-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For Liz McCartney , selection as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 could not have come at a better time . Anderson Cooper will host `` CNN Heroes : An All-Star Tribute , '' to air on Thanksgiving at 9 p.m. ET . `` With the recent storms in Texas and southwest Louisiana , we have experienced a sudden drop in volunteers , '' said McCartney , whose St. Bernard Project helps Hurricane Katrina survivors rebuild their homes just outside New Orleans , Louisiana . `` While other areas need help , this recognition is letting the American people know that the New Orleans area still matters , '' McCartney said . The diverse group of honorees includes a Cambodian activist who offers free schooling to children who work in Phnom Penh 's trash dump ; a Georgia prosthetist-orthotist who provides limbs and braces to hundreds of people in Mexico ; and a Virginia woman who tapes video messages from incarcerated parents for their children . CNN 's Anderson Cooper announced the 10 honorees Thursday on `` American Morning . '' `` Our Top 10 CNN Heroes are proof that you do n't need superpowers -- or millions of dollars -- to change the world and even save lives , '' Cooper said . Watch Anderson Cooper name the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 '' CNN launched its second annual global search for ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary deeds in February . The network has aired weekly CNN Hero profiles of those people , chosen from more than 3,700 nominations submitted by viewers in 75 countries . A panel made up of world leaders and luminaries recognized for their own dedication to public service selected the Top 10 . The Blue Ribbon Panel includes humanitarians such as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu , Jane Goodall , Kristi Yamaguchi and Deepak Chopra . `` What an incredible group of people and how difficult it was to select only 10 , '' said Rabbi Shmuley Boteach , a panel member . Archbishop Tutu added , `` They all deserve to win . Thanks for saluting these remarkable human beings . '' Each of this year 's Top 10 CNN Heroes will receive $ 25,000 and will be honored at `` CNN Heroes : An All-Star Tribute , '' airing from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on November 27 . Hosted by Cooper , the Thanksgiving night broadcast will culminate with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year , selected by the public in an online poll that began Thursday morning . iReport.com : Tell us about your hero Continuing through November 19 , viewers can log on to CNN.com / Heroes to participate in the poll . The person receiving the most votes will receive an additional $ 100,000 . In alphabetical order , the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 are : Tad Agoglia , Houston , Texas -- Agoglia 's First Response Team provides immediate help to areas hit by natural disasters . In a little over a year , he and his crew have aided thousands of victims at more than 15 sites across the United States , free of charge . Yohannes Gebregeorgis , Addis Ababa , Ethiopia -- Moved by the lack of children 's books and low literacy rates in his native Ethiopia , Gebregeorgis established Ethiopia Reads , bringing free public libraries and literacy programs to thousands of Ethiopian children . Carolyn LeCroy , Norfolk , Virginia -- After serving time in prison , LeCroy started The Messages Project to help children stay connected with their incarcerated parents . She and volunteer camera crews have taped roughly 3,000 messages from inmates to their children . Anne Mahlum , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania -- On her daily morning jogs , Mahlum used to run past homeless men . Today , she 's helping to transform lives by running with them , and others as part of her `` Back On My Feet '' program . Liz McCartney , St. Bernard Parish , Louisiana -- McCartney moved to New Orleans to dedicate herself to helping Hurricane Katrina survivors move back into their homes . Her nonprofit St. Bernard Project has rebuilt the homes of more than 120 families for free . Phymean Noun , Toronto , Ontario -- Growing up in Cambodia , Noun struggled to complete high school . Today , she offers hundreds of Cambodian children who work in Phnom Penh 's trash dump a way out -- through free schooling and job training . David Puckett , Savannah , Georgia -- Puckett started Positive Image Prosthetics and Orthotics Missions -- PIPO -- to provide artificial limbs and braces and care to people in southeastern Mexico . Since November 2000 his mission has helped more than 420 people , free of charge . Maria Ruiz , El Paso , Texas -- Several times a week , Ruiz crosses the border into Juarez , Mexico , to bring food , clothing and toys to hundreds of impoverished children and their families . Marie Da Silva , Los Angeles , California -- Having lost 14 family members to AIDS , the Los Angeles nanny funds a school in her native Malawi -- where half a million children have been orphaned by the disease . Viola Vaughn , Kaolack , Senegal -- The Detroit , Michigan , native moved to Senegal to retire . Instead , a group of failing schoolchildren asked her to help them pass their classes . Today , her `` 10,000 Girls '' program is helping hundreds of girls succeed in school and run their own businesses . `` It is very rewarding to be able to honor these amazing , often unheralded individuals who are making a tremendous difference in their communities and beyond , '' Jim Walton , president of CNN Worldwide , said . `` These stories of selfless achievement deserve to be told , and our multiple platforms around the world allow us to do that . ''