Carmelo Anthony Returns To Madison Square Garden To Celebrate Collaborative Collection With 1800 Tequila

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 3, 2023

Carmelo Anthony Returns To Madison Square Garden To Celebrate Collaborative Collection With 1800 Tequila

Anthony is the one of the most decorated player in United States Olympic men’s basketball history.

Former NBA player Carmelo Anthony spent seven years playing in New York City at Madison Square Garden with the New York Knicks. The retired future Hall of Famer returned to the venue on Wednesday, Nov. 1, to help celebrate the launch of a collaborative effort with 1800 Tequila.

Anthony, in partnership with the tequila brand, introduced the 1800 Tequila x Carmelo Anthony Holiday Drop Shop, a limited-edition apparel collection. The launch took place at the Knicks contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 10-time NBA All-Star sat courtside as he wore his custom 1800 x STAYME7O Ash + Coal Varsity Jacket from the new collection. He was also seen drinking his new signature cocktail, Melo’s 1800 Espresso Martini.

PubClub.com recently reported that the former Syracuse University player will be releasing the Carmelo Anthony Holiday Drop Shop on Cyber Monday on Nov. 27. Included in the 1800 Tequila x STAYME7O collection are a varsity jacket (hero product), hoodie, snapback, and embroidered fabric patch. A purchased bundle will have an 1800 Tequila x STAYME7O item, a bottle of 1800 Cristalino, and an 1800 Tequila x STAYME7O embroidered patch. People can buy merchandise at 1800Tequila.com/HolidayDropShop. Items in the collection will range in price from $75—$295.

“Melo” has been busy since he announced his retirement from the NBA. In February, he was introduced as a partner in a new sports investment firm, Isos7 Sports Investments. The Syracuse University alum is working with the founders and co-CEOs of Isos Capital Management, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson. The pair previously served as co-presidents of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

“I’m excited to build on my experiences as an athlete, entrepreneur, and investor, and move to the next level of league and team ownership opportunities globally,” said Anthony in a written statement.

“Stuart and I will shift our focus from Melo7 Tech Partners, where we had great success together, and partner with the team at Isos7 to leverage our deep relationships across the sports ecosystem and create value for all those involved. Our collective success will in turn further enable us to have a positive impact on underrepresented populations.”

Currently, Anthony, a potential first-time ballot NBA Hall of Famer, is a top 10 scorer who is listed at No. 9. Although he was born in New York City, in the Red Hook housing projects of Brooklyn, his family moved to the Murphy Homes in Baltimore when he was a child. He attended Syracuse University, where he led the team to its first and only NCAA men’s basketball tournament championship.

After winning the championship, the talented player was drafted at No. 3 in the first round by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft. Anthony also played for the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Los Angeles Lakers during his legendary career.

Anthony is among the most decorated players in United States Olympic men’s basketball history. While playing in four separate Olympics, he became the United States Olympic men’s all-time leader in games played and rebounds while ranking second in points.

Teacher hitting students, Georgia, Georgia

by Sharelle Burt

November 3, 2023

Georgia Elementary School Teacher Accused Of Hitting Black Students, Parents Demand Answers

The fourth grade teacher is accused of hitting Black students after being upset that their laptops weren't charged.

A Georgia elementary school teacher is on leave after being accused of hitting several students, FOX 5 Atlanta reports.

Fourth-grade students at Dutchtown Elementary School in Henry County, Georgia, are accusing the teacher of getting upset over laptops not being charged. However, not all the students were punished—allegedly just the Black kids.

“She started yelling for us to get out, and she started hitting everybody on the back except for the white kids,” student Nevaeh said.

Her mother, Britney Walker, is calling for the teacher to be fired and for charges to be filed. “That’s abuse. That’s assault. That’s battery,” Walker said. “My daughter was abused at school by a teacher.”

The outlet reports the concerned mother said she received a call from the school’s principal saying her daughter was involved in an incident with other students and a staff member. While she asked for more specific information, the principal allegedly told her that Nevaeh was OK and it wasn’t a sexual altercation but a physical altercation.

