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
CHARITY
BERNIE L Bernie owns a comic book store and since 2002, on the national Free Comic Book Day, he has raised money for the Autism Society of Cumberland County. His own kids are healthy and don't have autism. He does this out of kindness and hosts an event that will draw a crowd to help raise awareness and money. He doesn't...
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DEVOTION
MIKE B My hero is also my best friend! He has been there for me through the roughest times of my life,times when my own immediate family walked out on me,and I was left to fend for myself. He not only taught me what true,unconditional love is,but he has SHOWN me! There have been times that I have done him so wrong,and...
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CONFIDENCE
MY STUTTERING DOESN'T HOLD ME BACK Hey, my name is Andrew and when I was younger I used to stutter a lot. I was often picked on for it, especially in middle school. But when I went to high school I started working out. Working out gave me so much confidence that it brought my stuttering to a minimum. As a child I always dreamed of serving in the...
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RESPONSIBILITY
HELEN S Helen was abused and had a very rough life as a child. She had been married four times and had three children by the age of 21. She finished high school, went to college and raised her children alone without welfare. She's a highly trained professional. If anyone had a right to lay back and think 'the world owes...
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FRIENDSHIP
CHARLOTTE R Charlotte. She means so much to me. My name is Hailey. Charlotte is my best friend ever. She has been there for me through good times and bad. She was very supportive when my grandmother died and never left my side. I can't put in to words how awesome she is.
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COMPASSION
PAT W When I was in high school I was running with a bad crowd. I took 'Adventure Class' for PE (because I heard it was easy). Pat was my teacher and she inspired me in so many ways over the last 3 semesters I was in school. We did things on the ropes course and she pushed me to excel, she gave me strength and...
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COURAGE
SUE W Sue is my real hero. She does daycare and takes them on field trips. One day while coming back from a field trip we saw a disabled man stuck on the train tracks. The bars were going down. Out of all the people in their cars and on the sidewalks she was the only one who went to help this man. She risked her own...
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SPREAD YOUR WINGS
SIGNS AMONGST OTHER LITTLE THINGS... I have always expressed myself through writing. A year or so ago I started up a blog and titled it "Spread Your Wings", mainly because it sums up who I am as an individual. I strive to be a person with strong morals and keep a positive outlook on life, always taking the optimistic route. When I saw this...
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HELPING OTHERS
GOOD PEOPLE HELPED ME WHEN I GOT LOST When I was 5 years old, my family and I went to a big mall. Then I got lost. I stared to cry but then a good woman helped me find the police and then the police helped me find my parents by looking at the security cameras in the mall. 20 minutes later we found my parents and they were looking for me. I learned to...
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COURAGE
HEATHER H Heather is my real life hero, she works full time as an electronics tech, she is also in the Army National Guard and has served 3 tours in Iraq, she is now back in college to get her degree as a physical trainer and on top of all of that she finds the time and patience to take care of me (her Mom). She never...
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DETERMINATION
LAUREN J Time...where has the year gone? "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear" -- Henry VanDyke "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." -- Andy Warhol "The past cannot be regained, although we can learn from it; the future is not yet ours...
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COURAGE
KURUMI M I met Kurumi when I was eleven. We hosted her as an exchange student from Japan in 2007. I was in grade six at the time and I only realize now how brave you have to be to do this. Moving across the world for a whole year, being fully immersed in a new language, new culture, new everything. This takes guts. Kurumi...
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TEAMWORK
MY TEAM My baseball team and I had not won a single game up until today, and every time we lost every one was happy because they knew that we had done great.
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GIVING BACK
JUST AN EASY GESTURE. Several times while shopping, I have seen servicemen and women. I have approached them, shook their hands and said "Thank you for your service to our country". Once, at the time of checkout, I urged one soldier to go ahead of me because I wasn't really in a rush and I was sure he had better ways to spend his time...
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COURTESY
WANT TO GO SHOPPING...? I don't mind going shopping; our kids are grown up and away from home, so usually it's just my wife and myself. I'll drop her off close to the door and then find a place to park...usually in a good place, where I can gather up carts left in the lot to take with me to the store.
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
CLARENCE H My parents are my heroes. At a time when most of the population was prejudice towards black people, one of my father's friends was a black man he worked with. My dad was a truck driver and his friend was a mechanic. I remember going to his house with my parents and seeing my school picture on his wall along with...
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DEDICATION
STACEY A He was born in 1924 and grew up during the great depression. He served in WWII and worked until he was in his 80's always wanting to contribute to his community and support his family. Even though he fought for our country only one month ago did he finally claim his VA benefits because he feels it an honor to...
