DALLAS — Stephen Knight, founder of a Dallas-based nonprofit that provides foster care for dogs while their owners are in rehab, was voted the 2024 CNN Hero of the Year.
Knight was up against four other people from across the world selected for their contributions to their communities, and online voters chose him to win the award.
In 2015, Knight founded Dogs Matter because he saw a need for a program that provided people struggling with addiction a place for their dogs while they received treatment.
Dogs Matter’s mission is “to provide and promote a safe and healthy environment for pets of recovering addicts and alcoholics,” according to its website.
Knight works as a substance abuse counselor after he himself struggled with a meth addiction. In 2011, Knight entered rehab at the age of 51.
“He had lost everything to meth addiction—his family, his job, his home, and nearly his life. HIV positive, and living out of his car, Knight entered rehab at the behest of his mother,” the CNN profile on Knight said.
The article went on to say that during his recovery, a friend came to him in tears after she had relapsed, worried that no one would take her dog, Jayde.
“I looked at Jayde, and we looked at each other,” Knight told CNN. “It was one of the most spiritual moments, like ‘I think we might need each other here.’”
Since then, Knight and his organization have helped more than 1,200 dogs and their owners, and he has hopes of bringing his model across the country.
Last year, Dogs Matter became a department of Dallas Pets Alive (DPA)—a rescue organization and nonprofit—further expanding the nonprofit’s impact and resources in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“I share this award with Jayde. She’s the reason why I did this,” Knight said when he accepted the award with Jayde nearby in the arms of Laura Coates, one of the presenters. “One act of kindness and then to have that dream and that goal to be able to help others and do one step at a time to get there. And…1,200 dogs later it’s amazing. It’s just beginning too.”
For winning CNN Hero of the Year, Knight will receive $100,000 for Dogs Matter, along with a $10,000 cash prize and $50,000 from the Elevate Prize Foundation. Elevate will also provide donation-matching up to $50,000 through its GoFundMe page. As of Friday morning, Knight’s GoFundMe has received over $19,700.
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