Stephen Knight: CNN Hero of the Year helps dogs in foster care

Stephen Knight: CNN Hero of the Year helps dogs in foster care

Stephen Knight, named CNN Hero of the Year in 2024, comes to the rescue with his non-profit organization Lives by providing foster homes for dogs while their owners focus on their recovery from addictions. Online voters chose him from this year's Top 5 CNN Heroes out of.

A significant moment

"This means everything to me. I represent so much here. I represent the recovery community and the dog rescue community...This will help us get to the next level," Knight said upon receiving the award.

A difficult road to recovery

Knight's journey began in 2011 when, at age 51, he lost everything to a meth addiction - his family, his job, his home and almost his life. HIV positive and living in his car, he entered rehab at his mother's urging.

The Importance of Pets in Recovery

After months of treatment, Knight's life changed when a friend showed up at his door crying. She had relapsed and was holding her beloved dog, Jayde. She explained that no one would take Jayde in and she asked Knight to drive her to a shelter to give up her dog.

“I looked at Jayde and we looked at each other,” Knight said. “It was one of the most spiritual moments where I thought, 'I think we need each other here.'"

An innovative approach to dog help

Knight soon realized that other people were hesitant or even forgoing treatment because they couldn't find safe housing for their pets. He sought advice from a local animal rescue group and educated himself on animal care protocols.

"These shelters are operating at 150 percent overcrowding. When you're overcrowded, you start euthanizing dogs," Knight explained. “We cannot tolerate that the solution is to euthanize dogs.”

Over 1,200 dogs rescued

In 2015, Knights organization, Dogs Matter, registered as a non-profit organization. He structured his program by screening applicants, conducting animal behavioral assessments, and implementing contracts that required participants to adhere to their recovery plan and complete a 12-month post-release program.

Today, Knight lives with his three dogs, Jayde, Piper and Lady, and his organization has helped more than 1,200 dogs and their owners. As Knight approaches his 14th year of abstinence, he hopes to make Dogs Matter a national model program. His goal is to give other animals and their owners the same second chance at life that he himself received.

Appreciation and support for the heroic deeds

"I share this award with Jayde. She is the reason I did this. An act of kindness led to a dream of being able to help others and now, after rescuing 1,200 dogs, it's just amazing. It's just beginning," Knight said proudly.

As CNN Hero of the Year, Knight will receive $100,000 to expand his work. He and the other Top 5 CNN Heroes will each receive a cash reward of $10,000 and donation matches of up to $50,000 from the Elevate Prize Foundation. Knight will also receive an additional $50,000 from Elevate. In its third year of collaboration with CNN Heroes, Elevate also provides organizational and capacity-building support for honorees.

A night full of selflessness

Famous guests such as Bradley Cooper, Pedro Pascal, Oprah Winfrey, Misty Copeland and Zachary Quinto joined the broadcast to share the stories of the Top 5 CNN Heroes. Danai Gurira helped honor this year's Young Wonders, and Kelly Ripa also thanked the heroes.

The second annual CNN Heroes Legacy Award was presented to Michael J. Fox. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 29 and has been living since the inception of the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 brought hope to millions of people worldwide. To date, the foundation has committed $2 billion to accelerate Parkinson's research and eradicate the disease.

In his acceptance speech, Fox shared the honor: "I am very proud to speak on behalf of all the people with Parkinson's and their families who have fought so hard for a cure and, through our foundation, found a way to make it happen."