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
REACHING OUT
MICHAELLA Michaella is my hero. When she was just 14, Michaella helped create the Exceptional Rodeo for children with disabilities. She and her local 4-H Club raised over $2,000 to fund the rodeo, which included 'bucking' broncos (made of hay and barrels), calf roping, and stick horse barrel racing. As a result of...
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CARING
CARTER When Carter was 16, he organized his classmates and worked with the local government to protect 185 acres along the Yampa River. Carter and his peers worked with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to create a master management plan for the property. Carter developed and managed a web site for the project, allowing...
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AMBITION
ESTEPHANIA AND ESPERANZA These sisters are my heroes because they created Project Literacy, a neighborhood tutoring program where middle school students are helping elementary age kids with reading. After learning that their own middle school, ranked nearly last in Denver and the state in all areas on the CSAP (standardized test), the...
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AMBITION
ASHLEY Ashley is my hero. She was shocked and moved by the extreme poverty she saw during a trip to Africa when she was eleven years old. Determined to help the African people, Ashley pursued numerous avenues but found only dead ends and frustration. Five years later, she has raised the money, completed the paperwork,...
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REACHING OUT
ZURRIANE B Zurriane has volunteered his time as a Martial Arts instructor for many years to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. For the past nine years he has also volunteered his time as a defense instructor for women and a resisting aggression defense instructor for children. He is also my martial arts instructor and has...
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REACHING OUT
KELLY L My mom is my hero. Why? Because she has taught me all my life lessons. She has been through so much in these past few months, but although she was in a tough situation, she always made sure my siblings and I were okay. She always put herself last and let everyone else come first. She cares about people, and she...
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REACHING OUT
TOM V Tom is my father. He is my hero because he helps me through my life. He has helped me learn to read, to write, to do math, and how to use computers. But recently, he got arthritis. Now, we are not the richest family, so I raised money with my friends to help pay for the shots he had to get. Now he can play his...
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CHARACTER
MATT B Matt was an athlete, brother, friend, son, student, an all around great person, and my boyfriend whom I was in love with. He had earned his varsity letter in 4 different sports. Although he was an athlete, he was kind to anyone and everyone. When my boyfriend Matt passed away, one comment left on the memorial...
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PERSISTENCE
MY FIRST MANAGEMENT JOB When I started my career in management I was really green, but I always tried to stay upbeat and positive on the job. I was working for a new company that was having a rocky time with their only major customer. Actually, there was one point where my General Manager told me he liked me and suggested I should start...
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REACHING OUT
SCOTT E Scott truly is "passing it on." He volunteers in prisons, providing workshops for prisoners ready to be released back into society. He has given 15,000 pairs of glasses to needy children and is doing a huge 7,000 person event in Utah, in which the proceeds will be distributed to the local churches to provide food...
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REACHING OUT
WILL S My hero is my husband, Will. He suffers from FSH Muscular Dystrophy, and has recently been diagnosed with a grade 3 (cancer) brain tumor. We have 2 little girls ages 3 and 4. My husband has been through a needle biopsy in his brain only to determine that his tumor is inoperable, radiation therapy, and...
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CARING
KELSIE B I was younger than her and I thought I could swim (but I really couldn't). I jumped in the lake behind my house and I was starting to drown. She suddenly jumped in the water to save me and she was only 5 and I was 4. That is why she is my hero—she saved my life without even thinking about it. Today she is in...
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REACHING OUT
MY MOTHER My mother is my hero. She saved me from dying when I was 8 years old. She pushed me out of the way of a speeding car and died saving me. She was only 28 years old. Out of respect and honor for my mom I went to college and got my masters degree in real estate. Now I'm 28 years old, and I feel the need to pass on...
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AMBITION
LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN Beethoven was one of the most phenomenal composers of all time. His hearing started to deteriorate through his twenties, and he ended up going deaf. But still, he wrote and composed some of the most fantastic pieces of music of all time. He is my hero-he never gave up!
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DETERMINATION
GOING TO THE ELEVEN My family was getting ready to sit down to dinner. My son was hopping on one foot and counting to ten. He had me count three times. 1, 2, 3, ...10. He stayed balanced each time. Then he tried his left foot. 1, 2, 3, ...10. He did it again. Then he paused... "This time Mommy. let's go to the..." He thought about...
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REACHING OUT
MERLIN E Prior to passing away in October 2007, Merlin dedicated his life to teaching, including spending 43 years as the Director of a week-long summer camp that taught leadership to high school student body leaders from all over Washington State. For 43 years, each summer Merlin left his family for one week because of...
