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
HONESTY
I SHOCKED SOMEONE People seem to think I'm one of those hard headed people who take a bunch of problems on. I usually try to remain as friendly as possible. Finally one day, while living at my dorm, someone left something out at the cafeteria that I knew could get stolen. I looked for the girl and no one knew who I was talking...
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KINDNESS
COLTER G My little brother, Colter, had the kindest and most gentle heart of anyone I've ever known. He was an inspiration to us all - and taught me to always look for the good in life. He was the best son, brother, uncle, and friend and he will be missed more than words can explain. Colter always took the time to notice...
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HELPING OTHERS
EVERYONE WHO HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE. The people who are willing to stand out and make a change will always be heroes in my eyes. It seems as though there are only a handful of these people in the world but together, miracles can happen.
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COMPASSION
GIVING THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK A few years back, my boyfriend Andy invited me to meet his parents for Christmas. We booked an early morning flight on the morning of Christmas Eve and arrived at the airport before the sun was up. As we were waiting in line to check in, we noticed a lanky kid with a military haircut and glasses(who couldn't have...
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HARD WORK
LEE M My Grandpa is my hero. He has taught me to never give up. Also, that if you work hard enough your dreams will come true. He and my Grandma built the house they live in with their own two hands and then rebuilt it after a tornado hit. My Grandpa served in the Korean War for 2 years. He still, to this day, does...
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CONFIDENCE
THE PIANO TEACHER - FRANCES Each time I see the little boy playing "Twinkle, Twinkle.." on stage, it brings tears to my eyes. My daughter's piano teacher (tragically killed in a home gas explosion) sat at her piano and enhanced each "new artist's" selection as does your artist. She taught 6 year olds through college age students - never...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
JIM R Jim has inspired me to bring my life to a new level of thinking, being and understanding. If it wasn't for him, I would not have developed my personal sense of awareness and the profound effects I have on the people around me. Thanks Jim, RIP.
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CHARACTER
LOST OR STOLEN While shopping with my daughter in a local mall, she inadvertently left her IPAD in the ladies room and we walked off not realizing it. 10 minutes later, she realized she didn't have it with her...we searched for half an hour in all the places we had been. Finally, we went to the courtesy booth and told them what...
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PERSEVERANCE
LYDIA A Lydia is a 17 year old student from RJC. Her parents had passed away when she was 5 and ever since, she had to live with a torturous family that her parents sold her to before they died. Her foster parents raised her unlike a normal daughter. Though they fed her, sheltered her, and managed her needs, they treated...
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BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
BELIEVE THERE ARE TIMES I WONDER IF WERE TO ACT ON MY DREAMS, WOULD MY DREAMS COME TRUE? WHEN I DREAM IT FILLS MY HEART AND SOUL AS IF DREAMING IS ALIVE AND TRUE. AS I GO INSIDE MY SOUL DREAMS ARE REAL AND BEAUTIFUL. AS I SING A SONG FROM MY HEART AND SOUL WISHING A DREAM COMES TRUE, WHEN I BELIEVE WITHIN YOU.
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RIGHT CHOICES
JAMES W James was only ten when his family moved him to a new state, far from his friends and the rest of his family. His dad had no regular employment in the new place, so food was scarce. Education was not seen as very important, only survival. Our father became a drug addict and dealer, and our mother suffered from...
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DETERMINATION
DENISE F Denise was only 12 years old when our mom died. She had already lived through seven years of being hungry, both for food and affection. Then she was left with our father, who abused her in unimaginable ways. She lived with me and my husband briefly, but could not stand living with rules since she had always lived...
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HELPING OTHERS
MARCIA S Marcia is my mother. She took care of my father with love, compassion and a sense of humor throughout his illness, Lewy Body Disease, a type of dementia, for many years. After my father died, she began to volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association in Houston, Texas, and was named volunteer of the year. She is an...
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LOVE
MOM,DAD AND FAMILY It's been three years now since they left us. Mom and dad both had alzheimers and were bed ridden. We miss them every day. I thank god we were able to care for them at home. We watched them fade away and leave us day by day,slowly. While it was heart wrenching and painful,there was so much joy in caring for them....
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DETERMINATION
MADISYN B Madisyn is my 7 year old daughter. Throughout her life she has had to deal with so many, many problems. Things that no child should go through. Her life has been turned upside down, and she had to learn things, see things, hear things, and do things that no child should ever be put into a position to have deal...
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DETERMINATION
LEON P Leon is my grandfather and a survivor of the Holocaust. He was held in the Buchenwald Concentration camp for five years by the evil Nazi regime. He did everything he was ordered to, narrowing his chance of being sent to the gas chamber or shot on the spot. Even when he lost all twelve members of his immediate...
