Each year, CNN names a “Hero of the Year” to recognize Americans who are going above and beyond to help others. This year that title goes to Chad Pregracke, an Illinois man who is committed to cleaning up the Mississippi River and other U.S. waterways through his non-profit organization, Living Lands & Waters. Pregracke was recognized recently during the television program “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” along with other named heroes to honor “everyday people doing extraordinary things to help change the world.”

According to an article on CNN.com’s website, through his non-profit organization, Pregracke organizes community cleanups throughout the country to collect trash in and along rivers. Spending nine months a year living on a barge with a crew, they travel the country organizing volunteers in each city they arrive in to collect trash from a local riverway.

We honor others that are doing such precious work; keeping our rivers clean is keeping our water supplies clean.