Beliefnet.com is seeking online votes for “The Most Inspiring Person of the Year.” Visitors can vote by going to Beliefnet’s Web site.
Nominees for Beliefnet’s 2007 Most Inspiring Person of the Year are:
-Liviu LibrescuâÂ?Â?Self-sacrificing professor at Virginia Tech
Holocaust survivor and engineering professor Liviu Librescu threw his body between his students and a gunman blasting his way into the classroom
-Wesley AutreyâÂ?Â?New York City’s subway superhero
When a man having a seizure fell onto the city’s subway tracks before an oncoming train, a complete stranger named Wesley Autrey dove to his rescue
-Majora CarterâÂ?Â?Environmental advocate for the urban poor
A lifelong resident of the South Bronx, Carter works to empower residents of New York City’s poorest borough to create a greener, healthier environment
-Maj. Scott SouthworthâÂ?Â?Soldier and adoptive father of an Iraqi orphan
When Maj. Scott Southworth of the Wisconsin National Guard volunteered at a Baghdad orphanage in 2003, he never expected that he would become a dad to one of the children and help many others
-Coach Tony DungyâÂ?Â?2007 Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts Coach
A devoted Christian who overcame personal tragedy, Dungy led the NFL team to a Super Bowl victory, the first African-American coach to win this honor
-Angelina JolieâÂ?Â?Celebrity advocate for the youngest war victims
This actress’s humanitarian work and foundation continuously give hope to some of the world’s poorest families
-Coach Luma MuflehâÂ?Â?Champion for refugee children
An immigrant from Jordan, Coach Mufleh founded a soccer team for low-income kids who came to the U.S. from war-ravaged lands; her help continues off the field
-Don CheadleâÂ?Â?Actor and activist for Darfur
After his groundbreaking movie role in “Hotel Rwanda,” Cheadle became a leading advocate bringing attention to genocide in Darfur, through personal involvement and by producing a documentary and book about the crisis
-Dr. Catherine HamlinâÂ?Â?Healer of damaged women
At 83, Dr. Catherine Hamlin is continuing her life’s workâÂ?Â?helping women in Ethiopia get a second chance at life by repairing fistulas, the devastating internal injury that afflicts many after childbirth
-Barbara MorganâÂ?Â?Astronaut and teacher-in-space
Teacher Barbara Morgan watched in horror as the Challenger blew up with her friend and fellow teacher Christa McAuliffe aboard. Undaunted, she waited another 22 years for her chance to fulfill their dream of teaching from space
Last year’s honor went to the entire Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania in acknowledgement of their remarkable spirit of forgiveness in reaction to the murder of five young girls in their tight-knit community.