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DETERMINATION
NOLA O I was getting ready to 'celebrate?' my 45th birthday when I saw a spot on TV with Nola Ochs... the oldest person to graduate college. She said, "If there is anything you want or need to do... DO IT NOW. You only have ONE chance!" So, it was that moment that I thought... I always wanted to get my blackbelt in...
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CARING
EVERY ONE OF THE GOOD PEOPLE I wonder if I could say that I have only one hero. But when I take time to think it out, I could never have only one. My hero, or rather heroes, are the people who take time out of their short life they have on this wonderful planet to help anything and everything that needs it. The people that operate animal...
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COURAGE
ANDREW H Andrew is my father. He was in the army on active duty. When I was in 1st grade he was deployed to Iraq. He was there for a year. I was younger and never really understood why he left us, but now I am older. He went to fight for our country. He was a very brave soldier too. He and one of his buddies were assigned...
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INSPIRATION
JOHN H My father is my hero. He was a German immigrant who came to this country in 1924. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps when WWII broke out to fight for the country he'd grown to love. He was wounded in battle and his best friend died beside him. Although we have newspaper clippings stating he was awarded the Purple...
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BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
BEHIND DARK DAYS DEEP BEHIND MY DARKEST DAYS I FADED AWAY DEAD AND ALIVE I'M LIVING A LIE. MY TEENAGE TEARS WAS FULL OF FEAR WITH TEARS,BUT I PRAY EACH DAY WALKING THE TRACKS HANGING ON DREAMS WITH WINGS TO FLY.NO LIFE AT HOME SO I ROAM THE STREETS LOOKING FOR A POSITIVE BEAT INSIDE ME THAT WILL SET ME FREE. DREAMING THE TRUTH...
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RIGHT CHOICES
EDWARD F My hero is my father. I know it is really lame to say that but he really does the right thing no matter what the cost. For example, my father owns two companies-he isn't by any means a big business man or anything-he does well enough for himself to live comfortably but he is not a millionaire. He employs about 25...
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DETERMINATION
THE LONG ROAD TO EAGLE SCOUT When I was 13, I am now 25, I had brain cancer and feared the worst. I was also a Boy Scout who was determined to reach my Eagle Scout rank by age 16.Despite all of the setbacks with treatments and all of the ordeal with cancer, I set a goal for myself and stuck to it. Without the support from my scout leaders,...
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KINDNESS
PETER G My dad is my hero. He's the nicest person, he will say hi to anyone and have conversations with people he dosen't even know and it always seems to brighten their day. He would help any stranger with any problem no matter what they look like or who they are.
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STRENGTH
JESSICA H Jessica is our youngest daughter of our blended family. Two years ago Jessica started at a new school and was teased mercilessly for her weight. Being a kind and forgiving person, what we thought was a normal weight loss was, in actuality, the condition of anorexia as she turned inside herself and...
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COMPASSION
WILL M My brother. He joined the Navy right out of high school and spent four years as an enlisted person. He didn't re-enlist but rather enrolled in college, using his GI-Bill. Our dad, who had retired from the Navy years before, told him he'd better re-enlist because he was too stupid to finish college. My brother not...
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COMPASSION
PLUMBING PROBLEMS I am a plumber and this is one of my true stories. A friend of mine called me and asked, “Claude, could you do me a favor and help this older lady that I know and go by and look at her plumbing? She needs plumbing work really badly but she's too scared to call a plumber because of the cost. She knows that if I...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
KORA H My grandmother will blow out 107 candles on her next birthday, and she is an inspiration to many. She is always looking forward, always giving, always sharing, and always planning for tomorrow. She lives as if she is forever young, turning life's stumbling blocks into stepping stones along the way. Read about her...
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CARING
ANDY D Andy. He worked at the Boy's and Girl's Club for 8 years. He ran Torch Club, a leadership group. He is a hero to many kids, including myself. He cares about everyone. He is like a father to me, and I'll always love him.
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GIVING BACK
ALLEN G This is the inspiring article I read today about a HS student who won $40,000 in scholarship money in a free throw contest and gave every penny to the other students he competed with. WINNING! Go to: highschool.rivals. com /content.asp?CID=1237085
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CHARACTER
JAY C ???????,?????????,??,????.
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DETERMINATION
JOE J He's a basketball player for the Hawks. He was raised in the ghetto but made the big leagues and I want to be like him.
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OVERCOMING
STEVE S My son, Steve was diagnosed with ALS in 2006 at the age of 38. He was a practicing landscape architect working in Boston. Upon his diagnosis he began to research ALS and the likely progression of the disease. ALS has no known cause, no treatment and no cure. Doctors informed Steve he had 3 to 5 years to live....
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