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
AMBITION
CATHERINE C Catherine overcame a rare form of cancer, which resulted in the amputation of her left leg from the hip down. While she endured her battle with cancer and coped with her losses, she was also completing a second book on apartheid to achieve academic tenure, raising a toddler, fighting a convoluted health care...
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AMBITION
CAMRYN B Camryn is 6-years-old and was impacted by her brother Cooper's amputation of both feet at 23 months old. She wanted to help children like Cooper. Camryn decided to draw a picture, which was later put on a t-shirt and sold to profit Shriner's Hospitals for Children. Cooper was treated at one of these hospitals for...
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REACHING OUT
RASHMI K My daughter is an ESL teacher. She teaches adult refugees who have never spoken English in their lives. She narrated me this one instance which brought tears of joy to my eyes. This is what she told me...this is her story in her own words. "About a year ago, I walked into my classroom to prepare for my...
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AMBITION
CALVIN S Calvin is one of my co-workers and he has arthritis. What impresses me most, however, is that Calvin does not let his arthritis prevent him from doing what he loves. He's always playing with his kids or supporting them in their endeavors. Although he works a normal job with average pay, he is determined to never...
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CARING
UNKNOWN HERO In 1982, I was twenty-two years old and driving by myself from Texas to Virginia; it was summer and my 12-year-old car was starting to overheat. In Tennessee, the temperature indicator was buried in the red zone...I knew I was in trouble. Luckily, I was on the top of a hill and drifted/rolled down into a small...
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FRIENDSHIP
WHAT Snowflakes, chills, blustery winds, snow melts, water puddles, and muddy snow shoes, these are the sights that welcomed me back in Orland Park. I just came back from a flight from a tropical island in Asia. I try to paint a smile on my cold, blushing cheeks. Winters are not my cup of tea—I dislike them down to...
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FORGIVENESS
A GIFT TO ALL - BUT THE GIFT WAS IN THE GIVING In 1994, the year after my father-in-law died, I planned a surprise for my husband on our anniversary. I wrote all of his east coast relatives and asked if we could celebrate the Orthodox Christmas together. The older generation of my husband's family were raised Serbian Orthodox, and we'd chosen that date for...
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REACHING OUT
CHRIS W My hero is not somebody who is known by many people. He is a schoolteacher with a goal to be an inspiration to his students, and to support them when nothing else makes sense. Although I didn't have him as my teacher, when I came to him for help with my troubles, he gladly opened his arms to me. I think that...
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HARD WORK
ERIN K Erin is the reigning 'Outstanding Teen Madison County,' and she is truly outstanding. Erin's platform issue is 'Raising Teen Awareness Against Girls Bullying Girls.' It is her goal to educate teens and parents of the horrors of girl bullies. She has a forum where girls and parents can discuss their issues and she...
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APPRECIATION
ANA CRISTINA G.V. D Sometimes she can't keep commitments and sometimes she's not dependable...She's not organized. She is a woman, who isn't strong...And yet she is. She is Kind--loving to all. She is inspirational. She is wonderful. She is book smart. She is classy ...She is grace. She is thoughtful. She is a single...
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RESPECT
FUNERAL PROCESSION My grandmother taught me several things before she passed away and many of them have stayed with me to this day. One of the things that she taught me was that when a funeral procession is going by, that you should pull over to the side of the road and let the grieving pass. As I was driving down a road one...
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FRIENDSHIP
A TRUE FRIEND For as long as I can remember, I have had a friend through a friend of my mother's. My mom and her mom met through a downhill skiing group for people with disabilities. I am disabled, and her mother is disabled. We lived about 45 minutes away from each other so we didn't really grow up together, but we spent...
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CARING
GREG L My hero is my husband Greg. My husband works long, hard hours on the night shift just to give our sons and me a better life. He is a Certified Nursing Assistant at a local hospital and he goes above and beyond his job requirements to make sure that his patients are comfortable, happy, that they feel secure and...
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CARING
AUSTIN Austin is my hero. After he learned of Africa's fifteen million AIDS orphans through his family's sponsorship of two Ugandan children, he became determined to help on a larger scale. Austin spoke with the relief organization World Vision, and realized he could use his love of basketball to help address the...
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APPRECIATION
CARLY AND MOLLY Carly and Molly are not your ordinary sisters. Though they are just 13 and 15 they founded Hives for Lives, a non-profit organization that sells honey and honey products, and donates all profits to the American Cancer Society. Carly and Molly, who grew up helping with their grandparents' beekeeping hobby, started...
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AMBITION
DARIUS Darius is my hero. He created a 90-minute documentary film to raise awareness of and money toward a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Darius has DMD, the most aggressive type of Muscular Dystrophy, from which his brother died at age 19. Since then, Darius has searched for a way to let other people know...
