Magdalena, Colombia (CNN) - To the unaccustomed eye, a man toting 120 books while riding a stubborn donkey would seem nothing short of a circus spectacle. But for hundreds of children in the rural villages of Colombia, Luis Soriano is far from a clown. He is a man with a mission to save rural children from illiteracy.

"There was a time when many people thought that I was going crazy," said Soriano, a native of La Gloria, Colombia. "They'd yell, 'Carnival season is over.' ... Now I've overcome that."

Soriano, 38, is a primary school teacher who spends his free time operating a "biblioburro," a mobile library on donkeys that offers reading education for hundreds of children living in what he describes as "abandoned regions" in the Colombian state of Magdalena. FULL STORY

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes

By Erika Clarke, CNN

San Diego, California (CNN) - Twenty-four weeks pregnant, Veronica Pacheco went to the emergency room last October with a hacking cough that made it hard to breathe. Tests found she had H1N1 flu, and doctors put her in a coma so her body could continue the gestational process without expending additional energy.

"My life changed forever after that," Pacheco said.

Six weeks later - 10 weeks before full term - her unborn baby's vital signs dropped and doctors performed an emergency C-section.

"When I woke up, my husband said, 'We had to take out the baby' and I immediately clutched my stomach, fearing the worst," she said. "But he settled me down and [said], 'He's OK, he's down in the NICU."

Born 2½ months early, Noah Pacheco weighed less than 3 pounds and was immediately put in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) - a vital step for premature babies but often financially and emotionally stressful for families.

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes

The Pachecos found some relief with the help of Dr. Sean Daneshmand and his nonprofit Miracle Babies. The group provides financial assistance for items such as housing and medical expenses, baby supplies and transportation costs. Read more

By Allie Brown, CNN

Vershire, Vermont (CNN) – Armed with a law degree, an SUV that serves as a mobile office and her own harrowing personal history, 58-year-old trucker-turned-lawyer Wynona Ward navigates the back roads of rural Vermont.

Her mission: to aid victims of domestic violence.

Ward is the founder of Have Justice Will Travel, a group that works to end the generational cycle of abuse by giving free legal representation and support services to isolated - and often desperate - low-income people and their children.

"For domestic violence victims in rural areas, it can be very devastating," Ward said. "They're out there on these back roads, with no access to in-town services. Many do not have telephones; some do not have a driver's license or automobile. So we go to them." FULL STORY

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes

By Allie Brown, CNN

Alpharetta, Georgia (CNN) - A disease that Mackenzie Bearup compares to a bomb going off in her knee prompted the 16-year-old to seek escape in the comfort of reading. Now she's helping thousands of troubled children soothe their own pain - within the pages of donated books.

"When I read, it's a real escape," Bearup says. "I try to take myself into the book instead of in the real world where I'm in so much pain."

Her personal discovery that books could be used to ease discomfort was an idea that Bearup ultimately chose to share with homeless and abused children throughout the country.

Bearup's journey began six years ago when she was jumping on a bed and dancing to TV's "American Idol." Suddenly her knee started "hurting unexplainably, extremely bad," she recalls. The next day, the fifth grader's knee swelled to the size of a grapefruit. After a week on crutches, it was even worse. Her knee collapsed when she tried to walk. FULL STORY

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes

By Danielle Berger, CNN

Madurai, India (CNN) - Naryanan Krishnan was a bright, young, award-winning chef with a five-star hotel group, short-listed for an elite job in Switzerland. But a quick family visit home before heading to Europe changed everything.

"I saw a very old man [eating] his own human waste for hunger," Krishnan said. "It really hurt me so much. I was literally shocked for a second. After that, I started feeding that man and decided this is what I should do the rest of my lifetime."

Krishnan was visiting a temple in the south Indian city of Madurai in 2002 when he saw the man under a bridge. Haunted by the image, Krishnan quit his job within the week and returned home for good, convinced of his new destiny.

"That spark and that inspiration is a driving force still inside me as a flame - to serve all the mentally ill destitutes and people who cannot take care of themselves," Krishnan said.

Krishnan founded his nonprofit Akshaya Trust in 2003. Now 29, he has served more than 1.2 million meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - to India's homeless and destitute, mostly elderly people abandoned by their families and often abused. FULL STORY

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes

Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes