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
COMMON GROUND
TYRA W In 2006, after about 3 years of taking care of my son Chance as a single mother, his father finally stepped back into his life. At first it was very difficult to let go and trust that he would be a steady presence in my son's life. Since our separation he had remarried and I was unsure of how my interaction with...
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COURAGE
ALAN T Al was an educator who believed the best in kids and families. He was a highly regarded (and award winning) elementary school principal when I first met him and not too much later, I found out he had MS. He retired after 25 years and fought MS for his, too few, remaining years. He died a few years ago, far too...
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COMPASSION
KENDA N Kenda is a Hero as she has brought more joy, smiles and higher self-esteem to my young adult child and others like him. You see, Kenda created and directs "Movement E-Motion", a dance program for individuals with different abilities - young adults aged 13 to seniors with Down Syndrome, Autism and physical...
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DETERMINATION
NICHOLAS T My beautiful boy Nicholas was born at 32 weeks. A normal pregnancy is 40. Even though he was not that early he only weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces. Other than being little he was perfect. Then 10 days later tragedy hit. He had Necrotizing Enterocolitis which is a gastrointestinal disease that mostly affects premature...
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DETERMINATION
23 YEARS OF SEARCHING... In 1985 I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea. I was 3 months old and was given to Caucasion parents. Every family gathering I was reminded that I was different even though nobody wanted to tell me why. Finally my parents told me what it means to be adopted and my birthmother was from Korea. I spent so much...
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COMPASSION
ELVA M My hero is my Mom. She has always been a steady, motivating influence in my life. After she retired, she and my Dad decided to travel around, but ended up living in a very small community in deep South Texas. When they moved here, they realized that this community has a terrible frequency of poverty,...
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HONESTY
JIM M My hero is my neighbor, friend, and schoolmate, Jim, who took a personal tragedy in his life and used it to help others. A little more than 25 years ago Jim was nearly killed in an alcohol-related crash near Muncy, PA that resulted in the death of one of his best friends. Jim himself clinically died twice at the...
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AMBITION
TERRY H Terry Hitchcock is my Hero. After tragically losing his wife to breast cancer and struggling to raise three young children on his own, Terry Hitchcock seized on an idea. He wanted to accomplish the impossible: run 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring attention to the incredibly difficult...
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DETERMINATION
JORDAN E My hero is my friend Jordan. He passed away on June 24, 2008 at the age of 14. He was struck in the head by a tree limb while helping his dad cut down a tree. Jordan was a great person. He was involved in basketball, football, wrestling, student council, and was a lance corporal in our state's Young Marines. If...
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CARING
A LIFE OF GIVING My Grandmother had lived her life of more than ninety years without taking a breath to think of herself and her needs. Rather, she found her love and grace in tending to the needs of others and in giving of herself to anyone in need of love, comfort or understanding. Having survived the great depression with...
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LISTENING
RUNNING SCHOOL Growing up, I always enjoyed school and the process of learning. I was a non-athletic 'nerd', whose only exercise was running up to my room at the end of my school day to read a book. I carried the deadly 'teacher's pet' stigma that resulted in extra mentoring from the teachers, and brutal teasing from...
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STEWARDSHIP
MY SONS' INITIATIVES My two sons, Miguel (15) and Kristian (11), are in high and elementary school respectively. I have been teaching them on how to preserve the environment. Aside from the values they learned from their schools and from our own home, I teach them to love God above all and His creations. I have been telling them that...
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APPRECIATION
PEYTON'S 8TH BIRTHDAY When my daughter Peyton was 7, she decided that she wanted to be a "Change Bandit" for the Duke Children's Hospital annual donation radio-thon. She enjoyed raising money to help the sick children in the hospital, and she hit up everyone she knew for loose change. In a short period of time, she donated more than...
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CHARACTER
DIANA Diana's story begins in the East Side community of San Antonio, a place plagued by not only poverty but also environmental contamination from local industrial businesses, such as nuclear plants and fuel companies that to this day continue to shadow the area ominously dubbed the 'Toxic Triangle.' Environmental...
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CHARACTER
ADARSHA In 2008, 15-year-old Adarsha came up with an idea that would alleviate both poverty and environmental degradation for villages in rural India: the promotion of a plant called Jatropha curcas in lieu of the tobacco that farmers were harvesting as a cash crop. A hardy shrub, Jatropha seeds are an economically...
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RESPECT
JORGE M My hero is my husband, Jorge. I met Jorge when I was at a very difficult point in my life. I had just graduated high school and I didn’t know whether I was coming or going half of the time. I was all about the party and not at all about responsibility. Before meeting Jorge, I never thought it was possible for...
