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
INSPIRATION
CREATIVITY Creativity is the nectar of the gods. When it flows, it’s the adrenalin in your veins. When bathed in it’s all-consuming fragrance, you know down to your bones that you’re part of something greater than yourself. You lose all track of time. Your need for rest, for food, for sleep and especially, for thought,...
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APPRECIATION
ITALO LUIGI P Luigi is my brother. He is a great brother. Every time I do something good and tell him, he always says something like, "WOW, Great job", "That's AWESOME", "You're better than me when I was your age". He always puts a smile on my face. When I have a hard time and I cry, he hugs me and tells me everything is going...
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HARD WORK
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT When I first joined cheerleading I never realized how much it would affect my life or even become such a big part of my life. When I started in 7th grade I was 100 percent positive I wouldn't stunt or tumble because I was too scared. I had low self esteem being bullied so I never thought I could be successful in...
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HELPING OTHERS
AN ENVELOPE, A MAN, AND THE BLANK LETTER. “Once you have found a meaning to life, live by it. Never let anyone put you down and make sure to set goals. Think of life as a trek up a mountain. On the beginning of the trek you were given an envelope that you were trusted with to get to the top. Along the way you learn the terrain and become an expert...
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CHARITY
DESIGNER’S CALL FOR CANCER SCREENING RESONATES WITH 111 RECORDING ARTISTS When Kevin Thorne decided to tell others how early screening had helped him to escape death from prostate cancer, he didn’t realize that his message would resonate so strongly with 111 Canadian and international recording artists. The graphic designer and musician learned first hand of the importance of early...
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LOVE
ANGLES AMONG US In 2005, I was at my apartment complex. I was five and I was going to try to jump from a plastic lawn chair to the railing of the iron steps. I tried it first and it worked, the second time I made it. But, the third time I tried, I did it in front of my mom and I failed. I hit my head on the stairs and that...
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COMPASSION
THE FACE OF KINDNESS The Face of Kindness By Heather Neufeld He shivered as the wind with an icy bite scissored its way, through a jacket too light. Like a cloak on his shoulders, he wore such despair. Alone and forgotten, was there no one to care? No one to care that he'd no food to eat or anything warm to wear on his...
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COURAGE
APHORISMS These aphorisms were written by me over a 40-year period...starting in 1971. Spirituality is nonsectarian. Enlightenment is everybody’s birthright. When you’ve got it all and it’s still not enough, You’re ready for spirituality. Except for now, all is change. Desire and attachment cause...
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GRATITUDE
NEAR DEATH IN THE GILA So this is the way it ends—lying by the side of an old logging road, waiting to die. What a waste! To go from a life of unbridled hedonism…rather appropriate for a single guy, to getting a wake-up call to what life is really all about, just in time to have to cozy up to death. Camping here in the Gila...
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OVERCOMING
MARCUS T Marcus Thomas inspires people to be better than they are. He has no feeling below his shoulders, yet he is a gifted artist who holds the brush in his mouth. His artwork brings God's creations into sharp focus. He gives 100% to his calling and is cheerful and upbeat through it all.
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SACRIFICE
BEYOND PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT I have been in therapy for about six years now. My therapist means so much to me and has helped me move forward from so many family obstacles. We have been talking about some things in therapy that are really hard to talk about. My therapist knows that money is really tight for our family (the same for a lot of...
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COMPASSION
HENRI L One of my heroes is Henri Landwirth. As a boy, he was taken to a Nazi concentration camp, where he spent most of his teenage years. He was released by a sympathetic soldier at the end of the war. He found his sister, and they came to America together. Henri worked at a hotel, starting from the bottom up. He...
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DO YOUR PART
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM Throughout my high school years there was an area called the outdoor classroom. When I graduated, the teacher that took care of the area had to have back surgery. Not thinking twice I told her that I would take care of the area for that summer. She insisted on paying me, but I wouldn't take her money. I have been...
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DO YOUR PART
LOUIS M My hero is my dad. He went out every day to serve our county. My dad is 90 yrs old now. He served in WWII, Korean and the Vietnam Controversy, but always found time to spend quality time with his family. (1 son, 8 daughters, 26 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren) I love you dad.
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STRENGTH
TEAM MATES I always joined lots of sports in middle school. Every year was fine until my grade 8 year. My football tournament was down to one point, sadly we lost. This girl keeps on yelling directly at me and talking trash behind my back. Soon my friend told me what she said and I really felt hurt. But even though she said...
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INSPIRATION
BEAUTIFUL HARDSHIP MY STORY I was hired for my first airline job in August 2011. I had $45,000 of credit card debt. Most of it from my flight training. I left a job paying $75,000 a year to become a pilot. It was a $50,000 a year pay cut. It sounds absurd to do such a thing and even more so since I was over the age of thirty, but I was...
