Mendham's Maggie Doyne Named CNN Hero Of The Year

She wasn’t fully removed from her table before tears of joy – and astonishment – began streaming down her face.

Maggie Doyne, the 18-year-old, wide-eyed Mendham High School graduate set off on a journey she could have never predicted, building an orphanage and school in Nepal.

A decade later, she has been named CNN’s Hero Of The Year.

The accolade joins a list of achievements Doyne and her nonprofit organization, BlinkNow, have received in the last 10 years, including recognition from the Dalai Lama.

Doyne left Mendham to travel the world and came across an impoverished land, filled with those in need. An epiphany struck, and Doyne called home asking her parents to wire over $5,000 of saved babysitting earnings.

And so the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and orphanage in Nepal was born, and Doyne, now 28, is the legal guardian to 50 children.

Ten do-gooders from around the globe were nominated for this year’s CNN honor and was chosen through an online vote. The BlinkNow foundation will receive $100,000, and all nominees, including Doyne, will receive $10,000 each for being named to the top 10, cnn.com reported.

In a journal entry posted late Tuesday night after the announcement, blinknow.org thanked its supporters:

WOW! We did it! You did it! We won the incredible honor of CNN Hero of the Year for 2015! Thank you so much to everyone who helped us reach this point!

Words are failing us right now. Can’t really believe how far we’ve come and what an amazing journey this has been. We are so grateful for all of you and your amazing support. Your votes, your tireless dedication, not only for CNN Heroes but for everything we do every day, everything we’ve been doing every day for years - having your by our side is the most amazing gift of all. THANK YOU!

See the reaction of children at Kopila Valley when they learn the great news:

Photo Courtesy BlinkNow