Everyday Hero Stories

Where did your values come from?

We've all had people in our lives who have made a positive impact on us. A parent or grandparent, a sibling who was there for us, or maybe even just a guy who shines shoes for a living? Whoever they are, tell us their story so they can inspire us even more.

Tell Us Your Story
VISION
JACK O Jack is 36 and has ALS - a fatal disease of the motor neurons which causes paralysis of the voluntary muscles of the body. When Jack was diagnosed, the neurologist told him there was nothing that he could do since there is no treatment or cure for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). At that point, Jack...
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HUMILITY
MARSHA G The influence of Marsha undoubtedly is a timely masterpiece that has become a benchmark classic in community upliftment. A leader with the spirit of a forerunner, a nation builder, a risk taker like no other I know, she definitely breaks the mould of poverty. A first rate communicator that restores countless...
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UNITY
LACEY C Lacey stood up and told her story. "It was our chance to be in the championship game the next day. If we lost, we'd be automatically eliminated from the competition. It just so happened that our regular coach, Bird, couldn't make it because she had to coach another event. So we had to have another staff member...
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TRUST
ROBERT W Mr. W. was my P.E. teacher and basketball coach. When he arrived at my school, I was going into year 9 and heavily lacking direction. I was part of a big social group which involved a lot of mischief and I was easily lead into situations that would get me into a lot of trouble. one day, when we were in a fitness...
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PEACE
DARRYL O Darryl is a remarkable young man in which I have been very blessed to come across with in my life. He is a very hardworking and dedicated man who has devoted his life to helping others. Darryl currently works with special needs children and has become friends with my special needs son. He is a person who see...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
CLARA T-C Known as Mrs. T.C. to her many fans, she is the epitome of a teacher. I have worked with her for the last seven years and seen her go above and beyond for many children. Going to their homes, sometimes providing safe space for them to live in during a crisis, supporting them in outside activities, and keeping in...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
DANIELLE C My heroine is my 9-year-old niece, Danielle. Recently she moved to Indiana to live with her mother for the school year. In the last three months that I have spent time with her, she has taught me more about life than she can imagine. I thought this kid could use some help in life with learning values and help...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
ERIN F Erin is an amazing teacher who goes the extra mile for her students. She is also and amazing wife and friend. She is always looking for the good things in life and encouraging me and others to good things with our life.
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
MY PARENTS They have been married for 27 years. They have raised two beautiful daughters, me being one of course. They never let the harsh realities of the world be brought into their home; yet educated us in what "is out there in the big bad world." My mom was one of seven kids, and had to work hard for everything. My...
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HELPING OTHERS
CRAIG H I would like to nominate my husband as a hero, not only because he is a wonderful husband, but also because he is a great friend. Craig is a high school History teacher, basketball coach, student advisor and shooting team coach. He is also active in his community though his church and local fire department. He is...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
KALLIE S Kallie is a high school student. She is an amazingly positive and influential young person. She always encourages others and offers comfort, advice, or just a smile to others. She is an excellent student, taking AP courses. She is on the school newspaper as well as the school's closed-circuit morning news. She...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
FU L Fu - this man is a true hero. I've watched him everyday, as he gets up early to go to his difficult and dangerous job and then comes homes with burns and bruises to make dinner for his kids. His kids aren't the easiest kids to handle. He has a selfish, hot-tempered 17-year-old son and a lazy, very messy...
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STRENGTH
BARBARA B My mother is my greatest hero! In 2000 she was diagnosed with metastasis cancer and told by her oncologist that she wouldn't see the end of the year. I was 16 and an awful teenager at the time. Not only did she straighten me out, but she still fights cancer to this very day. Emotionally and physically, she is the...
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STRENGTH
VICKI M He died when I was 10 - he committed suicide. I remember when my mum told me, I was playing the computer and a policeman came to our door and knock. Mum went out and the man said something, then mum started to cry. That was when I remember thinking 'something's happened to dad.' Mum has always said that she was...
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RESPECT
DR. SUZANNE B-L Dr. B-L is a Professor of History in New Mexico. The strength she has exhibited in her classroom is amazing. She has an unbelievable passion for teaching, learning, and living and has more than earned the respect her students have for her. While teaching a few years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer....
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STRENGTH
CINDY H Cindy is a mother of two deaf children who were diagnosed with a disease that causes them to have seizures. So along with caring for her two children she takes the time out of her day to run a club that helps women and children in distress along with being the deaf and hard-of-hearing. While not volunteering for...
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COURAGE