Walker said she rushed to the school. Once her daughter got in the car, she could tell it was a serious situation. The fourth grader told her mom, “My back is hurting. Stinging and burning.” When Walker pulled up her daughter’s shirt, she saw welts on her back, looking like someone hit her.

Walker said the students asked, “Did she just hit us?” The teacher allegedly responded, “Yes, I did.”

The distraught parent says she went to the principal and local authorities, asking for the teacher to be held accountable. “Nothing warranted you touching and abusing any kid,” Walker said, according to WSB-TV. “Dead Chromebooks and not having a charger? That makes no sense.”

“Human Resources is currently investigating a personnel matter at Dutchtown Elementary School following a report of a staff member having inappropriate interactions with students,” Henry County Schools said in a statement. “The employee has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is conducted.”

The school district hasn’t revealed the accused schoolteacher’s identity.

prison ship, NYC, Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 3, 2023

New York City’s Last Prison Ship, The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, Closes After 30 Years

A ship that houses prisoners in the South Bronx of New York City has closed.

According to The Associated Press, the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, a five-story jail barge that has been housing prisoners there for several decades, was slated to close on Oct. 31. The floating jail was supposed to serve as a temporary fix to address overcrowding on Rikers Island over 30 years ago in 1992.

The prison, an 800-bed lockup, was the last operating prison ship in the United States.

Coincidentally, the remaining prisoners, approximately 500, are to be transferred to Rikers Island, another prison that is supposed to be closing down in the future. Officials have stated that the closing is part of a broader plan to replace the city’s current correctional system with a network of smaller jails. The prison has a reputation for not being safe for staff and inmates.

Darren Mack, co-director of the advocacy group Freedom Agenda, said that the ship is described as a “modern-day slave ship” used by the Department of Corrections to place mostly Black and Latino men, with minimal oversight. He does acknowledge that the shutting down of the ship is long overdue, “shifting people to the same hellish conditions on Rikers is not the answer.”

In recent years, there have been reports of unsafe conditions and improper care, but two cases stand out. In September 2022, a 44-year-old man, Gregory Acevedo, reportedly jumped from the top of the ship to his death. Twenty-four-year-old Stephan Khadu died after he caught a form of treatable meningitis while he was in police custody a year earlier.

In an email, Latima Johnson, a spokesperson for the department, wrote, “The reason for this move is to centralize operations on the island to more efficiently manage people in custody and deploy staff and resources.”

Once the vessel is emptied, it will stay in the custody of the Department of Correction, but officials have not stated what the city plans to do with the boat in the future.

Jorge Soler And Atlanta Braves Sued By Fan Struck By Ball Thrown During 2021 World Series

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 3, 2023

Jorge Soler And Atlanta Braves Sued By Fan Struck By Ball Thrown During 2021 World Series

Mayra Norris claims Soler's pitch was dangerous, and the stadium was negligent.

A fan who attended the World Series in 2021 is suing the Atlanta Braves organization as well as one of its former players after being hit in the eye by a ball thrown from the field.

According to The New York Post, Mayra Norris, who attended Truist Park in Atlanta for Game 3 of the 2021 World Series against the Houston Astros, filed a lawsuit against the Braves and former Braves outfielder Jorge Soler on Oct. 25 in Cobb County Superior Court. She claimed that Soler’s pitch injured her on Oct. 29 as she sat with her husband and her brother-in-law. Soler, who now plays for the Miami Marlins, allegedly threw the baseball with a “great deal of force and speed” into the right field stands, which hit her in the eye. They were sitting in section 109 in the right-field corner of the stadium, with Norris maintaining that they weren’t close to the outfielder. At the time, the game was not in play.

“Defendant Soler did not softly toss the ball into the stands to the crowd,” the lawsuit stated. “He threw the ball overhand with a great deal of speed and force. Defendant Soler threw the ball with such force and speed that it hit Ms. Norris directly in her right eye, causing extensive and excruciating injury to her right eye.”

The woman reportedly suffered extensive eye injuries, including multiple fractures, right eye edema, and infra-orbital abrasion. Norris claimed that she would need “long-term medical care.”

