new york
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Quillen Blackwell, whose nonprofit transforms vacant lots on Chicago’s South Side into flower farms that employ at-risk youth to grow, arrange and sell flowers, has been named a 2025 CNN Hero of the Year.
Online voters selected him from this year’s top five CNN Heroes, ordinary people recognized for taking action to solve problems in their communities.
Following the news, he praised his wife Hannah, his Christian faith and the young people who work at his social enterprise Southside Blooms, calling them “stars”.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know how to make a centerpiece. I don’t know how to make a bouquet,” he said. “They are the ones leading the way.”
Blackwell, 40, never imagined a career in agriculture or the flower industry. He grew up wealthy and middle-class in Madison, Wisconsin, and after college he joined the Peace Corps and served in rural Thailand. When he moved to Chicago to attend missionary school, he tutored students at a high school in Englewood on the South Side. It was his first real exposure to one of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods and opened his eyes to the challenges students face.
“I started realizing that I could be one of these kids,” he said. “These are people who want a chance to get something better.”
He decided he wanted to help create more opportunities for them, and around that time he also met Hannah Bonham, who shared his passion for the job. In 2015, the two married, bought a home in Inglewood, and started a nonprofit focused on finding environmentally sustainable ways to create jobs and alleviate poverty.
Englewood was once a thriving commercial district, but as local industry declined over the years, so did nearby properties. Currently, 40% of residents live in poverty, and the area is filled with abandoned homes, boarded-up storefronts, and vacant lots that once housed condemned stores.
“Most people will see trash and vacant land,” Blackwell said. “But for me, it feels like a possibility.”
One of his early projects was helping transform vacant lots into community gardens. He quickly realized that growing food meant overcoming challenges such as regulations, access to clean water, and toxins in the soil. While researching alternatives, Blackwell was surprised to learn that the United States spends billions of dollars each year on cut flowers, more than 70 percent of which are imported.
“I said, ‘Wait a minute. Why would you import flowers from another country when you have this much land and this many young people?’ He said, ‘Perhaps flowers are the answer.’
Now, their nonprofit organization has turned six vacant lots in the city into flower gardens where they grow flowers, arrange and sell them at their nonprofit shop, Southside Blooms. The social enterprise currently employs 25 young people, mainly aged between 16 and 25, and plans to open a second location on the city’s west side this spring. They want to expand nationally.
For Blackwell, helping young people grow is a lot like growing flowers.
“There’s nothing you can’t do as long as you have all the ingredients you need to be successful,” he says. “Our young people are blossoming every day.”
As CNN Hero of the Year, Blackwell will receive $100,000 to expand his work. He and the other top five CNN Heroes will each receive a $10,000 cash prize and a donation match of up to $50,000 each from the Elevate Prize Foundation. Mr. Blackwell will also receive an additional $50,000 from Elevate. In its fourth year of collaboration with CNN Heroes, Elevate is also providing organizational and capacity-building support to awardees.
This was the 19th annual broadcast of CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. Notable guests celebrating this year’s honorees include Meryl Streep, Jon Batiste, Kathryn Hahn, Regina Hall, Parker Posey, Zachary Quinto, Kelly Ripa, Adam Scott, and more.
The third annual CNN Heroes Legacy Award was presented to the late Robert Redford. Redford, an actor, director, and proud Utah resident, was one of the first celebrities to use his platform to draw attention to environmental issues in the 1970s. For more than 40 years, he has advocated for conserving the Earth’s natural resources and protecting it from climate change. His nonprofit organization, the Redford Center, supports filmmakers who use the power of storytelling to engage and educate people about environmental issues.
Former Vice President Al Gore accepted the award on behalf of the Redford family.
“Having spent most of his life in front of the camera as a brilliant actor and a visionary director behind the camera, Bob deeply understood the mobilizing power of a focused lens and a compelling story,” Gore said. “In honor of Bob and his remarkable work, may each of us find a way to lend our voice to the global call to urgently address the climate and environmental crisis that our leaders have left aside for too long and protect the destiny of humanity.”
CNN Heroes Legacy Award presented to late Robert Redford
Teenager Cash Daniels was honored as a CNN Heroes Young Wonder for her work cleaning up the Tennessee River and protecting the wildlife that depends on it. Daniels, now 16, started collecting trash around rivers when he was 7 years old, earning him the nickname “Conservation Kid.” Thanks to his efforts, more than 45,000 pounds of trash has now been removed from area waterways and more than 8,000 miles of fishing line has been recycled.
Now, donations to the top five CNN heroes can double. CNN partnered with fundraising platform Pledge to enable donors to support this year’s recipients. Donations made by January 4th will be matched dollar for dollar by the Elevate Prize Foundation. You can learn more and support our heroes today at CNN.com/Heroes. You can also follow Elevate Priority Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Know someone you think should be a CNN Hero? Nominations for the 2026 CNN Heroes are being accepted at CNN.com/Heroes. Please fill out the form to share their amazing work. They could be the next CNN Hero of the Year.
CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute will be available on-demand to subscribers of CNN’s streaming services and pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN Connected TV and mobile apps, and cable operator platforms starting Sunday, Dec. 7.
