Efren Peñaflorida was nominated for CNN’S 2009 Hero of the Year several weeks ago. He was nominated for he started a “pushcart classroom” in the Philippines to bring education to poor children and to move them away from being a gang member.

Today, CNN announced the winner and awarded to our beloved Efren Peñaflorida. He will receive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company and was selected after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 2.75 million votes were cast.