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
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
HARD TIMES I am Cynthia, and I am fifteen, I was in treatment for many things such as anger management, and depression. I learned for seven months about how to help myself and others through hard times. I focused on myself for that whole time at a residential treatment center on myself and learned that I need my family in...
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SACRIFICE
STEPHEN D My story is about my only son and my wife. That I think he is the strongest boy. At age 2, I as his father, left for the US Marine Corps as a recruiter in the toughest places to recruit. SO I was never home to assist with the family needs nor was I really there for Stephen. Then when he was 4 years old I left to...
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HELPING OTHERS
GUDELIA D She immigrated to this country in 1957 with her husband. Her husband ignored his health and worked himself to death to get ahead. He died in 1963 leaving her with 3 children at the age of 31. She worked in a garment factory for 30 years never making more than minimum wage. She never asked for or received any...
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CARING
BROTHERHOOD Support each other through tough times. I listened to the State of the Union address and admire and support President Obama. It’s been fascinating to watch the response to his every sentence. The future success of our country relies on a common brotherhood to push the right buttons, or else a darkened tomorrow...
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COURAGE
DIXIE B Mom was dignosed with esophageal cancer in June 2011. The doctor said she had one year to live. She amazingly got all her affairs in order, and still kept smiling as the chemo and radiation took their toll on her unhealthy system. She always encouraged me, even while she was dying. She passed away Dec. 31st,...
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COURAGE
MY BOYS My boys are my heroes because they have been picked on at school many times, and they still go to school and hold their heads high. They believe and stand up for what is right even though others might not. Giving acts of random kindness to those who hurt them. One day I believe that they will be able to speak to...
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ENCOURAGEMENT
NOTES OF ENCOURAGEMENT The charter school my children attend promotes learning 9 different moral character traits that change monthly. I volunteered to create a bulletin board each month that would help explain and highlight the different moral character traits. One of the traits is encouragement. I wanted to do something that would...
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RESPECT
RODNEY D Rodney Dangerfield. After failure came back to make us all love him and laugh.
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COURAGE
RAMON R Hidden Heroes My friend Ramon R. never refers to himself as a hero. After working closely with this Vietnam-era combat veteran for years, I have come to realize how under-appreciated such people are. As we go about our daily lives, agonizing over being late to work or paying taxes to Uncle Sam every April,...
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RIGHT CHOICES
THE CRIMINAL CASE THAT PLANTED THE SEED FOR MODER DAY RESTORATIVE JUSTICE! The Elmira Case… and beyond! By Russ Kelly Who could have imagined that a vandalism spree involving 2 drunken teenagers in 1974 would lead to the restorative processes of today? The effects are widespread indeed; from restorative programs in the justice system, to family group conferencing, to victim-offender...
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INSPIRATION
DALLAS S Not born to the best situation, my son came into this world with a heart full of love. He's touched and changed lives like no other I have known. He's athletic. When playing baseball and running laps, he sees a teammate not keeping up with the group, and even though he is one of the fastest on the team, he drops...
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HELPING OTHERS
UNKNOWN An obviously impaired elderly white man stood waiting to cross extremely busy William Hilton Parkway here in South Carolina as the light turned red. Stopped for the red light, I noticed with heart in mouth as he stepped out heading across four lanes of traffic now waiting for the lights to momentarily go green....
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COMMITMENT
EILEEN B Heroes are not necessarily perfect people. Take my Mom, for example. We grew up in a home where there was a lot of yelling & screaming fighting between our parents, and a fare bit of screaming at us as well - even from my hero - my Mom. That was hard! But my Mom worked so hard for us. She wanted us to have the...
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STRENGTH
ERNESTINE S My hero was my mother Ernestine. She was the strongest person in the world. She was a mother until she took her last breath. She raised 6 children alone. None of us ever went to jail, did drugs or got in any trouble. She used to always say, "The same way you act when I'm with you is the same way you act when I'm...
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LOVE
TRISHA P Mommy Trisha, She is truly one of the most amazing people on this earth. She has done so many things to "win" my admiration ... where do I begin? She is such a strong and beautiful person, inside and out. She has been strong through the many obstacles she has had to face in her lifetime. She has taught me how...
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LIVE YOUR DREAMS
ART ROSS R He was one of the first 12 hockey players to be in the hall of fame, but only played 3 NHL games, scored one NHL goal, and still, has a trophy named after him. He played for the Montreal Wanderers. He coached the Boston Bruins 1924 - 1945. Died August 5, 1964 (age 78).
