Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

Maria Ruiz with El Paso Mayor John Cook

EL PASO - El Pasoan Maria Ruiz, one of 10 finalists for CNN's Hero of the Year, did not win the top prize, according to a report on CNN.com Sunday morning.
Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, has been named the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year, according to a story on CNN.com.

McCartney, of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, received the honor at Saturday night's taping of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The telecast airs at 7 p.m. MST on Thanksgiving, Nov. 27 on the global networks of CNN.

McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than one million votes were cast.

The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 3,700 viewer nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter, according to the CNN report. Each of the top 10 Heroes receives $25,000.

Disney starlet Selena Gomez awarded Ruiz her Hero award Saturday night.

Ruiz was nominated by Sandy Horine of Cincinnati who met Ruiz during a trip to Juárez with her church.

In 1996, Ruiz began providing food to about 1,200 children a day at a Juárez school.

After three years, the businesses she depended on for donations shut down, but with the help of her husband, Jesus, she set up the ministry JEM, or Jesus Es Mana, and began distributing food, clothing, Maria Ruiz received a congratulatory hug from El Paso Mayor John Cook after Cook presented her with a proclamation at a hero rally Wednesday at City Hall.

The Ruiz family, joined by their two children, are now building an orphanage for 100 children, a kitchen big enough to feed 500 people and a trade school.

As a finalist for the CNN award, she will receive $25,000, which will be used to pour concrete for the orphanage, said Jesus Ruiz.

Although Maria Ruiz has been humbled by the award and the increased attention surrounding her good deeds, she hopes her story will inspire other El Pasoans.

"This has brought about a lot of awareness," Ruiz said on Wednesday. "We all can make a difference."

Ruiz said she was surprised by the nomination and appreciates the accolades, but her main satisfaction comes from seeing the faces of those she has helped.

"Spiritually, I'm blessed," Ruiz said. "Never did I think this would be this big. I know it's God's will."

The Ruiz family will spend Thanksgiving Day working toward their cause. Jesus Ruiz said the family would spend the day in Juárez preparing and serving dinner to the needy.

"We'll be cooking turkeys, even though it's not a holiday there. We do it every year," Jesus Ruiz said on Wednesday. "This year we'll have a few extra turkeys.