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KINDNESS
RACHEL S Rachel started a chain reaction of kindness and compassion. She was a very great person. Although I haven't met her, she changed many lives even after she was shot at Columbine High School. An thank you Rachel you changed my life..I love you Rachel Scott! Love, Brittany
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DEDICATION
NJHS AND STUGO For as long as I went to middle school, my schools NJHS and STUGO had been bitter enemies. In my 8th grade year I was accepted into NJHS and STUGO. It was pretty hard to juggle the two when my NJHS leader HATED STUGO and the man who was in charge of it. The NJHS leader was also my math teacher. If I was late to...
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SMILE
SMILING I am a generally unhappy person. But I, to get my family off my back, decided that I was going to smile a lot for a whole weekend. I found that when I smiled that often, I became much happier in general.
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SMILE
SHARE A SMILE I am used to people being grouchy all of the time. But one day, when I was with my grandmother at our local grocery store, we were waiting for a lady to pull out of a parking spot so we could get her spot. I honestly can't remember a time somebody smiled at me in a parking lot. But as this lady pulled out of her...
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RESPECT
NJHS DISASTER In middle school, I was involved in our school's NJHS. We did volunteer work for the community. Every year we held a charity basketball game. My NJHS instructor was one of those people who took their stress out on others. I was put in charge of making the fliers for the game. When I made them, I printed them out...
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RESPONSIBILITY
STUGO In middle school, I was on student council. Every year our STUGO (Student Government) held a Talent Show. There was a week of auditions before the talent show. We had 10-20 kids from the local high school's STUGO come and judge the auditions and the show. There were only 6 people total on our STUGO team. All of...
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RESPONSIBILITY
HAUNTED HOUSE CEO I was in 8th grade, and every year the 8th grade science teacher set up a haunted house for our school's fall carnival. The year that I was in his class, he decided that he wanted to put me in charge of the set-up of the haunted house. I gladly accepted this challenge. I was in control of planning what the...
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HOPE
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT Why, when we become adults, do we dread the coming of Christmas? I want hope, redemption, and meaning. I was lost until I wrote this book and re-discovered why I truly love Christmas in the first place: family, faith, and a new beginning. Have a joyful reason for the season.
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ENCOURAGEMENT
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS... When my friend Lesa was diagnosed with cancer I wanted to do something for her, so the first day of her treatments, another friend and I went to the hospital to spend some time with her. We bought her a small clown and named him Lemon-Aide. We gave Lemon-Aide to Lesa and told her he was to go with her to all of...
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DEVOTION
THE MOMENT MY MOTHER'S SOUL LEFT THIS LIFE My mother, 85 at the time, called me to say that she had stopped driving. So my husband said, "Go, take care of her as long as you need to." So, I went 700 miles south to live with her, love her, and take care of her until the day she died. It was the hardest and most rewarding job of my life. It tears your heart...
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INTEGRITY
PEOPLE ARE GOOD! I've often been told that if given a chance, a person would steal the shirt off your back. Well, I say boo to that. Since I was a teenager I have lost my purse or my wallet a total of 8 times!! I'm bad with leaving it places. Every single time it has been returned to me with all my things still in it. 5 out of 7...
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CHARACTER
MY DAD AND ONE OF MY BEST DAYS I had a pretty good childhood. Playing hide and seek, football, tag, cops and robbers, soccer, ride motorcycles, etc… with all my friends. You know, your typical childhood. In my younger years, I was never close to my dad. He was the type of guy that went to work, brought home the paycheck, mowed the yard,...
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LOVE
HOWARD R I had a pretty good childhood. Playing hide and seek, football, tag, cops and robbers, soccer, ride motorcycles, etc… with all my friends. You know, your typical childhood. In my younger years, I was never close to my dad. He was the type of guy that went to work, brought home the paycheck, mowed the yard,...
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CHARITY
GIVING HELP TO PEOPLE IN NEED I once went to a food bank with my team last year and we packaged 300 to 400 boxes of food. My community cause is for kids or parents who don't have money to get their kids food but they go to work and work so hard to try to make a living for their children so that they have a good life to live. After knowing...
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SPORTSMANSHIP
DERRICK M The idol I look up to is Derrick Mason, WR now for the Texans, but known for the Ravens and Titans. He's always been a great WR that plays the game well and fights to win, stays out of trouble, and is a great person. I will always look up to him in my life as my hero, even when he's long retired!
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INSPIRATION
JEFF G My hero is my childhood friend Jeff. Jeff was Captain of the football team, class valedictorian, and the first graduate from our high school to attend a US service academy. He graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1983 and went on to become a pilot. He was the all-American boy, and grew to be a fine man....
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COURAGE
ALISON K My daughter Alison was diagnosed with MS at the age of 17. She is now 34. She has primary progressive MS. At the moment, there are no medications that can be given to delay the progression. My song for her has always been, HERO, by Mariah Carey. About 6 months ago Alison lost the ability to stand and has been...
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