Maggie Doyne Won 2015 Prize for Hero of the Year for Helping Women and Children in Nepal

New Jersey has a new winner. 28 year old Maggie Doyne who grew up in the Mendham Borough in New Jersey. In 2005 Maggie decided to take a year off to travel, she went to North India where she made a short visit to a children’s home which had an impact on the rest of her life.  The manager of the children’s home was often away so during her time there she was responsible for 50 children. Doyne was there during the Nepalese Civil War and so there were a lot of refugees from Nepal with whom she became friends with. One such girl was Hema, who Doyne helped to go to school with her savings from her babysitting. After that nothing stopped her so she helped a few more children. When her savings ran out she asked her parents to help her with money. Later she get more donators from her hometown and later some from India, which helped her to buy some land. 

What actually is the CNN Hero award? It is an award-winning television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Nominees are introduced during the fall each year and the audience is encouraged to vote online for the CNN Hero of the Year. Each year there are 10 Heroes who are honored from ¨All Star Tribute¨. These are everyday people who have made extraordinary contributions around the world, they are chosen in an online vote by CNN’s audience. 

Her words at the award ceremony were: "If you had told me when I turned 18 that I was going to be the mom of 50 kids, I would have told you that you were totally crazy. And I am. And to my kids, I love you so much. Don't ever forget how much I love you. And to the country of Nepal, thank you so much for loving me and accepting me as a daughter welcoming me into your country. And to all of you in this room and who are watching, please, please remember that we have the power to create the world that we want to live in, just as we want it. And that's what all the Heroes here have done tonight." 

The other nominees in the top 10 were Jim Withers, Monique Pool, Richard Joyner, Sean Gobin, Bhagwati Agrawal, Kim Carter, Rochelle Ripley, Jody Farley-Berens and Daniel Ivankovich.