I wasn't surprised to see Stephen, Brandi and Cameron in the finals. The three of them grew as givers as the competition progressed, so they earned their spots. But picking a winner was hard for me. Brandi and Cameron definitely gave Stephen a run for his money.

Brandi understood simple acts of kindness. It was like she was giving out rays of sunshine! I know I've said it before, but you don't have to do huge things. I believe in that so wholeheartedly. Given that this show was a competition with different rules each week, Brandi showed that she could come up with every type of giving.

And Cameron was a dynamo! After his turning point in Atlanta he seemed unstoppable. His ability to raise money and execute when it came to corporate donors was remarkable, especially given his age.

We deliberated a long time before making the final decision. But I feel very comfortable with our decision that Stephen was the winner. He was like a shining star from the very first challenge. But I didn't know what he was going to get! When Oprah told the contestants, she told the judges too. And it was a million dollars with a twist—Stephen was asked to use half of that money to give back. It's incredible, and I'm so proud to be involved with a show like that.

For me, what's been especially wonderful has been receiving emails from people all over the country telling me about the wonderful things they've started doing in their own communities. Since I've worked in the nonprofit world for so long, I have a pretty vast knowledge of organizations that do good work. I'm so glad that now I can be a resource for people who want to start their own Big Gives. That's been the greatest pleasure for me, so thank you.

This episode resonated with me on a very personal level. While it was filming, I too was in the midst of helping to fulfill the wish of a dying parent. A friend of mine was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive sub-type of breast cancer, in 2005. After her diagnosis, a group of women helped her start the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation in hopes of raising awareness and supporting research about detection and treatment of the disease. When I got involved, the foundation was having trouble raising money, so I offered to use my resources as a fundraiser to help. In June 2007, I helped throw the foundation's first fundraiser and we raised $235,000. There were two beautiful things about this event: first of all, the organization used the money in such a smart way. They held the first ever triple negative breast cancer symposium. Secondly, my friend was able to attend the event, and she died two months later knowing that the foundation she dreamed of was finally thriving. Her wish was fulfilled. I consider myself tremendously blessed to have been a part of that moment, and to maybe have played a small part in ensuring that she died with a little bit more peace of mind. So while the contestants were filming Operation Big Dreams, I was working on the Triple Negative fundraiser in my home, and I was going through the same things they were going through. For me, it was a moment of "There before the grace of God go I." That could've been me - my friend was the same age as I was, with a daughter the same age as mine. I imagine Stephen may have had those same sentiments when he met Mike - here's another family man with daughters, it just as easily could have been him. It's an incredibly powerful experience. To everyone who watched the show tonight - if you have a family member or a friend who is having health problems, see if there is something you can do to fulfill a wish for them or to lighten their load. That might just mean taking their child to ballet class or hosting a play date. It could be anything. But do whatever you can to grant them that sense of peace. You won't just be helping them, I can honestly promise that you will be a changed person for having done it. There's nothing more meaningful than helping someone through their final days. As you can tell I was deeply affected by this episode. How could you not be? But I also can't wait for next week, when things lighten up a bit with a drop-in from John Travolta! I just love that the celebrities are all coming out to support our Big Give mission. I always say, service is the rent you pay for living. And it's so cool that society is beginning to embrace that!