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REACHING OUT
GENUINE RED RYDER 200 SHOT CARBINE ACTION AIR RIFLE One of my all time favorite movies is "A Christmas Story" which follows the plight Ralphie Parker who is a nine year old boy from Indiana. The main point of this story is Raphie's desire for a "Genuine Red Ryder 200 Shot Carbine Action Air Rifle" for Christmas. Throughout the movie, all the indicators are that it...
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GENEROSITY
A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER I work with developmentally disabled adults in a residential setting. One of the men wanted to go to a restaurant for his birthday with a few of his friends and housemates. We were all having a great time, eating and joking and just having fun. When I went to pay the bill (which was about $300) the wait staff...
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AMBITION
JANICE A Mrs. Attaway teaches pre-algebra and algebra at a local middle school in my town and has taught thousands of students. Sure, she teaches the material that is required by law and makes sure that her students understand that material, but she does so much more than that. First of all, hardly anyone understands math...
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CHARACTER
DUNCAN M C I'm sure most people think (at least one of) their parents is/was a hero; I think my Dad was. A talented man, unassuming, creative, inventive, and unappreciated. I wish he was alive today, now that I am old enough to treasure him. One motto he taught me was "You're about as happy as you make up your mind to be."...
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AMBITION
TARA D At the age of 25, she had a massive stroke. The doctors had told her family that she may not ever walk again. The stroke left her brain 80% destroyed. Two years later she is able to walk. She has worked very hard to regain what the stroke had taken away. She is a hero in my eyes.
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CARING
THOMAS T My dad has been working for an agency that cares for a large portion of Long Island's mentally retarded community since 1980. When he started out he worked as a direct care counselor in the one and only group home the agency had. He lived next to the group home, cooked dinners, bathed those who could not bathe...
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CHARACTER
CHRIS R My hero is my best friend's brother, CSR. He died in a car accident in 2005. He was an amazing person. He was the first person who I ever saw be true to themselves, to the fullest. He made me see that being yourself is the best thing. We love and miss him.
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REACHING OUT
MONICA F My hero is my mom. She had me when she was in her teenage years and though she could have had a much easier life if she had given me up, she chose to keep me. She was faced with the difficult issues of being a single parent while finishing high school and college. She is now a very successful registered nurse and...
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AMBITION
LOU S His heart is made of gold. He goes above and beyond to ensure that he is understood. As a talented artist, he communicates his passion for telling a story through images. He seeks the truth and holds himself accountable to assure the accuracy of the story. He is an amazing person, he would give you the shirt off...
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FORGIVENESS
TEARING UP THE IOU I am a wife and mother of three grown sons, and have been married to a great guy for almost 27 years. We've been in ministry together all these years, sharing the pain and ultimate healing of so many. But along that journey, I admit that I've encountered a few battle scars of my own. Several years ago, a very...
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REACHING OUT
JAVIER O Javier is my inspiration. Whenever I feel down it seems like I get a text message or a phone call that just brightens my day. He is always cheerful and happy and willing to help others through their time of need, even when he is having a rough time. He never has an unkind word to say to anyone and he just plain...
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EDUCATION
NEVER SAY NEVER The year was 1970, and I was a sophomore at UMKC studying my favorite subject, history. My friend and I would sit in the dorm until the wee hours of the morning, talking about the unorthodox delivery of Dr. D, our English Literature instructor. His lectures were wild and wonderful. His gyrations and ad lib...
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FORGIVENESS
TRUE FORGIVENESS I guess I can hold a grudge for 30 years or more! It was the 70's and when I was 5 my parents divorced. My mom had a good reason to divorce my dad and I knew all about it, even though I was really too young to handle this information. Suddenly this stay at home mom was a single parent of five kids. Of course...
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RISING ABOVE
BECOMMING WHOLE AGAIN We all have our own story filled with chapters about people and events unique to us and I will never forget where my life story took a sudden change of course and brought about my most life altering events with people I'll never forget. I had a routine operation on my knee go wrong and developed a life...
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BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
FROM SPARK TO FLAME When my now 19 year old daughter was in Grade 3, all of Mrs. Mathews' students were given a small pot with a bean seed to plant. Green string beans it seems are pretty hardy and the perfect seed to use when promoting green thumbs in young children. That same plant was also a most unexpected source of...
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CONFIDENCE
HAVING FAITH IN YOURSELF "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." This quote has always seemed to describe me perfectly. All throughout my high school career I have always been the person to play it safe. I would sometimes venture out of my comfort zone by trying something new, but would easily become...
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LISTENING
FLICKERS OF HOPE The past year has been what I can only describe as horrible. I was the victim of a crime and so many emotions erupted inside me I didn't know who I was any more. To make matters worse it had happened on Valentines Day. I can remember thinking to myself, "the one day of the year where people go out of their way to...
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