Quilen Blackwell, whose nonprofit ‘farm-to-vase’ flower shop employs at-risk youth, is CNN’s Hero of the Year

CNN By Kathleen Toner, CNN New York (CNN) — Quilen Blackwell, whose nonprofit transforms vacant lots on Chicago’s South Side into flower farms that employ at-risk young people to grow, arrange and sell the flowers, is the 2025 CNN Hero of the Year. Online voters selected him from this year’s Top 5 CNN Heroes, everyday