A San Diego veterinarian who provides care to the pets of hundreds of unhoused people across Southern California was named CNN's "Hero of the Year" for 2023. He used the moment to share one more act of kindness.
Kwane Stewart, who founded "Project Street Vet" with his brother, was one of 10 finalists for the annual award that comes with a $100,000 prize and an additional $300,000 from the Elevate Prize Foundation. From the finalists, the public voted for their most inspiring hero of 2023 and Stewart took the top spot.
Within 5 minutes of receiving the award, Stewart was already thinking about how to pay it forward.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
"I am here in part because I have been willing to share and give throughout my life, there is no reason to stop doing that tonight," Stewart said in his acceptance speech.
"It's been a wonderful journey and as I get older I start thinking about those big questions in life: 'Why are we here?' 'What defines us?' Why are we human?' And I think the answer, at least for me, the answer lies in the question: What does it mean to be human? And I believe it is humanity."
"This part certainly wasn't planned but the $100,000, I want to celebrate with all of you," he said pointing to his fellow Hero Award nominees. It splits evenly, 10 ways pretty nicely. So it is my contribution to all of us."
Local
See Stewart's inspiring acceptance speech below.
Stewart wanted to be a veterinarian since he was a child, he said. He achieved his dream but things changed in 2011 when he was working at a Modesto animal shelter.
“I came this close to just quitting the veterinary profession altogether,” said Stewart. “That's what the shelter had done to me with the euthanasias and a lot going on.”
But a coffee stop at a local 7-Eleven would change it all. That's where he met an unhoused veteran with a flea-infested dog outside.
“The dog recovered remarkably and the man was just so grateful. With tears in his eyes, he just said, ‘Thank you, thank you for not ignoring me," Stewart said.
That’s when he realized he couldn’t quit. In 2015, he moved to San Diego and continued his mission on the streets of the East Village. Then in 2020, he officially founded the nonprofit. Now, he has a group of volunteer vets and nurses who share his mission and help him provide care all across the U.S.
"An act of kidness can change somebody's day. An act or gesture of kindness can change somebody's life," the newly appointed hero of 2023 concluded.
