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
GIVING BACK
ELMER D He is my 88 year old neighbor. He is a WWII hero. And when I say hero, I mean hero. He lost most of his platoon on D-Day, he was in a ditch for 300+ days in the bitter cold most of that time. If you ask him, He will tell you, "I'm no hero!" He is as proud to be an American as they come. He is a huge influence in...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
HGH W My heroes all have my last name. They are the Warners of the last generation. My uncle Howard taught me the meaning of living each day. Uncle George taught me the value of knowledge and learning, and finally, my father, Henry, who continues to teach me the value of an honest day's work, even into his 80's....
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COMPASSION
VICKIE H My hero released me from fear and shame. Serving the public as a photo technician is no place for a toothless, 56 year old woman but that is where I was when Vickie found me. The absence of teeth in my mouth was painfully obvious to the finest dentist in our small community of Homer, Alaska. After she left the...
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LOVE
LYNN G She saved me from a home because my mom did not want me. I will always love my grandma and she will always be my hero!
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COURAGE
JEFF S My dad is one of my heroes. He takes me hunting and fishing and many other father- son things. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to do things in life that I enjoy. I really thank him for that.
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COURAGE
LORI S My mom is one of my heroes. I don't know what I would do without her. She cares for me and helps me out when I need it the most. She cooks, cleans and works hard just for me. She tries to make my life the best it can be by taking me places and allowing me to do things. Mom, you are truly my hero.
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APPRECIATION
DANIEL J He is my brother.. but I love him and cherish the ground he walks on. He is my hero because he has always been there for me through thick and thin.
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COMPASSION
GILBERT B My hero is – despite its cliché - my dad, Gilbert. I won’t pretend that he and I have an amazing father-daughter bond, because I wouldn’t say we do, and I won’t pretend that I’ve never disagreed with him, because I have. Although I may not want to follow his footsteps, I won’t deny that the man has charisma and...
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COMPASSION
MELISSA G Melissa is a friend I have known for only a short period of time, but she is someone who has made a tremendous impact on my outlook of the world. Melissa is a teacher who dedicates so much of her time in and outside of her classroom to brighten the lives of children whose lives are filled with chaos. She is...
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CARING
LARRY S My hero is my father. He was always there for me. A devoted husband, father and grandfather. He fought a tough battle with ALS. I will always have him in my heart.
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COURAGE
JOHN L He changed the world through music and love.
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HELPING OTHERS
CAROLYN L When my daughter was in high school we went to an open house where we and all the other parents sat in our children's classroom listening to the teacher. She told us a story of a kid who she'd noticed was ostracized for being "slow". He had no friends and didn't do well in school. She hatched an unusual plan. In...
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CIVILITY
BREAKFAST PAINS Sometimes the chaos of life causes me to desperately miss my son Landon. I am currently on an eight day straight work schedule. Which in return means I’m going eight days straight with out my child. For those of you who know me or have read my blog, you can imagine that I’m not handling that very well. This is...
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CLASS AND GRACE
SAVING HERO'S FACE My school band is saddled with being a marching, concert playing, chamber music playing, parade marching and contest hosting band. We are a first year high school. We were in a Christmas parade and it was pouring and it was horribly cold. We finished the parade for the first time, then we realized the real Hero...
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CHARACTER
HARRY O My dad has always been a character. It took me a long time to realize the debt of gratitude I owe him for teaching me what character is. My grandmother used to joke that he was the only German kid in a predominantly Polish neighborhood that would bring the black kid home to play. He recently told me stories of...
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COURAGE
BRYAN M My family and I, along with most of our neighbors, lost our homes due to fire in August of 2009. The fire had spread so quickly my grandpa, sister, niece & mom barely got out in time. Flames were on both sides of the street as they drove out of the canyon. My dad stayed behind waiting for my uncle to come with a...
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COMPASSION
CORRIE Z My hero, I would say, would have to be my dad. It may sound a little obvious but he is the one who is truly always there for me. No matter what crazy thing I decide to set my mind to, he has always been the one that is there to let me know I can do it. He is always very logical when you simply aren't. He knows...
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GENEROSITY
THE GIVING OF CHRISTMAS This Christmas my mother and I decided to give some very old ,still wrapped, priceless Barbie dolls. Out of the entire collection I only got to keep 3 of them. I felt so thrilled to give some little girls something for Christmas.I never thought of a more perfect way to spend the day then to give to the poor...