Norris claims that the Braves failed to “keep the premises in a safe and proper condition and by failing to prevent and by allowing dangerous and reckless conduct by Defendant Braves’ players,” according to the lawsuit.

She is looking for damages to cover medical expenses, along with “general and compensatory damages to be determined by a jury at trial.”

by Rafael Pena

November 3, 2023

Memphis Police Officer Changes Plea In Tyre Nichols Murder Case

He initially pleaded not guilty.

Desmond Mills Jr., one of the five Memphis police officers facing federal charges related to the alleged murder of Tyre Nichols, altered his plea in court to guilty, as reported by the Daily Mail on Nov. 2. Mills is among the officers charged with multiple federal offenses, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, official oppression, and four federal counts.

While Mills initially pleaded not guilty to these federal charges in September, his attorney has since revealed Mills’ intention to change his plea in his upcoming court appearance. It’s essential to note that if found guilty of these federal offenses, Mills could face the death penalty.

The four other officers, Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith, remain in custody alongside Mills. They, too, pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include excessive force, failure to intervene, deliberate indifference, conspiracy to witness-tamper, and obstruction of justice.

The second-degree murder charge in this case is described as a “knowing murder” and can result in a prison sentence of 15 to 60 years under Tennessee law.

Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx driver, was pulled over by Memphis police on Jan. 7 for alleged reckless driving. The traffic stop escalated into a violent confrontation, leading to Nichols being hospitalized and subsequently succumbing three days later, on Jan. 10, to the injuries he’d suffered. Preliminary autopsy results, commissioned by the Nichols family’s attorneys, indicated that he died due to “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”

According to reports, Nichols experienced cardiac arrest and kidney failure after the encounter with the officers, who were in unmarked cars and purportedly wearing hoodies. Family attorney Antonio Romanucci described the incident as “an unadulterated, unabashed, nonstop beating of this young boy for three minutes.”

The bodycam footage from the police reportedly showed Nichols being shocked, pepper-sprayed, and restrained after being pulled over just minutes away from his home.

Nichols can be heard asking, “What did I do?” during the encounter, and calling for his mother at the end of the footage.

In a statement, attorney Benjamin Crump pointed out that the preliminary findings from the autopsy indicated that Nichols suffered extensive bleeding from a severe beating, consistent with what was observed in the video footage of the fatal encounter.

DA Mulroy, during a briefing, described the incident as a “tragedy” and referred to Nichols as “an almost perfect son.” He held all five indicted officers accountable, stating, “While each of the five individuals played a different role in the incident in question, the actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible.”

David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, strongly condemned the incident, labeling it “absolutely appalling” and stressing that it did not reflect proper policing. He further expressed his shock and dismay at the findings from the investigation after 30 years of experience in law enforcement.

Kenan Thompson And Kel Mitchell Reunite For ‘Good Burger 2’

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 3, 2023

Kenan Thompson And Kel Mitchell Reunite For ‘Good Burger 2’

Paramount+ released the trailer for "Good Burger 2" featuring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell.

A popular comedic pair has reunited to return to roles they popularized in the 1990s on Nickelodeon’s hit comedy sketch series All That.

Paramount+ has released the trailer for the comedy sequel Good Burger 2, featuring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. The film will premiere Nov. 22, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada. The following day, Nov. 23, viewers in the U.K. and Australia will have access to the movie. It will be released into other international markets after that.

The original movie, released in theaters on July 25, 1997, was based on a regular sketch featured in the series All That.

The sequel’s plot reunites the two employees of Good Burger, Dexter Reed (Thompson) and cashier Ed (Mitchell), where Reed is down on his luck after another one of his inventions fails. Ed arranges for Reed to return to Good Burger in his old job. The pair finds out that the corporation that owns Good Burger plans to open Mega Good Burger, where the employees are replaced with identical-looking robots.

Thompson and Mitchell spoke to Entertainment Weekly in March about coming back together for the sequel.

“Man, it is such a blessing,” said Mitchell. “It’s been an amazing journey for both of us. I don’t think we thought that we would be going back and doing Good Burger at this point, which is so beautiful and it has a special place in people’s hearts.”

