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
AMBITION
TRAVIS PASTRANA In the summer of 2006 I desperately needed help. I was racked with worry. I was entering my 19th year of teaching in public education and I knew this would be one of the most difficult classes I would encounter. This class was well behaved, but most of them were not very motivated, especially when it came to...
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REACHING OUT
MRS. L Mrs. L is a second grade teacher at Hill Elementary School in Lincoln, NE. She is a positive person who never forgets a name. She respects each of her students and works hard to highlight their talents. Throughout the school year, Mrs. L and her husband take two students at a time for a special Saturday morning....
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REACHING OUT
SHAWN C I met Shawn a few years ago. She is my hero as she is everything I've ever wanted to be. Perfect, no...and doesn't claim to be. She's been challenged with life threatening illness more than once. She is a true miracle. Shawn has more inner strength than anyone I have ever known. She's helped me learn and taught...
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CARING
ANDREW M My hero doesn't have superman's strength or the ability to fly. He has a different kind of strength: the strength to beat all odds, the ability to soar with courage. His name is Andrew. He was a premature baby and was told that he would not make it. He had heart surgery at the age of 13 and now has a clean heart....
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REACHING OUT
KELLY K Kelly is a one of a kind person. With a heart that she opens to all, Kelly is counted on by many. But what really has set Kelly apart and made her my hero is her non-stop optimism and dedication. Kelly has dedicated her life to helping people, and to helping spread awareness for an array of causes. Let me...
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APPRECIATION
HENRI L After surviving the concentration camps of World War II (a situation that could have destroyed one's spirit) Henri came to America and served in our military. Through the G.I. Bill he received an education in the hospitality industry. With success in the hotel business he could have justifiably sat back and...
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CARING
MATTHEW He saves lives as a Combat Medic while protecting people. He is one of the smartest people I've met, and his heart is bigger than life. He has been deployed twice to Iraq, and has impacted people both times. He never thinks about himself, only others. By far, the world would be a better place with more people...
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REACHING OUT
EARL R My hero is a person who always puts others before himself. He is always faithful to anything he undertakes and always willing to lend a helping hand. His word is his bond. He always goes above and beyond the call of duty. He works in Human Resources. He gives 110 percent to the project. He is always going the...
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REACHING OUT
MARCUS M Marcus was a co-worker of mine for many years and I've never seen anyone so devoted to their job. I've often caught myself just watching him interact with customers. He's never met a stranger, and is an overall genuine and good person. He taught me that being cool doesn't mean playing the 'tough guy,' and...
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RIGHT CHOICES
OSCAR N My father was the most admirable man I have ever known. He never criticized anything or anyone, never raised his voice, always inspired and uplifted. He saw the positive in everybody and everything. When I got into trouble as a kid, he would sit me down and talk to me to hear my version of the story and then...
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CHARACTER
IMPARTING WISDOM My father died on December 18, 2003, when I was 12-years-old. Granted, I was not able to know my father for a big portion of my life, yet I acquired much wisdom from this great man's life and from what he had imparted to me. My father was a co-entrepreneur. He had a business he ran almost completely himself. His...
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SHARING
SHARING WHEN YOU CAN I'm unemployed right now, but I have enough to manage. I have a roof over my head and can pay the bills. It's more than what others have. There is a homeless man that has taken up residence under and overpass near my home. He is older and it is difficult to communicate with him. He does not actively solicit cars...
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HELPING OTHERS
HELPING THE ELDERLY I reside in a sketchy part of Connecticut. There are a lot of people, especially among the young adults, who try to be all gangster-like, and everyone is out for themselves. I was coming home one day and there was a elderly lady in her eighties (whom I might add always waves to everyone, and greets them with a...
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REACHING OUT
RICHARD F Rich F. was a volunteer fire fighter and Prince George's County Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty on June 27, 2008. Rich was dedicated to his wife, their two small children, and to serving his community. He lived his life with purpose and service. He could always make you smile with his positive...
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AMBITION
NICK P On February 5th, 2003 my cousin Nick, who was 14 at the time, went with his ski club to have a fun afternoon snowboarding. What started out as a fun afternoon quickly turned into a tragic accident as Nick went off an icy jump, not wearing a helmet. He came down on his neck and immediately went unconscious. His...
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AMBITION
RG P My father is my hero...not because he is my father but because he has battled cancer ever since 2002. He just completed his 50 year anniversary at the only job he has ever known. He is still battling cancer but I see him every day working and fighting to beat this cancer with every bit of his being. I am so...
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AMBITION
RACHEL R At 15 she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and has lived with that for most of her life. I believe she is in her sixties now. She became a doctor, then counseled the terminally ill, and now does presentations teaching doctors and lay people that the soul needs to be remembered. She's written several books, My...
