Cavite City , Philippines ( CNN ) -- Not many people recognized Efren Peñaflorida as he left the Philippines last fall to attend a Hollywood gala for CNN Heroes . But when Peñaflorida returned from the event as CNN 's Hero of the Year , he was greeted by hundreds of screaming fans at the airport in Manila . `` The moment we got home , I ... seemed to have become a celebrity , '' he said . Peñaflorida was honored for creating mobile `` pushcart classrooms , '' carts stocked with books , chalkboards and other supplies , that bring education to poor children in the Philippines . Since 1997 , he and more than 12,000 teenage volunteers have taught basic reading and writing skills to more than 1,800 children living on the streets . `` The award and the title [ are ] really significant , '' said Peñaflorida , 29 . `` It gave me and my co-volunteers an affirmation that what we are doing is a worthy cause . '' The plaudits did n't stop there . Back home , parades were arranged in both Manila and Cavite City , where Peñaflorida was born and raised . And then-President Gloria Arroyo conferred him with the Order of Lakandula -- one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a Filipino civilian -- for his dedication to the welfare of society . `` I received the medal but shared the honor with my co-volunteers , my mentor and the children we reach out to , '' he said . `` The government heads received an instruction from the president to have the pushcart schools replicated all over the country . '' With Peñaflorida 's consultation , the pushcart classroom model started by his nonprofit organization , Dynamic Teen Company , has been replicated more than 50 times by different organizations and institutions across the Philippines . And according to Peñaflorida , more classrooms are pending as President Benigno Aquino 's administration reviews plans to expand the infrastructure of the mobile classroom system . `` The duplication of the pushcart school system ... is happening now in different provinces and regions of the country , and we receive numerous letters from other parts of the world , '' Peñaflorida said . `` Filipinos have become more aware of the need for these children to be educated , fed and taken care of . Before , they saw [ a pushcart ] as a symbol of poverty , but now they see a pushcart as a symbol of hope and education . '' In Cavite City , construction is nearly complete on the Dynamic Teen Company 's new educational center , which is designed to resemble the iconic pushcart . Partially funded by the CNN Heroes grant of $ 125,000 , the educational center will include a computer lab , a library , a health clinic , a kitchen used for feeding programs and a garage to store the pushcarts . `` We will call it Care for Poor Children Learning Center , where children will experience having a place to exercise their rights freely and learn life-changing principles , '' Peñaflorida said . `` It is intended to be finished by early next year ... and [ it ] shall be able to serve hundreds of kids . '' Peñaflorida says he knows firsthand what these children lack . He spent his childhood in a shanty near a dump site in Cavite City . He founded his organization to provide impoverished children an empowering alternative to gang induction . `` They need education to be successful in life , '' he said . `` It 's just giving them what others gave to me . '' Peñaflorida 's selflessness has inspired documentaries and TV movies about his life in the Philippines and several other countries , including Japan , Korea , Germany , Spain and Canada . Recently , he was invited to bear the torch at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore . And he can be seen hosting his own search for heroes on the Philippine television show `` Ako Mismo '' ( `` I Myself '' ) . The show features people working in the Philippines to better the lives of others . `` I was told ... that they came up with this TV show inspired by the speech I gave at the Kodak Theater , that each person has a hidden hero within ... waiting to be unleashed , '' he said . `` Since I was instrumental in the concept , I must live up to the principles I share and help our country find its heroes and probably help our nation heal herself . '' November 22 will be Efren Peñaflorida Day in Cavite City , but Peñaflorida will likely miss the celebration as he plans to be back in Hollywood honoring this year 's CNN Heroes . `` They are all awesome , '' he said . `` The works of those 25 souls are so inspiring and truly remarkable . I personally salute them all . '' The 2010 Top Ten CNN Heroes will be announced Thursday , September 23 at 1 p.m. on CNN.com . At that time , online voting will begin to select the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year . The Hero of the Year will be revealed Thanksgiving night during `` CNN Heroes : An All-Star Tribute , '' hosted by Anderson Cooper at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles , California .
Efren Peñaflorida was named a Hero of the Year at a Hollywood event in 2009 . He started a nonprofit organization that helps poor children in the Philippines . Since being named Hero of the Year , ` ` pushcart classrooms '' have spread across the country . He has also become famous ; he hosts a TV show that celebrates selfless service .