Impact Your World Special and Year in Review

CNN to Air First "Impact Your World" Special

CNN release a press release about this upcoming special.

CNN announced that the first special from its “Impact Your World” initiative will air on Monday December 24th at 10pm ET and be about the story of Youssif, the Iraqi boy who was set on fire.
Born in Baghdad only seven months before the start of the war in Iraq, Youssif knew only a world of unpredictable violence. And yet, his family described him as happy and energetic with dreams of becoming a doctor. All that changed in January when three masked assailants doused Youssif in gasoline, set him on fire and left a scarred and traumatized boy.

Rescuing Youssif, the first television special related to CNN’s ongoing “Impact Your World” initiative, not only documents Youssif’s recovery but reveals how the network’s global audience embraced the story and offered money and support to speed his treatment. Impact Your World – Rescuing Youssif will premiere on Monday, Dec. 24, at 10 p.m., with replays on Tuesday, Dec. 25, at 1a.m. and 4 a.m. All times Eastern.CNN’s Baghdad correspondent Arwa Damon first brought the story of Youssif’s plight to the world in August, reporting that treatment at a local hospital was second-rate and painful for Youssif. Youssif’s mother, Zaineb, movingly described how the dynamic personality of her son took a disheartening turn. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on Youssif’s medical progress and provides insight into his emotional and physical recovery.

Response from CNN’s global audience was immediate and overwhelming. Online, the story became the single most-visited non-breaking news story in CNN.com’s 12-year history, with nearly 4 million page views within two days.

News of Youssif’s plight surfaced two months after CNN developed its Impact Your World initiative, a multi-platform effort to empower its global audience to make a difference in response to the stories they see online and on air. Through Impact Your World, more than 13,000 people from around the world contributed more than $300,000 to the Children’s Burn Foundation, allowing Youssif and his family to fly to the United States for treatment.
In addition, plastic surgeon Peter Grossman donated his services for the half dozen or more surgeries Youssif required for recovery. For Rescuing Youssif, Damon and Gupta remained in close contact with Youssif’s family in order to monitor the boy’s medical progress at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles.

The documentary follows Youssif’s family as they experience a series of ‘firsts’ as they traveled and arrived in the United States, from learning how to use a toaster to seeing the ocean for the first time. It shows a Youssif breaking out of his shell and becoming, once again, a happy and energetic boy. And it reveals the generosity and concern of thousands of CNN viewers and online users.

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You know one of my favorite things about the

holiday season is those Year in Review lists. Everyone has them and CNN does not disappoint. CNN.com has come out with it's Year in Review lists for the Top Stories of 2007, the Top Showbiz Headlines of 2007 and the Top Health Stories of 2007 in a timeline format.

When you visit the Top Stories you can also vote for your top 10 stories. The stories you feel had the biggest impact on you personally or the world as a whole. Once you have voted it will compared your top 10 list with the total top 10 voted stories so far. I got three in the same order as all the other voters.

I am hoping that the other sections of CNN.com will be coming out with their own year in review.