Thompson adds, “It is such a blessing to be able to be working with my brother again. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. When we spend hours upon hours upon hours, it’s just all laughs and good times. And I’m really excited to open this new chapter up — this reunited adventure we are going to go on together.”

Before Good Burger 2 debuts, you can revisit the series All That and the first Good Burger movie on Paramount+.

strike, flight attendants,united airlines, la dodgers, biohazard, Dulles International Airport, vomiting

by Stacy Jackson

November 3, 2023

United Airlines Accused Of Discriminating Against Minority Flight Attendants On LA Dodgers Charter Flights

Chicago-based United Airlines has been named in a lawsuit filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court for discrimination against flight attendants on L.A. Dodgers charter flights.

Two veteran flight attendants claim that United Airlines replaced minority staff members aboard the flight with younger, white women, as requested by members of the L.A. Dodgers who were not named in the lawsuit, according to CBS News.

The flight attendants say their replacements were “young white thin women who did not have to interview for the highly coveted positions.”

The lawsuit also alleges that racist, discriminatory, and anti-Semitic actions were carried out toward minority counterparts on the charter flights.

This is the second time United Airlines has been accused of discriminatory practices within its athletic team charter flights. In 2020, the arline was accused of replacing Black and Jewish flight attendants with people who “fit a specific visual image.” The airline sought “young, white, female, and predominantly blonde/blue-eyed” to replace minority staff members.

Darby Quezada, a woman of Black, Mexican, and Jewish descent, is one of the plaintiffs in the latest lawsuit. She claims she was called the “flight’s maid” because they needed a “Mexican to clean the bathrooms.” She was told “We are in America” and was asked to stop speaking Spanish with one of the players during a flight. Quezada says she was also on the receiving end of comments such as “You don’t look Jewish.”

A co-plaintiff, Dawn Todd, spoke out about Black flight attendants being denied benefits on the L.A. Dodgers flight. She said her outward disapproval of United’s actions, along with speaking out about her encounter with racism and ageism, resulted in retaliation from the company.

“It shouldn’t be based on the color of my skin, I can’t change it, she can’t change it,” Todd told KCAL News. She was accompanied by Quezada and attorney Sam S. Yebri, who is representing both plaintiffs in the case. Todd and Quezada said that despite being among the best attendants, being experienced, and having already been chosen for the flight, they were replaced by less experienced flight attendants who fit a certain “look.”

Upon reviewing the list of flight attendants, Quezada noticed that “three blonde hair, blue-eyed, Caucasian individuals” had been added.

“There’s either discrimination against them specifically because they were demoted and we need to understand why, because they have perfect records, employment records here,” said Yerbi, the attorney.

“Or the system is broken. Either the Dodgers were making decisions and United was deferring to them, or — what we know is it was not random.”

Yerbi continued, “Major America[n] corporations like United Airlines must understand that it is illegal to make staffing decisions based on an employee’s race and looks, even if it is meant to please major clients like the Los Angeles Dodgers. United’s blatantly discriminatory staffing decisions allowed the cancer of racism and anti-Semitism to metastasize on the flights themselves.”

“United fosters an environment of inclusion and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We believe this lawsuit is without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously,” the airline said in response to requests for a statement.

Todd and Quezada are requesting a jury trial and compensation for damages.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 3, 2023

Maryland Man Arrested After Allegedly Licking Girl’s Ear And Shooting At Her Mother On Halloween

Police officials ask that anyone who has any information regarding this incident contact them.

A Maryland man has been arrested following a Halloween incident where the suspect pointed a gun that misfired at a mother after he allegedly licked the ears of her daughter who had gone trick-or-treating at his residence.

According to WBAL TV, on Halloween night, 66-year-old Cedrick Steven Paines was arrested by police officers and faces multiple charges, including first-degree assault and weapons violations, for an assault on a young girl and her mother.

Officers from Anne Arundel County were summoned to the 8200 block of Dunfield Court for a reported assault with a handgun. The woman informed police officers that Paines, who is a neighbor of hers, had “nibbled on” her daughter’s ear when she came to his house looking for treats on Halloween. The girl ran back home with Paines in pursuit, and he tried to force his way into her house.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Neighborhood Talk (@theneighborhoodtalk)

According to the account, when Paines tried to enter the house, the woman pushed him to prevent him from coming in. That’s when he allegedly pointed a weapon at her and pulled the trigger — and the gun misfired.