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INTEGRITY
ERNIE V My hero is my brother! He had to raise me since I was ten years old and he was only 20! He had to put aside his likes and life for me and he never regretted it or complained. He has taught me the values of life and could not be more appreciated. Thank you Ernie for all you do!
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SACRIFICE
THE HOT DOG BUNS When I was at Albertsons, (a food store) I saw a bag of hot dog buns on the ground. I went away from my mom, and picked them up. Later on, I said, "It's not like me picking up the hot dog buns does any good for anyone." She said, "Yes it does. I bet the store appreciates your help." I felt great!
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APPRECIATION
BLACK EYED PEAS P When most people write a story about their heroes they might think of their mom or dad. Well, I'm not one of those people. My heroes are the Black Eyed Peas. Why? I think because of their music. Their song "Where is the Love" (which you can hear on this very website) inspires me to be a better person. That is my...
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HONESTY
THE LUCKY DIME When I was at the store with my mom, I found a dime on the ground. I picked it up, and showed my mom. She said that I should keep it. Then I said, "Can I give it the cashier?" She said yes. Then I gave it to the cashier. The cashier said, "Oh, you can keep it." My mom said that it was a very nice thing to do and...
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LIVE YOUR DREAMS
WALTER & ALEXIS P My heroes are my amazing daughter Alexis and wonderful boyfriend Walter. Without them I would be nobody. They give me the strength and motivation to be the best person,student, mother and friend that I can. They are the air I breathe, my heart and soul. I love them more than I have ever loved anyone before. They...
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GOOD MANNERS
THE GIRL WHO HELPED TWO ELDERS AT A RESTARAUNT. One day I was at a Chinese restaurant and I was eating. I heard a loud clap on the floor. I looked across the room and saw that a persons rice tray had fallen. I decided to go and grab the tray top and give it to them. I had made a persons life easier by picking that simple tray top up.
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HONESTY
A GUARDIAN ANGEL A week ago, my boyfriend Patrik and I were sitting in the long drive-thru line at McDonalds. As I was discussing something with my boyfriend, the driver behind us starts yelling and screaming, beeping his horn. As I turn around, thinking it was directed at us, I saw the gentleman beeping at a woman walking into...
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COURTESY
IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY! I was running late for work on Friday trying to get my bags packed for DC. It was a beautiful day and normally I would walk to the subway. Since I was running late the only way to make it to work on time would be to catch a cab. So I flagged down the first cab that drove by my house. When I got into the back seat...
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HONESTY
CHILDREN SETTING EXAMPLES FOR ADULTS During the busy holidays I found myself in a grocery store very late with all three of my children in tow. As we went to check out my nine year old son came up to me and said, “Mom, look what I found on the floor!” He held up a $50 bill. Then he said, “Someone lost their money mom!“ I asked him what he was going...
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CARING
MICHAEL G Mr. Grahl is my teacher. You may think a teacher can't be a hero but he is. Some people say he's mean but deep down he is loved. You can say he's been here forever and its time for him to leave but again we would miss him. If you talk to him he listens and wants his students to be the best they can be all of the...
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RESPONSIBILITY
THOMAS S My hero is my father. Through thick and thin in my life, no matter what, I can always count on my dad. Now I have a daughter of my own and pray that I can be half the parent he is to me!! He is a wonderful asset in the community and always gives a helping hand to those in need. He is the ideal man.
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OPPORTUNITY
SUZI H Suzi took Christina-Taylor to meet Congresswoman Giffords. She told Christina-Taylor she could be like Gabrielle and Christina-Taylor believed it. She believed she could be a congresswoman, a baseball star and anything she wanted. Suzi inspired Christina-Taylor and the rest of us to be better mentors and citizens.
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HELPING OTHERS
SANDRA L This is about an amazing lady name Sandra La Day of People Supporting People in Port Arthur, Texas. She started this 15 years ago with just the pay check of her husband and the little money she was making and about 4 people in giving things. She took in children for free until the parent/parents were able to take...
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RISING ABOVE
BRENT P This hero of mine has overcome opposition in his life since the time he was a toddler. He remembers his father coming home drunk. He remembers how his mother wept finding out about all the affairs. He remembers the ugly divorce when he was 12. He remembers the day the call came - that his father had shot himself...
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HELPING OTHERS
BETTY T My grandparents are my heroes and a lot of other kids'. My grandparents are foster parents and they have had more then 50 kids! They are my heroes because they gave a chance to these kids and they gave these kids homes. All foster parents are heroes, they save childrens lives. They made a difference in one of...
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INSPIRATION
JOHNNY H My paw paw is and will always be my hero. He and his family overcame the depression. He later joined the Navy during the Korean war, an after that he married his love and had 3 children. He started a plumbing business. He is now retired, but he keeps on inspiring me and others around him with his stories and his...
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