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HUMILITY
MABEL B Mabel was my Grandma. I truly think she was really an Angel though. She was almost non-human in the ways she dealt with people. Here are some of the extraordinary examples from her life that have had a profound effect on mine: 1. When my father was a child, some gas splashed on his legs at the gas station and...
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COURAGE
EXTENDYOURSELF My mother died twice in August 2005-- once on her 75th birthday at a crowded restaurant, surrounded by her closest family members-- and finally, the next day at a hospital. Eight months later, I began to come out of the fog of grief and depression to find a new purpose for my life. Like many of my generation,...
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LOVE
MIRACLE IN DISGUISE A 66-year-old male in relatively good health and no risk factors for heart disease came to me with a sudden onset of signs and symptoms of a heart problem. After he was diagnosed and treated, walked past me and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more. I asked him what he had on his mind that he wanted...
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INGENUITY
CAREBIKE Our oldest daughter is severely disabled. My wife, my younger daughter and I cared for Megan 24/7 for over twenty years. Two years ago, Megan moved to a nearby facility that appears better able to meet her needs. That decision was emotionally involved enough to require some family counseling. The lady we spoke to...
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GIVING BACK
LEAN ON US Ashley Craig is a student at Sussex Middle School in Sussex, New Jersey. A year or so ago she noticed how much her parents were spending on school supplies for her and her siblings. She knew that there were students in our district that could not possibly afford these. Trying to figure out how to help those...
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CHARACTER
CHARLIE B My father has always been a hero in my life. Ever since I can remember he always was my symbol of strength, success, and inspiration. He always pushed me to become something better and never failed to inspire someone. We avidly play recreational softball and everyone admires him for his humor, athleticism, and...
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BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
SUSAN H When I was growing up my family consisted of three brothers and two sisters. My two sisters are much younger than I am. As I grew older I always wished I had an older sister (while I have an older brother it's not the same thing). To my way of thinking an older sister is someone who can inspire you to do...
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ACHIEVEMENT
THE SEARCH FOR REAL FOOD When Hai started college, he weighed over 250 pounds, healthy food choices were difficult for him, and he was emotionally distraught. However, when he left home for college, he was able for the first time to start taking his life and weight into his own hands. He started by shopping at a local farmer's market, an...
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COURTESY
A LITTLE KINDNESS GOES A LONG WAY New neighbors are building their "dream house" on our street. They had sent a note to everyone introducing themselves when the construction started a year ago, but we had not met them yet. We bought a small plastic basket, filled it with candy and attached it to the temporary fence with a note saying: "Welcome to...
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DETERMINATION
MARCUS T Marcus has demonstrated extreme determination to overcome injuries that left him quadriplegic. He has learned to paint beautiful pictures by holding the paintbrush in his mouth. The incredible thing about this is that he did not know he could paint before his injuries caused him to be unable to use his arms or...
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HARD WORK
MARCUS T Seeing & knowing Marcus is a blessing to everyone's life he touches! Teaching himself to paint beautiful paintings after being paralyzed from the shoulders down is just a miracle! Marcus is always happy and enjoying life! The rest of us could learn a lot about life from him!
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SHARING
GRANDMA KNOWS BEST When I was a child, I stayed with my grandmother a lot of the time while my mother was at work. One day some money problems started to arise for her and her husband. They needed a little more income so she decided that she was going to go sing at the nearby retirement home. So I had to go with her. I wasn't...
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CONFIDENCE
MARCUS T Marcus is a neighbor I am just coming to know. I am immediately drawn to this man not because of his disability (he is a quadriplegic) but because of this many positive character traits. He is a man who appreciates life and inspires me to be the best that I can be. He uses his mind to learn daily and has...
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OVERCOMING
MARCUS T Marcus was injured in a skiing accident when he was in his early 20's. He has been completely paralyzed from the neck down since this accident. Marcus with the help of his wife, Anne, learned to paint beautiful paintings by holding the paint brush in his mouth. His paintings are incredible and he is fascinating...
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CARING
MIKE S My friend Mike is a hero. He started a small excavating business over 20 years ago, and despite ups and downs in his business, remains upbeat more than most. Mike works hard from dawn until dark and is always happy to see or hear from people no matter how busy or weary he is. In his thirties, Mike fell into a...
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STRENGTH
ELAINE E My mother was my greatest hero. She never stopped living even when she was dying. I could see the wind in her sails calming 3 days before she died. It wasn't the crossing that was difficult it was the life she felt she hadn't completed that made her grip tighter and relentless. Each day meant something to her...
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DEVOTION
BELINDA C Belinda is a caring person who tries to be with her family as much as she can. She is a strong,independent woman. She works at The Department of Children and Families because she is caring.
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