WBAL TV obtained documents stating that an eyewitness saw Paines pull the gun from his waistband, load it, and then try to shoot the woman.

A report from the Anne Arundel County Police Department stated, “The suspect went back to his house, where he was located by responding officers and placed under arrest. A search warrant of the residence was executed and resulted in the seizure of two handguns, one shotgun, a .22 caliber rifle, and ammunition.”

The charging documents state that Paines told the police officers that although he got close to the girl’s ear, he did not touch it. He also told them that he jokes around with his grandchildren by biting their fingers.

Police officials are requesting that anyone who has any information regarding this incident and/or Paines contact them at 410-222-6155. If you’d prefer to remain anonymous, call the Anne Arundel County Police tip line at 410-222-4700.

LSU Women’s Basketball Team Locker Room Gets $1.5M Upgrade

by Stacy Jackson

November 3, 2023

LSU Women’s Basketball Team Locker Room Gets $1.5M Upgrade

The Lady Tigers were gobsmacked by the state-of-the-art renovation.

The Louisiana State University women’s basketball team was surprised at the unveiling of its new locker room.

LSU’s official X account posted a video of the reveal and the ladies’ reactions to the facility’s enhanced amenities on Oct. 31. The new space is decked out in the university’s colors, purple and gold. In the video, the players turn several corners to find upgrades such as a film room, lounge, and LED-lit lockers. Vanity desks and a plush lounge area have also been added to the space.

Fresh New Digs 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zJmpVsDaCi
— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) October 31, 2023

According to Total Pro Sports, the new locker room has been named after donors Jerry and Roselyn Juneau, who privately funded the $1.5 million renovations. The project was approved in June by the university’s board of supervisors.

The New Orleans Advocate reported that the surprise renovations in LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center come amid the Lady Tigers’ first national title win in April. Following the victory, coach Kim Mulkey brought to light the need to modernize the 51-year-old space that was built in 1972.

“I’m not a visionary when it comes to thinking about a building,” she said during the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge luncheon in April. “I just know we need to upgrade. We don’t need to put a coat of paint on it. It’s time to either completely renovate it or build one next to it and tear that one down.

The coach added, “You can’t grab a rail without holding onto somebody.”

Discussions about refurbishing the center sparked in 2017 with ideas to tear down ramps and add escalators and a new entrance lobby. A poll was taken earlier this year to collect ideas from season-ticket holders requesting how to update the center.

The women hoopers of LSU will enjoy their new locker room as they enter the 2023-24 season, according to Total Pro Sports. The returning lineup includes stars, Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson.

The Lady Tigers shared their special moment through several social media posts as they embraced the new space.

The Gold Standard pic.twitter.com/cLOTPSFf5X
— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) October 31, 2023

by Lauren Nutall

November 3, 2023

CNN Honors Black ‘Heroes’ Making An Impact

‘CNN This Morning’ recently shared this year’s honorees, including a former first grade teacher who is helping Black boys improve their literacy

On Sunday, Dec. 10, the hit special CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is making a return to our screens. The Peabody- and Emmy-winning show highlights outstanding individuals from communities around the world.

CNN This Morning recently shared this year’s honorees, including a former first grade teacher who is helping Black boys improve their literacy skills one haircut at a time, and a mother who’s transformed her grief into action to make a difference in her Detroit neighborhood. For the full list of Black heroes making a difference in the world, scroll below.

Yasmine Arrington – ScholarCHIPS – Washington, DC

The child of an incarcerated parent, Yasmine Arrington, 30, struggled to obtain a college education due to lack of financial assistance. Now, years later, her circumstances have propelled her to create the nonprofit ScholarCHIPS, its last four letters serving as an acronym for Children of Incarcerated Parents. Each year, the organization works to help 30 young people whose lives have been affected by the carceral system to pursue a higher education.

“Most of our scholars, when they apply to ScholarCHIPS, they say, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone’ that they have an incarcerated parent,” Arrington told CNN Heroes.

