SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — A San Diego veterinarian who provides free pet care to the pets of hundreds of unhoused people across Southern California was named CNN’s 2023 “Hero of the Year” on Sunday.
Dr. Kwane Stewart, who founded the nonprofit “Project Street Vet” with his brother, was announced as one of 10 finalists for the annual honor earlier this year.
From the finalists, online voters were able to select the individual they deem most inspiring. Whoever takes the top spot is recognized as the “Hero of the Year,” receiving a $100,000 prize and an additional $300,000 from the Elevate Prize Foundation to put towards their work.
Stewart came out on top in a first for the decades-old award. But what made the night historic was the remarkable decision the veterinarian made after he was appointed winner: he opted to split the prize money evenly with the other finalists.
“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?’” Stewart said in his acceptance speech. “I think the answer, at least for me, the answer is in the question: What does it mean to be human? And I believe it is humanity.”
“It’s looking out for each other, believing in each other, helping one another, and all of these people embody that,” he continued, gesturing to the other finalists on the stage. “This part certainly wasn’t planned, but the $100,000 I want to celebrate with all of you. It splits evenly ten ways pretty nicely, so it is my contribution to all of us.”
“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.”
His full acceptance speech can be viewed on CNN’s YouTube.
Stewart has volunteered his time to travel city streets across California to provide pro bono, “street vet work” for more than a decade — something he began doing after a five-year tenure working in a shelter in an underserved part of the state.
Working at the shelter, he recalled, almost made him quit the profession all together, given the pain of seeing dozens of euthanasias over the years. His life changed when he met an unhoused veteran with a flea-infested dog while on a coffee run to a local 7-Eleven.
“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.
In 2015, he moved to San Diego and continued his work, primarily on the streets of the East Village. Five years later, in 2020, Stewart and his brother founded Project Street Vet.
The nonprofit now has a team of veterinarians and nurses that travel the state to offer no-charge care to the pets of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. While their primary service is “street vet work,” Project Street Vet also offers free pet clinics and financial assistance.
“I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian my whole life, since I was a child … I’m so lucky to be doing what I am doing,” Stewart said on Sunday. “An act of kindness can change your day, change someone’s day. An act or gesture of kindness can change somebody’s life.”