00:05:15

When somebody makes that decision to go into treatment, that's when the bravest decisions they'll make. What I teach my clients is like, with sobriety and recovery, you really can have life beyond your wildest dreams.

Krista Bo

00:05:33

'There's a saying that all superheroes don't wear capes. Rachel Rutter is a good example. You might just catch her in jeans and a T-shirt while she does life changing work in Pennsylvania. She's an immigration lawyer who works with unaccompanied immigrant children.

Rachel Rutter

00:05:48

As I got more involved in this immigration work, I saw that these kids don't just need legal status. They also need all of these other things if they're going to really heal and be successful.

Krista Bo

00:05:59

In recent years, record numbers of migrant children have made what can often be a dangerous trek to the U.S.. Hundreds of thousands are coming from places like rural Central America, where many face violence and extreme poverty. So she launched a nonprofit called Project Libertad to connect them with resources to meet those needs.

Rachel Rutter

00:06:19

Project Libertad empowers newcomer immigrant youth and families by providing legal and social services. We are representing children for free who are either facing deportation in immigration court or who are undocumented, and we help them to apply for legal immigration status.

Krista Bo

00:06:34

Project Libertad has also partnered up with the Immigrant Psychology Network to provide mental health services to immigrant youth. It also hosts weekly programs to help newcomers develop skills around communication, team building and social emotional learning.

Rachel Rutter

00:06:49

One thing that the kids have taught me is like how to just keep showing up. Because even after a lot of the really terrible things that they've been through, they're still going to school, they're still going to work, they're still making us laugh.

Krista Bo

00:07:06

Yamilee Touissant has always been passionate about two seemingly unrelated things.

Yamilee Touissant

00:07:12

Growing up, I love to dance. It's always been this source of community and perseverance and learning how to be determined. I was also very passionate about math problems. I just thought that it was fun, like it was a puzzle to solve.

Krista Bo

00:07:32

Her passion for dance and math followed her to MIT, where she was one of only two Black women studying mechanical engineering at the time.

Yamilee Touissant

00:07:40

Less than 5% of the STEM workforce consists of women of color. One of the reasons is that from a young age, many girls start to believe that they can't do well in math. We have to change how girls see themselves in their potential in fields like math.

Krista Bo

00:08:01

So that's why she created STEM From Dance, a free nonprofit program where girls choreograph dance routines that include elements of science, technology, engineering or math.

Yamilee Touissant

00:08:12

So they can work on costumes that light up as they move. They can create their own song through computer science and A.I. and through that be able to make choices about tempo and volume and instruments.

Krista Bo

00:08:31

Today stem from dance works with girls of color, ages 8 to 18, in nine cities across the U.S.. On the final day of the program, the girls perform in front of family and friends.

Announcer

00:08:42

Please help me welcome these amazing young women.

Yamilee Touissant

00:08:47

That feeling that they get. We want them to remember that. And as they go off in life that they remember that they are celebrated for doing things in STEM. So when they face that hard math problem, they're reminded I could do hard things.

Krista Bo

00:09:11

Coming up, learn how a college project turned into a nonprofit that helps 1500 girls a year access the education they need in the African country of Togo. Plus, we'll tell you how you can vote for your favorite do gooder to be this year's CNN Hero of the Year.

Krista Bo

00:09:32

'When Payton McGriff had to come up with a nonprofit idea for a class her sophomore year at the University of Idaho, one item came to mind - school uniforms. She had read a book called, "Half the Sky," about the struggles of women and girls throughout the world. And was shocked to learn that roughly 130 million girls aren't in school today.

Payton McGriff

00:09:54

Poverty is a tremendous barrier to girls education. School supplies, tuition fees and a uniform is typically one of the more expensive pieces.

Krista Bo

00:10:04

She had an idea for her nonprofit providing free uniforms to girls in need. She connected with a professor at the university Ro Afatchao, who's from the western African nation of Togo. He had seen the issue firsthand growing up with sisters.

Ro Afatchao

00:10:18

I had opportunities that I didn't have. Most families will always prefer sending their boys to school. So, you know, there is something wrong with this.

Krista Bo

00:10:27

So just 11 days after they met, Payton traveled to Togo for a field study. There she met a young woman named Elolo. Elolo had big dreams for herself, but her family's financial challenges forced her to drop out of school while her brothers stayed in class.

Elolo/Translator

00:10:46

It was sad for me. My intention was to go to school and become a great person.

Krista Bo

00:10:50

Inspired by Lolo and girls like her. Two weeks after graduating from college in 2017, Payton flew back to Togo and started Style Her Empowered or SHE. That first year she hired local seamstresses and provided uniforms and school fees to 65 girls. But after sending out that first round of uniforms, Payton realized the girls outgrew them quickly.

Payton McGriff

00:11:13

So that was where the uniform that grows was born. It grows six sizes and up to 12 inches in length.

Krista Bo

00:11:21

Along with uniforms, she also provides scholarships, school supplies and tutoring. Last year, 99% of SHE students passed their national exams. The nonprofit employs 20 seamstresses in Togo. And they intentionally hire women from low income, low education backgrounds. Payton says her goal has always been for SHE to be led by the women who live in the communities the group serves.

Payton McGriff

00:11:45

I may have struck the original match that started SHE, but what I am so beyond inspired by is watching our team carry the torch.

Krista Bo

00:12:02

All right. That's all for now. So who do you want to be? The 2024 CNN Hero of the Year? To learn more about each of their stories, just go to CNNheroes.com. The link is also in our show notes. And when you're ready, click on vote. You get ten votes every day to help support your heroes. That means you can cast all your votes for one hero or divide them among your favorites. You can even double your votes by rallying your friends on social media. Voting starts today, and you can keep voting through Tuesday, December 3rd. The Hero of the Year will be announced on Sunday, December 8th. And don't forget regular episodes of Five Good Things drop every Saturday.

Krista Bo

00:12:41

Five Good Things is a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Eryn Mathewson, Emily Williams and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producers are Felicia Patinkin and Faiz Jamil. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director, and Steve Lickteig as the executive producer of CNN Audio. We got support from Joey Salvia, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to the CNN Heroes team and Katie Hinman. And thank you for listening. Take care. Till next time.

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