NonProfit Olympian Kim Carter Brings Home the Silver Not the Gold

By: Vanessa Perez

Community Writer

Photo Courtesy of:

Vanessa Perez

Photo Description:

Kim Carter stands with actress Taylor Schilling from hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black.

On Nov. 17, at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan New York, Inland Empire's own Kim Carter of the Time for Change Foundation was honored as one of CNN's Top 10 Heroes in the world. The event was filled with the ambiance of excitement and joy as each honoree was given the celebrity treatment for the day. According to Kim Carter, Founder and Executive Director, of Time for Change Foundation, "This experience was so surreal! Walking the Red Carpet and riding in luxury with hair and make-up glam squads at my disposal was definitely overwhelming, and all I could think about was I wish the women from my shelters could be here." Many celebrities were in attendance including Sharon Stone, Kelly Rippa and her husband, Neil Patrick Harris, and Andra Day to name a few. The highlight of the evening came when Actress Taylor Schilling from the show Orange is the New Black, presented Kim Carter with the Top 10 Hero Award. Kim reminded everyone that her motivation to help women reclaim their children is directly attributed to the pain that she carries from being absent in her daughter Missy's early years of life. As anticipation mounted during the night, Anderson Cooper received the honor of opening the envelope and announcing the CNN Hero of the Year. While all of the top 10 heroes are doing amazing work, the world was asked to go online and vote for one to become CNN Hero of the Year. Maggie Doyne, who traveled the world at 16-years-old after graduating high school, found herself compelled to help the war-torn country of Nepal and started an orphanage and later co-founded a school was selected as the winner. Each honoree will be awarded $10,000 and the Hero of the Year will receive an additional $100,000. Like Kim Carter stated, "We are grateful that we made it this far," she likened this experience as going to the non-profit Olympics and bringing home the silver. "My life will be forever changed because of this experience and I'm so elated that Subaru has pledged $500,000 in matching funds to all 10 of our organizations." This means that if community members choose to donate to Time for Change through the CNN online portal, from now through Dec. 31, 2015, the donated funds will be matched, with no processing fees, for them or the organization. To donate, visit http://www.cnn.com/donations/kim-carter.html. The CNN Heroes Tribute Show will air on CNN on Dec. 6 at 5 p.m.