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
CONFIDENCE
ZOE T My little sister is my hero. She was born when I was two years old. At birth she was diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. She is absolutely, hands down the most amazing person I know. She has put a smile on my face every single time I've been upset. I line in the dorm at school and sometimes she will call just because....
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APPRECIATION
MCMASTER I go to Mac High School, and once a year we get snacks when we get off the bus. Usually I think nothing of it and just take a snack and then go on with the rest of my day. But today there were stickers on the bottles which told us to "pay it forward" and there was even a website to visit (which was this one) to...
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CHARACTER
DANIEL G My hero was the first born to a migrant share cropper and wife. His father passed away when he was six and he was left to help his mother with three younger sisters and one on the way. The youngest of the three died and when the baby was born, she died as well. Both died of starvation. He fought to live each day,...
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FORGIVENESS
FORGIVE AND GROW Forgiving, I feel, is easy. Forgetting the experience that comes prior to the forgiveness, however, always remains with us. Choosing to forgive means choosing to let go of the bad or negative emotions that one experiences so that we can live in peace and harmony. Five years ago I went through a painful...
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DEVOTION
MY PARENTS' LOVE I lived in Dallas, Texas nearly all my life with my mom, dad and older sister. We were raised to respect others, value education, and get all that we could out of life. "You can be anything you want to be," my parents always say. "Work hard and the world is yours," is often quoted in my house. My parents are...
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COMMITMENT
JOHN H This is my father. I am sure that all children think that their father is their hero but mine is extraordinary. When I was two years old, in 1963, my mother died of bone cancer. She left my father not only heartbroken but the father of five children. My extended family rallied together and made the decision that...
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CARING
CHRYSTAL R Chrystal had a really tough childhood. From being hungry to abuse, she held onto her hopes and dreams from a young age. When she was eight she decided she was meant to help people. At the age of sixteen she was doing more volunteer work than anything else. When she was seventeen she even represented California at...
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LOVE
BETTYE J My mom is my hero. She wasn't just my mom; she was my best friend and confidant. When I was pregnant and alone overseas I would wake up in the middle of the night; unable to get back to sleep, I would watch a movie. Usually, it was a Disney movie. I remember one night watching 'Dumbo.' As always, it pulled at my...
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HELPING OTHERS
GIVE TO OTHERS I worked for a small company about 10 years ago. One holiday season, two of the folks in our company adopted two families in need for the holidays. We all pitched in and made sure they had presents, food and all the trimmings to enjoy the holidays. I felt great that I was able to contribute and help families in...
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LIVE YOUR DREAMS
TARA WHEELER-MISS VIRGINA 2008 Miss Virginia 2008, Tara Wheeler, has lived life defining herself and encouraging others to do the same. She has been an ice hockey goalie since the 3rd grade, was the starting goalie for the Penn State Lady Icers and even got to try out for the women's Olympic team. While at Penn State she was also an Air Force...
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COURTESY
CHRIS F Chris became quadriplegic (from shoulders down) in a boating accident about 10 years ago. He has recovered as fully as physically possible. During that time obtained a graduate level certificate in Assistive Technology at San Diego State University, returned to full-time work as an engineer, and married his wife,...
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CARING
ANNA N My grandmother is my hero. During World War II, she put off her education in order to serve as a nurse in the Navy. Later, she went on to get her Master's degree at Columbia University- something not many women were doing at the time. Instead of choosing a more lucrative career, she chose to come home to our...
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SACRIFICE
TERRY F Terry F. lost his leg to cancer and then his life while walking across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Every year thousands of people all over the world walk to honour Terry and raise money in his name. The walk takes place during September. He was a young man with a vision that lives today. His...
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CARING
DORIS G In the late 1970's, Carroll Park was a block of crime and dirty deeds in inner city Philadelphia, so bad that one could not pass through during the daytime. But one day, a group of residents decided to change that. They entered the park ready to change it for the better. With paintbrushes, rakes, brooms, and...
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PEACE
HOW I FOUND CONTENTMENT I think I've found contentment, and it was actually in the last place I thought to look. There is a story by Paulo Cuehlo about a boy who leaves home seeking adventure. He meets a king who tells him of great wealth. The boy goes seeking it, finds more trouble than treasure and gives up to return home. It turns...
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CARING
PATRICIA S My mother-in-law is my hero. She is the type of person who always sees the best in people. She never has a bad word to say about anyone. She has the patience of a saint and she always makes time for her family and friends. When I came into the family she welcomed me with open arms and never asked questions. She...
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RIGHT CHOICES
DEBRA D Debra has not had an easy life. She has endured sickness, death, and occupational disappointments yet I have never heard her complain once. She supported a husband with an addiction for many years and stood by in the belief he would enter recovery, which he did. She raised two children emphasizing the values of...