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RIGHT CHOICES
ROBERT B Rob worked for ENRON. He became their PR Director and Ken Lay's speech writer. He survived the scandal and the bankruptcy completely unscathed. He is now a leading force in the quest to keep lobbyists for special interest energy concerns from convincing our elected officials to turn taxpayers into involuntary...
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RESPECT
HAROLD A My father, my mentor, my friend. It is said that a man's life is directly effected by his father's example. If this is so, I hope to be half the man that this man was. I had to bury him March 29th of 2009. There will never be another like him, he has inspired me, taught me, and molded me and to this day I live by...
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HONESTY
HONESTY AT COSTCO It was a beautiful summer night. I was at Costco and I was in line for a slice of pizza. The lady in front of me bought a slice and left right away. I stood in line and received a slice of Pizza from one cashier. The lady who took your money just gave me the last lady's change and told me to pass. I looked down,...
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DEDICATION
FATHER MARC B Father Marc Boisvert, founder of Free the Kids was ordained a priest in 1984, and served the Church for 6 years before joining the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps. It was through his pastoral work he learned of the miserable conditions in Haiti. In 1997 he took leave from his post as Catholic base chaplain at Marine...
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HELPING OTHERS
SHAWN H Shawn, a veteran, is an older man who has had a very hard life and struggles financially but has the spirit of Christmas all year long. He helps every person from fixing kids bikes to tearing out tree stumps for strangers. He feeds all the stray cats everywhere. He never says no to anyone and yet he needs help...
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HARD WORK
ANGIE M This sounds cliché, but my hero is my mother. Some would say that it's a man's job to do physical labor on the farm, but my mother defies that stereotype. My mother is unlike any person I know. Her charisma and sense of humor fuel me. I know that if I’m having a bad day I can count on her to make me laugh. She...
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HELPING OTHERS
DANA S While visiting our river cabin after a flood, that added 10+ feet of water to the river, an elderly woman, who was confused, and her husband, backed their car off the edge of a small highway into the muddy brown swirling water. Police and emergency people were around directing traffic and other things, but...
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COMPASSION
ANDREW AND LINNEA H My heroes are Linnea and Andrew, who stayed by their sisters side throughout her cancer 6 years ago. Andrew was 6 1/2, and Linnea 10. All three kids were in the middle of their parents getting a divorce when middle sister Sammy got diagnosed with fourth stage Wilm's tumor. Linnea and Andrew took the care,...
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CARING
CAROL B My grandma died after fighting a hard fight with lung caner. I was just seven years old when she died. My brother was three. She is my hero because no matter how hard the battle got, she stayed strong and she kept fighting. She is also my hero because every time I had a problem, she would give me advice on how to...
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HARD WORK
UNCLE KENNEY G My uncle fought the battle against cancer and lost. He is my hero because no matter how hard it got he stayed positive and toughed it out. He died about a week or so ago and it was a tough loss. He was kind and helped people when he could.
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SACRIFICE
BERNICE Y My mom was my hero. It was eleven of us and we would stand at the kitchen door each day and she would ask, "what do you want today?". She would prepare breakfast eleven different ways. I never heard her complain. My mother recently passed and I was close to her, she would not do much for herself. I made sure...
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RIGHT CHOICES
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT Several years ago while living in upstate NY I was checking out at the grocery store. While waiting in line I noticed a $50 bill on the floor. After picking it up I asked the lady in front of me if it belonged to her. She said "No". When I got to the register I gave the $50 to the girl checking out and said that...
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HELPING OTHERS
GRAMPA AND GRANDMA W My heroes are my great-grandparents. They were kind and simple hardworking people who came up from Georgia to give their children a better life. They weren't rich, sometimes Grandpa had work two jobs, they came from varied background and faced hate all their lives, but they were still kind to everyone. They...
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INSPIRATION
GAIL H In 1948, Air Force pilot Gail Halvorsen won the hearts of German children by dropping candy bars tied to handkerchiefs out of his plane. The Russians had blockaded the city of Berlin to prevent the democratic victors of WWII from stopping their advance of communism. Many Americans had a hard time recognizing...
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COURAGE
BRENDA K One of my heroes is my badminton coach, Mrs.Knight. She is always there to help and always motivates you to try your best and excel in what ever you do.
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