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
FRIENDSHIP
JESSICA L Many never see a smile to smile back at, the encouragement to be motivated with, arms to feel comfort in, nor a hero to allow you to dream. What we do is not neglected by the world, there is always someone looking and searching to reach to something better, that someone is me. Having Jessica in my life may or may...
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FRIENDSHIP
STEVE S There are many people who know the right things to do in life, but not many people who actually act on them. My brother, Steve, is an exception. He lives his life by assisting others and has recently helped a friend obtain a much-needed prosthetic leg. At the beginning of 2005, Steve's friend was stricken by two...
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FORGIVENESS
GLEN W This is the story of my youngest son, Glen, who is no longer with us. He passed away almost seven years ago and would have been almost 20 years old had he lived. He was a boy filled with belief for anyone and everyone. He couldn't find bad in anyone, he only saw the good. I learned many things from him, and after...
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COMPASSION
NOAH L Noah is an author and spiritual revolutionary. His memoir is about his life, growing up as an addict, and learning through it. He has become this amazing human being that devotes his life now to helping, and teaching others. He has changed and helped peoples' lives from all over the world from his messages of...
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REACHING OUT
LAWRENCE E After my dad passed away, Larry helped by making me a better person. He helped me grow into a new person; find myself again; and helped me to believe in myself. I think he never once stopped believing in me. We work together and he is my manager. He has also really taught me the real meaning of the word...
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HARD WORK
PHYLLIS G Phyllis is in her late 70's and has raised five (now adult) children and has several children that adore her. Her family, neighbors and friends come first. Phyllis is an alderwoman in her city and deals daily with serious issues that face the city. She is constantly spearheading street and park cleanups while...
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RIGHT CHOICES
REBECCA AND JODI L My life wasn't going well. I was going through problems and was very depressed. I had a lot of suicidal thoughts and I was really close to taking my life. I decided I had to tell someone. I decided to tell my best friend, Jodi. She then decided that it was getting too bad to keep it to herself; she had to tell...
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RIGHT CHOICES
DAVID R I think there are many heroes in the world but I definitely think my dad is one of them. Many people probably have written about their parents but my dad is definitely a hero, he has been gone for a very long time fighting the war in Iraq (he's stationed in Kuwait) and still trying to find every second to call...
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COMPASSION
CARRIE S My sister, Carrie, is my hero. I always tell people, "She's a saint." She is. For several years now, Carrie has cared for developmentally disabled people in a group home setting. She does things on a daily basis that I couldn't even imagine - changing diapers, dealing with all kinds of problems, bathing and even...
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RIGHT CHOICES
SAMANTHA-HOPE A Samantha-Hope is one of a kind. She has given everything to see that recovering alcoholics and addicts have a better day. Her work in forming the WeRecover Foundation, SoberCity, and HopeNetworks has changed the life of over nine million people to date. Samantha is known throughout the country as an unafraid...
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RIGHT CHOICES
JERESIA S Jeresia is a hero. She is a woman in her mid 20's with three children. She works full-time and goes to school full-time to enhance her knowledge and career. Her husband is in the National Guard and will soon be placed on active duty. In addition to all the demands of her everyday life, she was asked if she could...
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RIGHT CHOICES
JOSE P My dad is nothing short of a hero. He's just recently retired from a job he's loved all his life. Due to injuries in his neck and shoulder, he had to retire early. As a police officer for 25 years, my dad has seen a lot of things. A lot of things that people shouldn't have to see within a lifetime, let alone 25...
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CARING
JAN K Jan inspires everyone with her energy and enthusiasm. She has many interests, including kayaking, social justice, photography, and folk dancing. She organizes the First Congregational Church's soup kitchen night. Jan is perhaps best known for her interest in Hispanic languages and culture. She is a teacher of...
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PEACE
DR. LENNEAL H The person I would like to nominate is Dr. Lenneal H. at the University of Baltimore. Dr. H. is a remarkable person who believes in his students and their successes. I know that many might say that this is required of all professors but Dr. H. is one in a million. He encourages us to live each day as it was...
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COURAGE
TRAVIS T My hero is a 16-year-old boy named Travis. Travis has always been a kid with an amazing spirit. He always had a positive attitude and a smile on his face. His greatest love in life is sports - specifically football and he was good at it. As a freshman he played varsity special teams for the state championship...
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DETERMINATION
MICHAEL R My fiancée, Mike, turned his life around, from drugs to a degree and leads by example. A motorcycle accident left him with serious injuries. Though the bones healed, the pain resulting from this seems to be a constant companion. With determination and courage, he keeps on plugging away at his classes to get his...
