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
COMPASSION
ROBERTO C The premier Latin ballplayer of the 50s and 60s, Roberto had triumphed over discrimination and had very little left to prove. But on New Years Eve rather than celebrate with friends, he choose to accompany a plane load of desperately needed supplies to the earthquake victims of Nicaragua. He lost his life that...
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FRIENDSHIP
ALLISON S One person that really makes me want to do better is my cousin Allison. When I'm going through problems I think about her and what she would do if she was in the same situation. She is fourteen years old and goes to Courtland High School. She likes to play softball just like me. She is involved in CYT...
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COMMITMENT
HOWARD M I look up to my dad because he's an all around good person. Going out of his way to give some one a break. He's a hard worker always doing his best. He always is friendly and gets along with every body. If you ever get on his bad side, lord help you. His name is Howard, he was originally is from VA and was...
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HARD WORK
TROY P Troy Polomalu is the strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has shown hard work and determination throughout his whole career. Troy Polomalu is very good at his job. Troy Polomalu has achieved many great accomplishments. He has been to the Pro Bowl numerous times. He has sacked a lot of quarter-backs....
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DETERMINATION
MY MOMMY R I look up to my mom because she is smart,honest,trustworthy,responsible,and very awesome.She is the best mom ever.Awesome describes my mom because she is always the person to talk to and get your answers from( she also is the one who takes me shopping). If you were to ask my mom any question in the world, she...
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INSPIRATION
RAYMOND Z This character sketch is about someone who is nice, brave, strong, smart, wise, good, tall, a thinker, and cool. This person is someone who I look up to. I call him my dad. Hope you enjoy it. My dad is a nice person. Because whenever something is going on he is very nice to us. Even when my soccer team looses...
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SOUL
CATHERINE G The figure that I look up to- Catherine, my older sister- is a person that is the owner of many talents and qualities that have been granted by a power so much more than mortal ability. All through my existence, she has been my guide and tutor in the ways of life, and her influence has raised me to where I am...
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COURAGE
BRUCE L Bruce Lee was born in China. He started to learn Kung Fu at early age, later in life he perfected his own style of it. I look up to him because he was a good person and accomplished things that helped people. Seeing Bruce Lee's Kung Fu skill, American directors hired him for acting so he is well known. Many...
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HARD WORK
PHILIP R The person I look up to is Philip Rivers. He is a good role model for several different reasons. Philip is an honest man. He is also very hard working. He didn't always live a wealthy life. Philip Rivers loves the sport of football. To most people football is a job, but not to Rivers. Billy Volek once asked...
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SPORTSMANSHIP
CLAY M The person I look up to the most is Clay Matthews. He's an linebacker for the Greenbay Packers. He is so inspiring because he made me want to become a linebacker too. Also in his first season he has 11.5 sacks 1 interception and 36 solo tackles (in 11 games). Just being a rookie, he's having a great season. ...
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FRIENDSHIP
MATHEW D One person I look up to is one of my best friends Mathew. He is friendly, hard working, funny, trustworthy, helpful, and determined. He is friendly because, when we first met we did not know anyone but we quickly became friends. He is hard working because, he spent a whole hour studying for his civic test. He is...
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APPRECIATION
MY TEACHERS The people I look up to are my teachers. I look up to them because, they have many good character traits like, honesty, trustworthiness, caring, humorous, helpful, nice, and EXTRAORDINARY! I think that these character traits I just listed apply to all of my teachers. My teachers are honest because, when they...
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ACHIEVEMENT
HILARY P Do you have a person you look up to? Well I do, it is my mom. I look up to her because she is nice, smart,fun,good with computers, and creative. She is nice because when you get in trouble she is not going to yell at you. She is going to just give you a warning. Also she is nice to other people. She helps them...
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LOVE
TAMMY N My mom is very important to me.She is my role model.She succeeds in everything she does and she takes good care of me. She is a good person overall and I love her. My mom is strong and nice. She is strong because she can do anything that she puts her mind to. She is also nice because she tries to be friends...
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HARD WORK
STEFANI G I've always looked up to Stefani Germanotta (respectively known as Lady Gaga), I've always loved the way she stood out, like a light bulb in a dark room, and it all began in 2009. 2009 was the year Lady Gaga rocked the world earning a gold record for her song, Poker face, and I've loved her attitude, her heart...
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LOVE
SIERRA S My sister,Sierra,is someone I look up to because she is my big sister. I love her and she loves me. I think that my sister is loving and caring because she is my sister. I think that sisters are loving and caring. I also rely on my sister for advice and help. She is thoughtful because she gives gifts and other...
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LEADERSHIP
TONY M I look up to my cousin on my Mom's side of the family. His name is Tony and he is like a big brother to me. Tony is a 22 year old adult that is in the middle of college. Tony has played many sports; he has participated in basketball, baseball, and is now playing softball. He is quite good at ALL these...