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APPRECIATION
VIVIAN R My hero, Vivian R., died last July of breast cancer. An older African American woman who never married or had any children, she devoted her life to helping others. I was fortunate enough to have known her for the past 30 years. Since she hired me as young 20 something year old working in the aging field. We came...
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REACHING OUT
URSULA G Ursula G., 90, my childhood dance teacher. Ursula taught modern dance at Colorado College in Colorado Springs for 40 years. I took dance starting at the age of 4. I was a pigeon-toed kid and my feet were corrected in my toddler years. The doctor suggested dance to continue my progress and improve my balance....
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CARING
SUSAN B A mother. A wife. A friend. Generous beyond expectation and committed to all of the things important in her life. Susan B., together with her husband, Mike, raised three sons. All the while, she gave them the spiritual support and guidance they needed, loved them deeply and unconditionally, and found the time...
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REACHING OUT
RONALD AND LYDIA J My heroes are my grandparents: Ronald and Lydia J. They not only raised me but taught me that character and responsibility are more important than how much money you have, the college degrees you have earned or the job you hold. Your character is the foundation of who you are. As they say, 'the true test of a man...
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REACHING OUT
PHYLLIS W This is about my baby sister, Phyllis W. The youngest of nine children, she was the epitome of the baby in our family. Everyone looked out for her, especially me. We were the closest in age and also best friends. At the age of 35, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, stage 4. She had two small children and...
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REACHING OUT
NANCY H One of my heroes in Nancy H. Nancy has been teaching at our local elementary school forever, she tells her students every year that she is 196 years old. Why she is a hero to me is because she is a friend and mentor to my daughter. She was my daughter's 3rd and 4th grade teacher. She encouraged my daughter's love...
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AMBITION
MY GRANDMOTHER My grandmother (1912-1986) was a 1st and 2nd grade teacher. She lost her mother to influenza during the flu epidemic in 1919, and grew up as the 'Cinderella' of the family: troubled dad and uncaring stepmom—not much love. Her aunts put her to vocational school when she was 14; it was a boarding school, she hated...
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CARING
MY BEST FRIEND'S MOM My best friend's mom is the person that exemplifies so many wonderful values such as courage, helping others, humility, love, and faith. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 8 years old. She had double mastectomies, chemo, radiation...lost her hair, was sick and all the things so many women go through....
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CARING
LUELLA H My mom, Luella H., who at 86 years young is today, the President of the local seniors' organization and family matriarch. She loved learning and was my foremost teacher. She gave birth to 12 children in 16 years! She is a farmer's wife and a church activist, yet still acquired her GED at 69. Her family tradition...
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CARING
LEINA R My mom is amazing to me. She taught me about strength, hard work, and discipline. She became a single parent when I was about 11. I'm the oldest of four children. She worked very hard to provide the best for all of us. She cleaned the Catholic school we went to, so that we could go to school there. She never...
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AMBITION
KEN B My hero is my father, Ken B. Ken was born in 1931 in Pennsylvania. His father, Ken Sr., lost his job in the height of the depression as a furniture manufacturing manager, and the family returned to the old homestead in Templeton, Massachusetts. There he helped work the family farm, selling any extras they grew....
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REACHING OUT
KATIE W One of my heroes, Katie W., was born with one arm and of Asian decent. She grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, and her parents neglected her and did not show her the love she deserved and needed. She was on the first girl's basketball team that I coached. She joined us her 7th grade year and through...
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AMBITION
JANE A Jane A. started the Hull House in Chicago in 1889 as a community center offering support to the children and adults in the neighborhood. She was a broad thinker and activist and helped bring a number of great facilities to her community including: night school for adults, kindergarten classes, clubs for older...
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REACHING OUT
HALBERT T What started as a job offer in the medical examiner/coroner's office turned into a life changing event for a single mother of four children. Dr. T. was a leading national pathologist who worked on many notorious forensic cases with the likes of Henry Lu and Michael Boden. But what he was most was a very...
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APPRECIATION
GEORGIA AND GENTRY I have two daughters, Georgia, 13, and Gentry, 11. I can't tell a story about someone being my hero without mentioning both of them. Just over a year ago I embarked on a campaign to win one of three vacancies on our city commission. Building social capital is my work, my passion, and my hope for our society's...
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CHARACTER
GEORGE R My grandfather—George R.—is my hero. He was born blind and against all odds he attended the University of Pittsburgh and received his BS. His seeing-eye dog was the first dog to graduate with a blind student. He also attended Carnegie Tech (Now Carnegie Mellon University) and received his MS in Social Work. He...
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