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
ACHIEVEMENT
MY GIFT TO ME My name is Linda and I decided to go back to college at age 60. I now have a 3.8 grade point average and I am so excited about my accomplishment. I never took school seriously when I was younger because one of my teachers in the 5th grade used to say that I was dumb and stupid. But I used that as my motivation -...
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OPTIMISM
MY ISSUES ARE NOTHING My name is Christopher, and for 10 years I've been a member of the children's service club called Optimist International. I will become the volunteer Governor of the Illinois District in October, and hope that my leadership will increase the Illinois membership. In July, Illinois Optimists spend a day at a...
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REACHING OUT
SEE YOU THERE The day was a typical summer day - sunny, bright sky, and so much fun...you would think. Unfortunately, I was stuck working. I worked at a amusement park and wasn't really excited about working there that day but it had to be done anyway. Well while I was working I had this huge family come up to me and ask to...
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LEARNING
THE WOLVES Setting: My son Joel's bedroom. About 9:30 pm on a Wednesday night. I'm there to tuck him in. He's been in bed for at least 15 minutes before I get there. Joel: I can't stop thinking about the wolves. Mom: What wolves? Joel: The wolves in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I keep thinking about them...
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GIVING BACK
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF EVERYONE PAID IT FORWARD? My friend, Brent, told me an interesting story this morning. Like most people who need that morning pick-me-up, you most likely wait anxiously for that sometimes bitter… sometimes cavity-breeding sweet, dark, hot, liquid crack. When you see the barista pour the steamy (or frozen) concoction, it does...
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CARING
MY DAUGHTER'S BLESSING I serve as a hospital chaplain. During Nurse's Week we have a Blessing of the Hands ceremony. The Blessing of Hands ceremony invites any and all people who like to receive a blessing to come to our chapel where we pour water on their hands and have a small prayer that they would be blessings. This year as I...
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COMMON GROUND
TYRA W In 2006, after about 3 years of taking care of my son Chance as a single mother, his father finally stepped back into his life. At first it was very difficult to let go and trust that he would be a steady presence in my son's life. Since our separation he had remarried and I was unsure of how my interaction with...
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COURAGE
ALAN T Al was an educator who believed the best in kids and families. He was a highly regarded (and award winning) elementary school principal when I first met him and not too much later, I found out he had MS. He retired after 25 years and fought MS for his, too few, remaining years. He died a few years ago, far too...
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COMPASSION
KENDA N Kenda is a Hero as she has brought more joy, smiles and higher self-esteem to my young adult child and others like him. You see, Kenda created and directs "Movement E-Motion", a dance program for individuals with different abilities - young adults aged 13 to seniors with Down Syndrome, Autism and physical...
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DETERMINATION
NICHOLAS T My beautiful boy Nicholas was born at 32 weeks. A normal pregnancy is 40. Even though he was not that early he only weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces. Other than being little he was perfect. Then 10 days later tragedy hit. He had Necrotizing Enterocolitis which is a gastrointestinal disease that mostly affects premature...
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DETERMINATION
23 YEARS OF SEARCHING... In 1985 I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea. I was 3 months old and was given to Caucasion parents. Every family gathering I was reminded that I was different even though nobody wanted to tell me why. Finally my parents told me what it means to be adopted and my birthmother was from Korea. I spent so much...
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COMPASSION
ELVA M My hero is my Mom. She has always been a steady, motivating influence in my life. After she retired, she and my Dad decided to travel around, but ended up living in a very small community in deep South Texas. When they moved here, they realized that this community has a terrible frequency of poverty,...
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HONESTY
JIM M My hero is my neighbor, friend, and schoolmate, Jim, who took a personal tragedy in his life and used it to help others. A little more than 25 years ago Jim was nearly killed in an alcohol-related crash near Muncy, PA that resulted in the death of one of his best friends. Jim himself clinically died twice at the...
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AMBITION
TERRY H Terry Hitchcock is my Hero. After tragically losing his wife to breast cancer and struggling to raise three young children on his own, Terry Hitchcock seized on an idea. He wanted to accomplish the impossible: run 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring attention to the incredibly difficult...
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DETERMINATION
JORDAN E My hero is my friend Jordan. He passed away on June 24, 2008 at the age of 14. He was struck in the head by a tree limb while helping his dad cut down a tree. Jordan was a great person. He was involved in basketball, football, wrestling, student council, and was a lance corporal in our state's Young Marines. If...
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CARING
A LIFE OF GIVING My Grandmother had lived her life of more than ninety years without taking a breath to think of herself and her needs. Rather, she found her love and grace in tending to the needs of others and in giving of herself to anyone in need of love, comfort or understanding. Having survived the great depression with...