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LOVE
JASON A The person that is my role model is my father. One of the reasons I chose him, is that he has a lot in his life that I can write about. My dad holds a lot of traits, but it would take hours to name them all so I'll just name a few of them. My dad is reliable, trustworthy, compassionate, sympathetic,...
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HONESTY
MITCHI Q Mitchi and I became AWESOME FRIENDS back in June, but we had met when he first posted on a forum/avatar-based website, a website in which I pretty much LIVE on. Now, to get some characteristics of Mitchi's attitude. I find him to be quite nice, VERY funny, and a mess-with-my-friends-and-you'll-regret-it sort...
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INSPIRATION
EMILY C Emily is an amazing person; And because of that,I look up to her. She is a 22 year-old woman that graduated from George Mason University and is my sister. There are a number of reasons why she is my role model. For one, Emily is very smart. She went to governor's school (like I want to) and graduated from high...
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APPRECIATION
MATTHEW H The person who I look up to is my brother Matthew. I look up to him because he is smart, loyal, trustworthy, athletic, funny, energetic, brave, and honest, plus he has a great attitude. My brother is 29 years old. My brother is smart because when he was in school he always got A,B honor roll. When he had to...
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HARD WORK
JASON L I look up to my dad. He's tall and skinny. He has hair like mine. We have a lot of things in common. He's a really hard worker and very nice. He is always there for me and my brother. Once he starts something he doesn't stop until he's finished. My dad is also really patriotic. He has an American flag on his...
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INSPIRATION
KELI H My mom is my best friend in the whole world. She's always there, either as a shoulder to cry on or a force to be reckoned with. She's brave and smart, forever saying she'd take a bullet for me or my siblings, and the homework help is always a plus. She's very handy, capable of working, cooking, playing, and...
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HARD WORK
LEWIS G The person I am writing about is Lewis Geter. He is my basketball coach who for a while now, has been training me and getting me in condition so I could make the basketball team. He is the person I look up to because he is such a hardworking man. He never gives up, and he is one of the strongest people I know...
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TEACHING BY EXAMPLE
PAMELA B The person that is my hero is someone that a lot of people chose, but I feel that she is truly different from every one else; my Mom. She's taught me a lot of the things I know today, and if she hadn't I wouldn't be as successful as I am or be able to do a lot of the things I can now. My mom is hard working....
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BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
GRAEME T Many of us know Graeme; he's the 14 year old who spoke to the school board on behalf of a suspended teacher. Graeme is gay, and spoke with the wisdom of the ages on behalf of someone who had stood up to bullying, harassment and discrimination. May we all have his kind of courage, compassion and strength! And may...
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APPRECIATION
A DECISION TO BE BETTER NOT WORSE The other evening I was an observer. I was drawn to a young woman in a restaurant bar. There was a presence about her that was in stark contrast to the other patrons who passed her by. Some didn't see her because she wasn't in close proximity to the "bar scene" and others because her physical condition made her...
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REACHING OUT
WAKE UP CALL One phone call changed my entire life around. Well it was December 2009 and I was just about through my first semester of college, and for the past 11 years I had thought seriously about killing myself except what was holding me back was my family and friends who cared about me. Then one day I got a phone call...
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SHARING
SHARE Last Christmas, I gave the gift of Sharing. More accurately I gave a board game that was designed to teach young children about the virtues of Sharing. My wish for the New Year 2011? A new Way to teach the virtues of Sharing to adults. Thinking more on this... I'm thinking about how many people think...
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COMMON GROUND
WISDOM IS ALWAYS YOURS! 9 years ago and the day after 9/11 I began working on an idea that I now call "The Secret American Dream Project". I didn't know it at the time, but it was an idea based in the idea of sharing. It took time... lot's of time, but the idea has evolved into an idea to "Save The American Dream"... through...
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COMPASSION
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST Best Dance Ever Recipient of the “Best Dancer” award in the seventh grade, I wasn’t surprised that all the boys wanted to dance with me at the year-end dance. What did surprise me is how they stood in a line and waited for their turn. Looking around the school auditorium, I felt unworthy as I saw so many...
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RIGHT CHOICES
JOSEPH B All of my children are my heroes. But for today I want to focus on my 18 year old son who is DEFINITELY my hero! Faced with many adversities, family situations and peer pressures, Joseph has always had a core sense of right and wrong, justice and injustice, the foresight to see ahead and realize that making the...
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STRENGTH
BRYAN M To me, I always thought no child should have to regret going home at the end of the day. But, unfortunately, that's what my friend Bryan had to go through. He was only fourteen years old, I only twelve.. I didn't pick up on the signs of abuse for a couple months. But when I did, all I remember is it hitting me...
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