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CARING
BOBBIE D Bobbie D. graduated high school third in her class in 2004. Even though she could go anywhere, she went to Africa to help run a program known as Second Chance for Darfur's Kids. She is still only a college student yet instead of finding a way to pay for college textbooks, she finds ways to raise money for...
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JUSTICE
LIFE IS OURS TO LIVE FREELY! Death is an inescapable fate. When it's time for us to go the only thing we leave behind is the way in which we chose to lead the days of our existence, recognized in the mind's of those who loved us. The story I'm going to deliver was told to me by the mother of a great friend of mine, named Peter, who passed...
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DETERMINATION
DAVID L My hero, David L., is 61 years old now. He has stuttered since he was a baby and many thought he was mentally retarded. An IQ test as child showed that he had an IQ of 140. He was the butt of everyone's jokes in high school. He never had the love of his father and lost a job just because he stuttered. He is my...
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HELPING OTHERS
CHAD C My father is a wonderful man. He is a man with true values that were instilled in him when he was very young. My father has always presented himself as a strong and solid person. He has climbed his way from the bottom to reach his personal goals. The compassion that he maintains for strangers is a compassion that...
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SOUL
AN EVENTFUL DAY, A BLUR OF MEMORIES Today was my uncle's funeral. It was an odd day of deep sorrow and grief, family time, and nostalgia. I was sitting silently in the chilly chapel and could see the back of my now widowed aunt's head bowed down in sorrow, her shoulders shaking from her quiet sobs. Just beyond her head lay my uncle, now...
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CARING
BOB R In l988, Bob R. halted a very lucrative career to follow his passion of helping others. He started a non-profit organization, called Renaissance Enterprises, to bring professional music and the arts to our nations forgotten seniors, the developmentally disabled, the handicapped, and others. This is not a...
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AMBITION
NANCY B Nancy B. is a hero because she helped inspire three miles of kindness! Nancy has served public schools for 44 years in North Texas. As Director of Guidance for Rockwall, TX, she was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the Rachel's Challenge program at every level in Rockwall. Her passion for...
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RIGHT CHOICES
BROOK T I met my best friend at a paper nickel carnival his class was having in kindergarten. We had to make paper nickels and cut them out for admission. So from then, we grew up together teaching each other how to be a better person. There were past times in our lives where we were separated, but never not...
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COURTESY
HOLDING DOORS CAN SOMETIMES MEAN MORE THAN YOU THINK I was on my way to morning basketball workouts with a few of my teammates after meeting up earlier to play some 3-on-3. We were cutting it close on time and our coach is very into punctuality'meaning we would be punished severely if we were late. As we rushed to the double doors leading to the University Center,...
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DETERMINATION
TASHINA B She is my best friend. She is beautiful in every way. In the face of so much challenge, she has rose above to become an incredible woman, mother, and friend to all. She was born to teenage parents into a life that could have easily prepped her for doom. She is the oldest of five sisters and I hear that even in...
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HOPE
MICHAEL AND ST. THERESA I have been suffering from severe depression for quite a while now, so when my partner suggested we take a day trip to Dublin on the ferry I reluctantly said yes. We arrived in Dublin and while he went to meet a friend I strolled down O'Connell Street just looking at shops and people watching. I wanted to buy...
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CHARACTER
ISAIAH M My hero is my son. Isaiah has Asperser's and TBI. Yet he does not allow this to get in his way. He is a determined young man with a big heart and a personality to match. He loves to write songs, stories and animals. He is my inspiration!
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FRIENDSHIP
MICHAEL O Mike was my first boyfriend of six years; he died four years ago on August 8, 2004, at the young age of 20. He was tubing down a river with his friends when someone yelled "waterfall"! They all managed to get out of the river and onto shore except one of his friends. She fell in the river right before the falls...
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STRENGTH
A P My grandfather has survived every ill that life has thrown at him. They are too numerous to name them all, but recently, he survived an emergency surgery that doctors said he never possibly could. For this, and many other reasons, my grandfather is my hero.
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APPRECIATION
TWO AMAZING PEOPLE I recently read a wonderful account of an incredible act of kindness. It involved the country singer, Jan Howard, and it occurred back in the early or mid 1950's. You can read about it in her wonderful autobiography, 'Sunshine and Shadow.' She was destitute with three children and at least two of them were...
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COURAGE
A SIMPLE LIFE PROJECT In 9th grade I was assigned a "Life Project." During this project we had to interview a person whom we hoped to be like later in life. Then we had to give an oral presentation to the class about how it went. I wanted to become an entertainment lawyer. Most of the students in my class really did not want to do...
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