“So, ScholarCHIPS becomes a safe space where young people feel comfortable even divulging and sharing that information.”

Osei Boateng – OKB Hope Foundation – Somerset, NJ and Ghana

Osei Boateng lost both his mother and his aunt to a treatable disease in his native Ghana, where the average life expectancy is only 64 years old. In Ghana, countless people die every year from preventable illnesses because they lack access to treatments.

Their deaths and this reality prompted Boateng to form a non-profit organization and a mobile doctor’s office called the OKB Hope Foundation. Now, supplied with health equipment and manned with a crew of several medical professionals, the 28-year-old takes to the streets of Ghana to administer free life-saving care. The OKB Hope Foundation also incorporates mental health assistance, an often neglected and stigmatized layer of health care.

“Words cannot describe the feeling that you get providing care for someone who otherwise wouldn’t be alive if your mobile health van wasn’t there,” he told CNN Heroes.

Since its founding, the organization has improved the lives of over 1,000 individuals, and Boateng hopes to expand the initiative.

Alvin Irby – Barbershop Books – New York City, NY

As a former first grade teacher, Alvin Irby is accustomed to promoting literacy amongst young people. This familiarity is what makes his initiative to bring libraries into barber shops so successful. Irby has impacted the lives of several young boys in New York City by installing miniature libraries in barbershops across the city with his nonprofit Barbershop Books. It is a collaborative effort between Irby and Black barbers, who help encourage the young boys to fall in love with reading.

“We want them to encourage kids to use the reading spaces,” he told CNN Heroes. “Then they can talk to them about how they like reading, how funny a book was, or tell them about another book another kid was reading.”

This project is a part of a larger mission to increase the number of positive Black male role models young boys are exposed to. Since its founding in 2013, the nonprofit has supplied 50,000 books to over 200 barber shops in predominantly Black neighborhoods in the area.

Shamayim Harris or Mama Shu – Avalon Village – Highland Park, MI

In 2007, Shamayim Harris’ world was devastated by the loss of her two-year-old son, Jakobi Ra, who was tragically killed in the Highland Park suburb of Detroit, MI. She experienced this same pain again in 2021 when her 21-year-old son, Chinyelu, was fatally shot while conducting a neighborhood watch. Harris, affectionately called Mama Shu, has carried her grief for years but is now using it to help the people of Detroit access opportunities they never had before.

“I needed to … change grief into glory, pain into power,” Harris told CNN Heroes. “I just tried to transform it into something bearable and something beautiful.”

Mama Shu discovered Avalon Street on one of her drives. It was there that she envisioned a beautiful eco-village for community members, a place for people and businesses to flourish. She started off by buying a single home on the street that had recently gone on the market for $3,000, which was more than she could afford. Still, as more lots on Avalon Street became available, she continued to purchase them until, eventually, she had built the village of her dreams. Eight years and several volunteers and donations later, Avalon Street became Avalon Village. Now, it is a safe space for those in the Detroit community, offering people a library, music studio, basketball court, marketplace for aspiring entrepreneurs, and more.

Kwane Stewart – Project Street Vet – San Diego, CA

Dr. Kwane Stewart is making a difference for homeless people and their pets through his nonprofit, Project Street Vet. The organization was born out of Stewart’s experiences as a veterinarian at a county shelter in northern California, where he regularly had to euthanize unwanted dogs. Eventually, the job began to cause such emotional anguish that Stewart was almost driven to quit the profession altogether. However, this changed after a fateful encounter with a homeless man, whose dog was suffering from a skin condition. Upon noticing the issue, Stewart diagnosed and treated the dog and was rewarded with gratitude.

“Thank you for not ignoring me,” the man told Stewart. Those six simple words were enough to make Stewart make a pivot in his career and channel his love for animals and helping people into something new, something better – caring for the pets of homeless people. Now, Project Street Vet has built a network across the country, with different volunteers, technicians and clinics aiding in his mission.

Each Top 10 CNN Hero will be awarded $10,000 and the CNN Hero of the Year will receive an additional $100,000 to continue their commendable work.