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COMMON GROUND
GUESTS FROM THE CLUB As a youngster growing up in the big city of Vancouver with my parents, three brothers and a sister, there was always plenty of food on the table. This was no small feat, however, as Dad was the sole provider for our family of seven. It seemed to us kids that Mom spent every summer and fall canning the vegetables...
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CHARACTER
DEBRA H My mom always wins the honor of hero for me. She's a three-time cancer survivor, including breast cancer in 1999. Through it all, though, I've never once heard her complain about what she's had to go through. When the rest of our family was upset, I can remember her response: "Don't worry. It ain't but a thing."...
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AMBITION
DAYNA S Dayna was born with a rare disease called schizencephaly. This disease has restricted her from walking and talking since she was a baby. Dayna is now 16 and has surpassed her disability beyond anyone's imagination. Her perseverance and character have inspired me as a leader in my school community. For Dayna,...
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CARING
SONA M In 1997, Sona's dear friends had an extremely premature baby. Sona asked how she could help, and they asked her to help keep friends and family informed. Sona turned to her background in IT and web design and created a private, personal website for the family. The website kept everyone up-to-date, and allowed...
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CHARACTER
PAUL B My hero is my Dad! I have always thought of him as such just because he is my Father. I admire him for living his life according to his own hopes and aspirations. At 75 years of age, he still embodies all the compassion and drive that he has possessed his entire life. Perhaps because I myself have matured I...
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HELPING OTHERS
THE STAMP My story is a very simple one, because of a simple action. While standing in line at the local department store, I was asked by the customer in front of me if that particular store offered postage stamps. I stated that they did offer books of stamps, but the gentleman needed only one stamp, not an entire book of...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
2XTREME My name is Joey and I'm 15 years old. Up until I was about 13 years old, I grew up a really unstable home. I failed just about every class I took because I felt like I had no meaning in the world, and I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. Everything changed when I met a man named John, a counselor who my mom...
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AMBITION
TITUS C My husband Titus is my hero and my inspiration. He had a tumultuous childhood, and after becoming homeless at 17, went on to graduate high school and become successful in every job he holds. Titus is now in school to become a firefighter/paramedic. He hopes to soon have the knowledge that will enable him to...
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COMMITMENT
HEATHER M Heather M. has a son who was born without developmental disabilities, but who began to have seizures as a toddler. He has had multiple surgeries, but to this day, he still has up to 30+ seizures a day. Heather founded "The Buddy League" for kids in Dallas County, Texas, who have limitations - physical and...
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CARING
BEN F Ben was my hero as he fought in WW2, a pilot in the Pacific Theater. Ben homesteaded in Wyoming and later built up several thriving businesses in Utah, along with his wife, Rita. Rita and Ben raised eight children who are all successful. Together they have helped many people throughout the years, both financially...
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OVERCOMING
THE SHORTEST FLIGHT I was flying home after attending my best friend's funeral. It had happened suddenly. She was there one minute and gone the next. The trip home had been a busy one. There was the funeral itself and her apartment had to be gone through, her things sorted: things for family, things for friends, things to donate....
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MOTIVATION
I'M GOING TO STRIVE... Christmas break had just arrived promising two weeks off. My intention for these two weeks was to clear my head of some problems I faced. I spent time with my family having as cheeriest of a time as possible. Anyways, there are too many times a day I’m left alone with my mind so I search for things to keep me...
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REACHING OUT
JENNIFER M Jennifer started volunteering with AIDS service organiztions (ASO's) over 10 years ago. She has given her adult life to bettering the lives of those infected with or affected by AIDS. She is now the CEO of Aid for AIDS of Nevada, and is a hero to those in this city who need a hand up, not a hand out.
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REACHING OUT
GWEN W Mrs. W often took care of my twin sister and me. She lived across the street and must have noticed that we had a difficult family life. She was patient, kind, and treated us as if we were her own children. She taught me how to create a good family life, how to be loving mothers, and how to help others. During...
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CARING
CLIFF & SHANNON F Cliff and Shannon have adopted three children, all siblings, from a troubled home. These children are all under the age of five and the oldest has autism. Cliff and Shannon love these children unconditionally and are raising them in an environment of security, love and understanding. Without much money or...
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AMBITION
SCARLETT H My hero is my daughter, Scarlett, who at age 4 suffered a spinal cord injury from a car accident. Scarlett, now 11, never lets anything stop her from living her dreams. She has always wanted to dance and be treated like any other dancer. For years, she has attended dance classes, practiced at home, and sought...
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AMBITION
DENNIS D My dad is without a doubt my hero. He has always worked extremely hard to give my sister and me the things that he didn't have as a child. My dad is the most selfless person I know - always doing for others and never asking for anything in return. He and my mom put my sister and me through 16 years of private...
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