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
DETERMINATION
VERTULIE FERDINAND F She was my rock. She opened her door in 1971 to me when I was 2 years old. She taught me moral values and with her nurturing love, I became a nurse, a business woman, most of all a philanthropist. I opened a school for children and adults, 4 clinics and an orphanage in Haiti. Vertulie taught me to love others and...
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SHARING
FIRST CHRISTMAS I was 8 years old when we got here after many years in the refugee camps. There were 5 of us (I was the oldest one) and my mom. My dad passed away, so my mom made the difficult decision to come to the United States. We stayed in a very poor part of town. We have never heard of Christmas, but that very first year...
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CHARITY
OBAID K Obaid Kadwani, Bollywood Tv-personality, Sparks Nationwide Grassroots Movement To Feed And Soothe America’s Hungry! Families across America are throwing pizza parties in homeless shelters! 1 week, 25 states, 25,000 pizza slices served to 10,000 shelter guests from June 14th - June 19th. Every penny has been...
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HELPING OTHERS
BEING AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME Years ago I know I was put at the right place at the right time to help someone. Myself and a friend were driving North on US 1 in Pompano Beach Florida when I had to stop at a red light. I noticed off to the right in a bank parking lot not too far away there were two men standing by the rear of a van that...
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COURAGE
THE HERO AMONG HEROES My great-grandfather was always the lighthouse of the family. He helped us when we were lost, and provided support like no one else I know. When he passed away a few years ago, it made such a huge impact, not only on us, but the whole community. One day, my uncle told me a story that my great-grandfather,...
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AMBITION
JODAWN P I wake up everyday inspired to live because of my beautiful wife. She can take on the world's problems and not blink an eye. She is blessed with the know-how to handle it all. Your the best babe, love you!!!!
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COURAGE
JULIANNA B Julianna Bolton was my sixth grade reading teacher and taught me everything I needed to know. However, towards the middle of the year she said she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I cried when I heard the news and was upset that the best teacher I've ever had might be leaving me. Then I thought about how...
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COMPASSION
ROBERT B Robert Beckerle, my father, is my hero. During the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, he was thrown out of a restaurant for going in with an Indian friend of his to eat. They were refused service and told to leave. They refused to leave, and had to be physically "escorted" out. My father eventually went to law...
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INSPIRATION
INSPIRATION NEVER DIES Benjamin was the light in everybody's heart even before he was born. We knew he was destined to be great. But suddenly, the world came crashing down around him and everyone else in the early hours of March 5th. A grave mistake by the doctor led him to be brain-dead and oxygen deprived. This caused irreparable...
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CHARITY
CHARITY/KINDNESS/HELPING During Christmas my 17 year old daughter was in a local Target store buying gifts for friends. She noticed a small girl approximately 6 years old looking at the clothing display longingly and very intently. As it was the Christmas season she struck up a conversation, asking the girl what Santa was going to bring...
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PERSEVERANCE
JIM M My dad is 81 years old and is a true hero. He has lost sight in one eye and hearing in one ear due to earlier medical conditions. And now fights daily against Parkinson's disease that is trying to take over his body. Dad gets up every morning to spend his day working in his yard and garden. He says that he has...
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COURAGE
NICHOLAS B Nicholas was born on November 18, 1905, in New York City to Italian immigrants, Dominic and Mariane. He was the youngest of fourteen children and the only member of his family born in the United States. However, he showed his patriotism when he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of sixteen, using his...
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BELIEVE
GET IT RIGHT AND IT'S NEVER WRONG! Everyday I try to read two newspapers to obtain a diverse view on the world as it unfolds around us. Rarely do you see a compelling, personal, feel good, local story in both journals. Yesterday (8/06)afternoon was that infrequent exception. Just after lunch, I ventured onto the Lake Cook Road overpass bridge...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
DANIELLE M The story of my hero is one of a person having to do what's right no matter how hard it is. Danielle is a senior at Deep Run High School. One night she was on her way to a party when she was notified that there were illegal activities going on there. When she was told this she didn't shrug it off like many high...
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HELPING OTHERS
SANJAY G Sanjay Gupta is a physician and a CNN newscaster who covered the news in Haiti and went to Haiti during the earthquake. He is a physician first and a newscaster second and he saved many lives and provided free services to the injured while he was in Haiti and spent more time treating the injured than reporting...
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LOYALTY
ALEXIS E Alexis is a 16 year old student at Deep Run, who is the best friend that anyone could ask for. Her loyalty, among many other desirable qualities, is what has left her with many friends who can testify to the quality of her friendship. She doesn’t quarrel with her friends, betray them, or ditch them; she stands up...