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GIVING BACK
1,003,766 AND COUNTING As of last night, ToonUps exceeded the 1,000,000 mark in good deeds and posts for the CURE.org-ToonUps promo to help 10 kids walk. No doubt there will be a press release and a photo op of the check presentation in early February as follow-up to the coverage on CBS Philly -...
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LOYALTY
TINA C She teaches me to be happy,joyful about life and I LOVE her with all my heart. She is my aunt, and I can't live without her! I LOVE YOU TINA!!!!!!
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CHARACTER
LITTLE BALLERINA: A TRUE STORY At the age of 8, my wife Rebecca lost the use of her eyesight and legs due to Reyes Syndrome. She fought for her rights to attend school with her peers. She went to college, and while attending college met me and married me. I wrote a song for her, and we entered a school wide talent show to share the story with...
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OVERCOMING
MICHAEL OHER O Michael Oher is an All-American football left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His mother and 6 brothers and sisters lived in gang-stricken Hurt Village. Sometimes he and his brothers and sisters would be locked out of their own house when their mother was on crack which was a lot of the time. Being dragged...
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SPREAD YOUR WINGS
ELIEZER B His father died when he was only 15. People attacked him and put him under excommunication. His son couldn't play with other children. His wife died when he was 32. The next week, 3 of his 5 children died. Today, we thank him for renewing the Hebrew language.
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EDUCATION
EDUCATED BY DAD My father grew up in Oklahoma during the early years of the Great Depression. He was the only living child of a hardworking farmer and a devoted mother. When Dad completed eighth grade, my grandfather believed his only son would work on the farm. My grandmother, however, understood the door that an education...
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COURAGE
PASSION "Passion “ In my life I have seen a lot of groups of people who are passionate about things, such as careers or activities that people are proud of. I have also seen people who are passionate about work and earning a living. However, I have seen a person who lost his left arm but was still passionate about...
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DRIVE
ACADEMICALLY REBORN I was a troubled young man entering college in 1998 and struggled personally and academically starting my first semester. After five years of academic outcomes that led to being placed on probation multiple times, I was finally told to take time away from school. The personal struggles continued for the next five...
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LOVE
A LOVING SON My son gave me a hand-crafted card that was very touching, it read: Mom- You are so full of love, full of love you are. I love you so much when I am 18, I am going to take you to the movies. I hope we never die. Love, Brady
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COMPASSION
ROBERT J My dad was born and raised in Oklahoma. The depression was a reality for he and his five siblings. Shoeless and eating lard and brown sugar sandwiches when no other food was available was also a reality. Education was everything. At 17 Dad joined the US Marine Corps, and was promptly sent to fight the...
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COMMON GROUND
MARSHALL R Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, Creator of Nonviolent Communication Marshall Rosenberg born in 1934 is an American psychologist and the creator of Nonviolent Communication, a communication process that helps people to exchange the information necessary to resolve conflicts and differences peacefully. He is the founder...
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HELPING OTHERS
TO PROTECT AND SERVE It was 15 degrees below zero and 1:30 AM when the car ran out of gas miles from home. I was young and poor, too poor to keep a full tank. My friend and I got out and started to walk in the cold. I had on my dancing shoes, silly me. But, my coat was warm enough for a cold day, not a truly cold night though. My...
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COMMITMENT
ARAPATA M My parents have been together for 40 years. 11 years ago my dad was in a car accident that shattered his lower spine. Although he can walk, he deals with pain daily. At the same time my mom, who was falling a lot and has always battled depression was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Your commercial of Devotion...
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MOTIVATION
MILE FRIDAY It was Friday and it was time to run our mile. Once we stepped on the track I could feel the breeze passing through my face,it was about 32 degrees outside. It was time to run and once the stopwatch started, I sprinted the first lap. Usually I was the second one to finish, but that day I didn't realize that would...
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DEDICATION
TENNIS IS LIFE I've been playing tennis since I was 8, and I'm 14 years old. I plan to get a scholarship to a well ranked school, tennis wise, in America. I go to practice 5 days a week from 5-7, sometimes starting at 4:30. On the weekend I do physical training with my Dad, usually interval training. You may think this must be...
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CONFIDENCE
BEING DIFFERENT AND BEING REMEMBERED. I have an 8 year old brother with Down Syndrome. He was born when I was 5. He is my best friend. Everywhere we go people either stop and stare, or are friendly and approach us with nice comments. Either way, we are remembered. And I'm never embarrassed or ashamed.
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APPRECIATION
EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT GET YOU DOWN... In pals, we watched a 30 hour famine and it just showed us that we're very privileged, not only with food, but material things too!
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