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DETERMINATION
COURTNEY W She's legally blind due to being born prematurely, and has been raised by her grandmother. Despite so many hardships, she creates some of the most magnificent digital visual art I've seen. Her command of light and shadow is much better than my own, and I'm 34 and she's only 19! It takes her hours of sittings,...
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CARING
CON C My father is my hero. My father is the most caring, loyal, compassionate person that I have ever met. Several years ago he found out he has arthritis in his knees, which prevents him from doing many things. Then a few years later his hips started bothering him. He says that for seven years there has not been one...
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RIGHT CHOICES
TAMSON W M My mother has helped me in so many ways. She is always there for me. She helps me with me with homework, supports me when I am blue, and makes me feel better always.
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RIGHT CHOICES
BENJAMIN B Ben is in the Navy and works on aircraft. He works the "graveyard" shift and is very dedicated to his work. One night he was working on a helicopter and found wires wrapped around a panel and, of course, he fixed them. Had he not been doing his job, the crew of that bird would have been dead as the helicopter...
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RIGHT CHOICES
JUNE T My mother, June, is my hero. She is always there for me, no matter what the situation, what time of night, no matter what it involves. She's always right by my side. She's always doing things to help other people. She's always going that extra step. She's always shown me what it means to be dependable and what it...
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DEDICATION
STEVEN S My hero is my husband Steven. He believes dedication is an important value to live by. He is the perfect example of dedication. He has always put aside his dreams and ambitions aside to help others. He has survived an aneurism. He says with dedication and faith nothing will get in the way of you finding your dream.
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DEDICATION
DR. MICHAEL L Over the last three years, Dr. Michael L. has shown me the potential that any human being has. Dr. L. is a professor at Miami Dade College, where I was fortunate to meet him in class; in extracurricular activities such as the Model United Nations; and in working together on projects such as Service For Peace. In...
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DEDICATION
SUSAN M I met Susan through her now deceased husband, Art. Art was severely physically disabled from polio early in life. He was never psychologically disabled thanks to the love of Susan and wonderful parents who raised him like a poss-ability not a dis-ability. I worked with Art and Susan through their organization....
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LOVE
MATTHEW C I know only of one hero. My son Matthew. I am a single parent of three. My son is now 27. When I divorced, Matt was only five and was always at my side. He wanted to be the man of the house and always protected me and was concerned for his sisters and me. As he grew, we four gained a special bond and always...
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DEDICATION
HAROLD C Hi, this story is about my school janitor who is always working around my school no matter what the weather or if he's sick. He still comes to work; even when we have a snow day or it's a holiday. He still shows up. But people at my school really don't understand just how much he does for my school and church!...
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DEDICATION
DEANNE S I first met DeAnne after signing up to volunteer at her clinic. She is the Director of a Doctors' Free Clinic in Utah and has been for seven years. She is one of the most dedicated women I have ever met. She has taken care of over 12,000 patients since the doors opened back in 1999. She never turns anyone down...
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DEDICATION
PRAFULLA D My mother is my hero. She has always been one for me. Not only has she raised all three kids with love and patience, but has managed to continue this with her grandkids. She worked as a math/science teacher when I was in school. She often tutored children so she could get all the things she was unable to get due...
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COURAGE
TERRY P As a retired firefighter from Los Angeles County Fire Department, my family had moved to Idaho just one year prior to my accident. I went fishing on August 6, 1996 when my car rolled down an embankment into a lake as I was attempting to back up a little more off of the street above. With little or no air left in...
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COURAGE
CURTIS B Curtis was a great father, a great husband, a great teacher, and a great person for a kid to look up to. He was my friend's dad back in middle school, and he was like a second father to me. Everything we did had a lesson. I learned so much about life from him. He was a police officer and a very busy person, but...
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COURAGE
R. JOHN A My father R. Jon died suddenly on March 25, 2005 of a brain aneurysm. He graduated from the University of Texas — Austin. He participated in the ROTC program while in school and then joined the Navy in 1966. He became a pilot flying the F-4 Phantom jet during the Vietnam War from 1970-1971. He conducted 55 night...
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COURAGE
JANICE R My mother had a really bad accident when I was about six years old. She couldn't stop her bike and ran into a car. For that summer she had a body cast. She would take care of me the best she could. She broke her right ankle so bad that the doctors thought that she would never walk again. But with the help of my...
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CHARACTER
JOHN L The hero I knew was my father, John. My ex-husband had abandoned my two children and me. My parents gave up their jobs and home and moved across the state to help me. We lived together for a long time as I struggled to make it. My father had headaches almost every day of his life. One day, I got a call from my...
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