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COMMITMENT
HEATHER P Heather Prendergast was born in Indianapolis, Illinois and moved all over the country as a child; she even lived in Scotland for a while. She attended UVA and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Education and had a teaching job right out of college in Chesapeake, Virginia. She taught 2nd grade for 13 years and during...
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PERSISTENCE
DUONG V As a child growing up in Vietnam, Duong found that a large amount of his time was spent in the rice fields. However he was not alone in this rice field, he spent most of his time being bullied by the other children there. Duong did not give in to the constant bullying he stood up for himself day after day. Until...
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HOPE
ERIC A It was spring of 2008 when the news came. He was a sophomore, and the year was winding down. School had gone relatively well up until the point when his life changed forever. He had kept his grades up all year long, maintaining straight A’s while playing for the prestigious JV Basketball team and keeping involved...
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AMBITION
DANA MARKEE Ever since Dana Markee was born, her family knew she had a condition called scoliosis. Scoliosis is common in America, but Dana’s was one of the worst that a person could get. In her seventh grade year, at age 12, she spent most her time playing sports, it was her life and she was truly happy playing ice hockey....
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FORGIVENESS
FORGIVENESS IS BLISS When I was a sophomore in high school, I will admit that against all better judgment, I was a total player. I had a new girlfriend every two weeks. About half way through the year, though, I met a girl who I could honestly say that I wanted to stay with for a while. Near the end of the year, we were possibly the...
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MOTIVATION
MENTORS I have more than one hero: God is my ultimate hero above all. Without Him, I wouldn't have been blessed with other heroes in my life such as my family and friends. My parents & big brother who always taught me about not giving up and believing in a fighting spirit. My little sister, nephew, and nieces who...
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TRUE BEAUTY
ANNIE J Annie Jolliffe is my girlfriend. And she is the strongest, most compassionate, nice and beautiful person in the entire universe. She loves me for me, and makes me feel better about myself no matter what. She's my hero not only for being strong, and surviving through her entire life, as hard as it was. Not only...
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HUMILITY
INELL J My hero is my mother. Both she and my father showed us how to be good parents and people. Neither ever finished high school. With very little education (6th grade) she taught our family of nine the value of being frugal, (lots of bread-laden hamburgers)of treating others fairly, of character, and of having...
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COURAGE
EMILY KADOTA R My Hero -- Eugulogy delivered 8.22.08 She was an American of Japanese descent; a teenager at the time of Pearl Harbor Good morning. I want to thank you for being here to honor our mother, my hero and often, my inspiration. In today’s world, it is hard to imagine or fathom the challenges she faced throughout...
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LOVE
JARRET M My Hero is the man that I love. He reminds me everyday that there is still beauty in the world. His eyes and His smile are proof that God still gets inspired to create miracles sometimes. His laugh makes me forget the challenges in my life, His arms are a sanctuary, a place where I can lay and recharge and heal...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
MARTIN T My hero is my father. He has taught me not only by words, but more importantly, by example to always be true to yourself. To love God first, to put others before yourself, and that love has the most impact. His impact means the most to me, because he did not just teach me these things, but he lived them. If I...
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
ASHLEE S We lost our home to a house fire in 2005. In 2008, my husband was working on a huge wildfire at Lake Tahoe Nevada that burned over 300 houses. Our then 8 year old said she knew how the kids felt who lost all of their toys and she knew she had to help. She created her own non-profit organization that is dedicated...
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HELPING OTHERS
DR ETHELYN S My hero would never consider herself as such. Her name is Dr. Ethelyn Smith. She lives in a small town in North Mississippi. Now well past retirement age, she spends her free time fishing local lakes and enjoying raising butterflies by the hundreds in her old home. For many years this lady has helped the poorest...
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INSPIRATION
WAYNE GRETZKY My story is very short,he told me to keep trying even when stuff gets tough.
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PERSISTENCE
THOSE WHO DON'T GIVE UP When I was trying to decide who was my biggest hero, I realized I couldn't make up my mind. And then another idea came. I've seen people in poverty, people struggling to hold a job, and in many hard, stressful situations. The fact that these people don't give up, and try their hardest for the sake of others makes...
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CARING
HANNAH, DREW AND FRIENDS H True Story- My Teenage kids were at a cast party after a play one night in a local burger joint. There were 20 kids sitting at a grouping of tables. I was sitting at the counter. I had the same server as this cast party. She was cheerful and very personable under pressure. She did a great job handling all her...
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LOVE
LOVE YOUR LOVED ONES I have a great idea for a commercial that my girlfriend and I came up with. Here is the story: (the song Closer to Love plays by Mat Kearney)A young couple's picnic. It's sunset, and the boyfriend blind-folds the girl up to the top of a hill, where a bench is with a picnic basket. The girlfriend opens her blind...
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