DARLEEN W "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do," is what Eleanor Roosevelt once said. I am not sure of the context in which she spoke these words, but had she known my mother, they would have...
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COURAGE
ABRAM P Abram is my husband and my hero. He's a New Orleans Police Officer who has been through so much. Yet still, he stays strong, courageous and dedicated. His job has always been tough. He works in the most crime-stricken parts of New Orleans and he has to deal with a lot of traumatic situations - shootings, abuse,...
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CHARACTER
MINNIE MAE B My hero is 92 years young. She has the vigor and wit of a person in their seventies. Her charm and personality have won the hearts of family and friends for many years. Today she is the neighborhood queen for four young boys between the ages of four and ten years of age. She bakes cookies and gives them candy in...
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HELPING OTHERS
JILLIAN B I want to nominate my friend Jillian. A few years ago, Jillian overcame her battle with cancer. Since then, she has been on a mission to help others using her skills and gifts as an athlete. Jillian was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Wing Chun before she got sick, but after she got well, Jillian began...
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CHARACTER
ASHLEY T My niece Ashley inspires me every single day. She was born four months premature. We were told she wouldn't make it and if she did that she would suffer brain damage. She's now 19 and let me just tell you, she has no brain damage. She's very smart! A straight 'A' student all through school. She has a terrific...
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SACRIFICE
SHAWN LEE C I love my mom with all my heart and she has a great soul and spirit. She has been through a lot in life but she never gives up. People try to bring her down but she stays above them. My mother is my inspiration and hope. I love her so much and appreciate her so much. I just wish there was a way to show her how...
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GENEROSITY
AMBIE E Ambie is my hero because she is the nicest person that I know. She is always looking out for others and trying to help everyone in any way she can. She's always doing charity work and attending church events. Which I find amazing how she finds time between volunteering at local animal shelters and disability...
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COMPASSION
JEANNE N Jeanne is a high school teacher at a local high school, and head of the student volunteer group, Project SHARE. For the past seventeen years, she has been bringing students into New York City to distribute bag lunches, blankets and clothing to the homeless. Many of the homeless in New York City know Jeanne or...
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APPRECIATION
PATRICK D Throughout all my life my father, Patrick, has taught me to share whatever I have with others. Even through family death and bankruptcy, he never changed his character. Every time my friends visit the house, my father is always the first to offer them gifts or help. While Patrick doesn't have much, he enjoys what...
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GENEROSITY
LOIS AND BILL C Bill is a retired engineer. Lois, Bill's wife, has been a homemaker. They are fairly ordinary people with little notable achievements. Yet they remain my heroes. When he turned 18, Bill was drafted to serve in Korea from 1948 t 1949 as an Army engineer. He was lucky enough to leave Korea before the Korean War...
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HELPING OTHERS
ELAINE N Elaine is a 34-year-old single mother to over 50 children. She has one biological child, four adopted children, 3 of which have disabilities, and she has been a foster mother to over 50 kids including me. At the age of 24, she became a foster parent and began taking in teenagers nobody wanted. One of those...
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GENEROSITY
KEGAN AND TAYLOR B After a very difficult divorce last year, I decided to sell my home and move closer to my parents. While I was packing, my home caught fire because of a mistake I made by placing a box too close to a heater. My children's bedrooms were the most badly damaged in the fire. They lost everything. The insurance...
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GIVING BACK
DONNA H When the transitional shelter for children opened around the block from my house, my mom wanted to help the children who were placed there. So she started a program to teach kids quilting. Not only are they able to express themselves creatively, but they are able to create something they can keep. Many of these...
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GIVING BACK
HELEN C A Helen has dedicated her life to serving humanity. She is a founding member of the Halfway House Movement, which now has six refuges across the city and of the St. Paul Area Development Corporation (SPADC), an all-volunteer, charitable organization. She is a former National "Social Worker of the Year" and Raymond...
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GIVING BACK
SERGEANT FIRST CLASS KELLY N SFC Kelly N. was one of my Drill Sergeants in Army Basic Training. As can be expected, she was extremely tough... but she also taught us recruits our place and instilled that crucial sense of discipline and respect for those superior to us. She is my hero because she taught me my true calling/place in the...
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GIVING BACK
DONALD D Don is my hero not only for the courage and faith demonstrated while he was dying of cancer, but more for the courage and faith demonstrated by his service to the Lord. He gave his all - serving the people of Haiti. He established a 24/7 emergency medical clinic treating burns, a food program feeding over 5,000...
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HELPING OTHERS
JENA S Jena is the 2005 Miss Junior National Teenager and is a sophomore in high school. She is taking her crown, sash and title and using it to teach other teens across the nation about volunteerism and how much fun it is. For six years Jena has volunteered for the American Cancer Society and has raised over $50,000 so...
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