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LISTENING
RUNNING SCHOOL Growing up, I always enjoyed school and the process of learning. I was a non-athletic 'nerd', whose only exercise was running up to my room at the end of my school day to read a book. I carried the deadly 'teacher's pet' stigma that resulted in extra mentoring from the teachers, and brutal teasing from...
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STEWARDSHIP
MY SONS' INITIATIVES My two sons, Miguel (15) and Kristian (11), are in high and elementary school respectively. I have been teaching them on how to preserve the environment. Aside from the values they learned from their schools and from our own home, I teach them to love God above all and His creations. I have been telling them that...
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APPRECIATION
PEYTON'S 8TH BIRTHDAY When my daughter Peyton was 7, she decided that she wanted to be a "Change Bandit" for the Duke Children's Hospital annual donation radio-thon. She enjoyed raising money to help the sick children in the hospital, and she hit up everyone she knew for loose change. In a short period of time, she donated more than...
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CHARACTER
DIANA Diana's story begins in the East Side community of San Antonio, a place plagued by not only poverty but also environmental contamination from local industrial businesses, such as nuclear plants and fuel companies that to this day continue to shadow the area ominously dubbed the 'Toxic Triangle.' Environmental...
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CHARACTER
ADARSHA In 2008, 15-year-old Adarsha came up with an idea that would alleviate both poverty and environmental degradation for villages in rural India: the promotion of a plant called Jatropha curcas in lieu of the tobacco that farmers were harvesting as a cash crop. A hardy shrub, Jatropha seeds are an economically...
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RESPECT
JORGE M My hero is my husband, Jorge. I met Jorge when I was at a very difficult point in my life. I had just graduated high school and I didn’t know whether I was coming or going half of the time. I was all about the party and not at all about responsibility. Before meeting Jorge, I never thought it was possible for...
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HUMILITY
MABEL B Mabel was my Grandma. I truly think she was really an Angel though. She was almost non-human in the ways she dealt with people. Here are some of the extraordinary examples from her life that have had a profound effect on mine: 1. When my father was a child, some gas splashed on his legs at the gas station and...
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COURAGE
EXTENDYOURSELF My mother died twice in August 2005-- once on her 75th birthday at a crowded restaurant, surrounded by her closest family members-- and finally, the next day at a hospital. Eight months later, I began to come out of the fog of grief and depression to find a new purpose for my life. Like many of my generation,...
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LOVE
MIRACLE IN DISGUISE A 66-year-old male in relatively good health and no risk factors for heart disease came to me with a sudden onset of signs and symptoms of a heart problem. After he was diagnosed and treated, walked past me and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more. I asked him what he had on his mind that he wanted...
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INGENUITY
CAREBIKE Our oldest daughter is severely disabled. My wife, my younger daughter and I cared for Megan 24/7 for over twenty years. Two years ago, Megan moved to a nearby facility that appears better able to meet her needs. That decision was emotionally involved enough to require some family counseling. The lady we spoke to...
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GIVING BACK
LEAN ON US Ashley Craig is a student at Sussex Middle School in Sussex, New Jersey. A year or so ago she noticed how much her parents were spending on school supplies for her and her siblings. She knew that there were students in our district that could not possibly afford these. Trying to figure out how to help those...
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CHARACTER
CHARLIE B My father has always been a hero in my life. Ever since I can remember he always was my symbol of strength, success, and inspiration. He always pushed me to become something better and never failed to inspire someone. We avidly play recreational softball and everyone admires him for his humor, athleticism, and...
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BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
SUSAN H When I was growing up my family consisted of three brothers and two sisters. My two sisters are much younger than I am. As I grew older I always wished I had an older sister (while I have an older brother it's not the same thing). To my way of thinking an older sister is someone who can inspire you to do...
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ACHIEVEMENT
THE SEARCH FOR REAL FOOD When Hai started college, he weighed over 250 pounds, healthy food choices were difficult for him, and he was emotionally distraught. However, when he left home for college, he was able for the first time to start taking his life and weight into his own hands. He started by shopping at a local farmer's market, an...
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COURTESY
A LITTLE KINDNESS GOES A LONG WAY New neighbors are building their "dream house" on our street. They had sent a note to everyone introducing themselves when the construction started a year ago, but we had not met them yet. We bought a small plastic basket, filled it with candy and attached it to the temporary fence with a note saying: "Welcome to...
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DETERMINATION
MARCUS T Marcus has demonstrated extreme determination to overcome injuries that left him quadriplegic. He has learned to paint beautiful pictures by holding the paintbrush in his mouth. The incredible thing about this is that he did not know he could paint before his injuries caused him to be unable to use his arms or...
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HARD WORK
MARCUS T Seeing & knowing Marcus is a blessing to everyone's life he touches! Teaching himself to paint beautiful paintings after being paralyzed from the shoulders down is just a miracle! Marcus is always happy and enjoying life! The rest of us could learn a lot about life from him!
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