Montana News

McCarthy in heady company, CNN awards top Hero of the Year to Basnet

Posted: Dec 2, 2012 10:02 PM by MTN News
Updated: Dec 3, 2012 8:44 AM

Butte's Leo McCarthy was honored by CNN as one of 2012 Hero of the Year on Sunday night, but didn't capture the top spot.

Pushpa Basnet, a Nepalese woman who supports children so they don't have to live behind bars with their parents, was named the 2012 CNN Hero of the Year.

McCarthy was one of 10 finalists for the honor of being named Hero of the Year.

The path that led McCarthy to international notice started with a tragedy.

His daughter, Mariah Daye McCarthy was tragically killed on October 28, 2007, by an underage driver who had been drinking. At the funeral services Mariah's father, Leo, issued a challenge to the Butte community and especially to Butte's young people.

"Let's prevent drinking and destructive decisions from taking any more of Butte's most valuable asset - its youth."

In memory of his daughter, McCarthy started Mariah's Challenge. The nonprofit gives college scholarships to teenagers who pledge not to drink while they're underage. Nearly $150,000 in scholarship money has been awarded.

According to CNN, each of the Top 10 CNN Heroes received $50,000 in recognition of their work, and Basnet's nonprofit, the Early Childhood Development Center, will receive an additional $250,000 grant.

For more information on CNN's Hero of the Year, click here.