Chattanooga's Jordan Thomas was one of the CNN Heroes honored at a gala in Hollywood on Saturday night.
He had hoped to earn a $100,000 prize for his foundation to aid children who need prosthetics, but Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, was named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.
CNN's Anderson Cooper made the presentation at the conclusion of the third-annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" at the Kodak Theatre.
The event, taped before an audience of 3,000, will be shown on Thanksgiving at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the global networks of CNN.
The broadcast, which honors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009, features performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis.
Peñaflorida, who will receive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company, was selected after seven weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 2.75 million votes were cast.
"Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry," Peñaflorida said upon accepting the honor. "Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.
The top 10 CNN Heroes, chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 9,000 viewer nominations, were each honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Each of the top 10 Heroes receives $25,000.
Jordan Thomas, 20, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.