Alexander Hamilton said that “those who stand for nothing, fall for anything.”  To stand for something is to believe in something.  Every hero of character has one or more ideas that they stand for.  Dr. Martin Luther King stood for equality and respect.  Mother Teresa stood for compassion and caring.

Today, July 2nd, is when Independence from Great Britain was declared by the colonists.  We celebrate on the 4th of July because that is the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted.  Throughout the summer of 1776 representatives from each state signed the document.  What are some things the signers of the Declaration of Independence stood for?

Justice?
Fairness?

Imagine what our country would look like if our founding fathers didn’t stand for these things. 

Let us know what you stand for!  Post what you stand for and how you use it to be a hero of character!

Admin: D. Fiero

February is Black History Month in the United States.  This Month is a time for us to remember people and events in the history of the African Diaspora and a chance for us to honor the many Black people who have had an impact on North American History.

Black History Month was originally Negro History Week, started by Carter G. Woodson, a African American historian, author, journalist and founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. http://www.asalh.org/  His goal was to educate Blacks about their cultural background and instill in them a pride for their race.

This month, the Heroes of Character blog will be honoring Black Heroes and including further reading materials and activities. 

http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/  has many games, puzzles and biographies about 400 Notable Black Americans.  Take a few minutes and try to learn about a different Black American each day this month?  Write about that person and post it on our blog or send it to info@heroesofcharacter.org.  Work together with your classmates to submit paragraphs.  The classroom that submits the most Black History heroes will receive a Rosa Parks poster for each student!

Admin: D. Fiero

February is Black History Month in the United States.  This Month is a time for us to remember people and events in the history of the African Diaspora and a chance for us to honor the many Black people who have had an impact on North American History.

Black History Month was originally Negro History Week, started by Carter G. Woodson, a African American historian, author, journalist and founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. http://www.asalh.org/  His goal was to educate Blacks about their cultural background and instill in them a pride for their race.

This month, the Heroes of Character blog will be honoring Black Heroes and including further reading materials and activities. 

http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/  has many games, puzzles and biographies about 400 Notable Black Americans.  Take a few minutes and try to learn about a different Black American each day this month?  Write about that person and post it on our blog or send it to info@heroesofcharacter.org.  Work together with your classmates to submit paragraphs.  The classroom that submits the most Black History heroes will receive a Rosa Parks poster for each student!

Admin: D. Fiero

While reading the newspaper, surfing the internet and watching the news, the focus is oftentimes on the effects of negative behavior, rather than uplifting stories about the effects positive actions can have.  At the High School of the Future in Philadelphia there are three educators who make it their goal to focus on rewarding positive behavior, rather than putting the emphasis on punishing poor behavior.

Elizabeth Harvey, Kate Hayes and Kendall McArthur- Johnson created the POSITIVE Behavior Plan at their school.  When students engage in positive behaviors, they are rewarded for it.  When other students see rewards for positive behavior, they are inspired to act the same way.  For example, the homeroom with the best attendance each month wins a pizza party and one student with perfect attendance is randomly selected to receive a $10 gift card.  Students receiving all A’s and B’s are rewarded as well, with a random drawing for three more $10 gift cards.

Look around your school and neighborhood for friends, family and neighbors participating in positive behavior.  What are the positive effects of their behavior?  What can you do to follow in their footsteps?  Let us know!  info@heroesofcharacter.org or comment on this post.

Admin: D. Fiero

One major attribute that many heroes of character demonstrate is being an UP-stander.

1.  
   1. An UP-stander is someone who takes actions on behalf of others. 
   2. An UP-stander reflects traits such as empathy, compassion, and respect for others – all virtues of heroism.
   3. An UP-stander can also be someone who sticks up for themselves as well as other people facing similar conflicts.

Mike Conn, a teacher from the Milton Area Senior High School in Milton, PA is a true example of an UP-stander.  In 2008, he went on a trip to Asia.  Rather than return home from this trip with some memories and souvenirs, Mike returned with a challenge for his students: Build a school for the impoverished children of Cambodia.

Mike researched ways and organizations that would help them accomplish their goal.  His students created a group called “Team Cambodia” to raise money for the project.  With Mike’s leadership “Team Cambodia” made numerous presentations to civic organizations, schools and churches and in the end raised $30,000!

UP-standers identify problems but rather than sit by and hope for change to happen, they MAKE change happen.

Share stories of when you or someone you know acted as an UP-stander by commenting on this post or writing to info@heroesofcharacter.org.

Often times when we think about heroes, big names like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Ben Franklin come to mind.  Take a moment to think about some common character traits that describe these heroes. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrated courage, equality and compassion.

Ben Franklin demonstrated hard work, ingenuity and perseverance.

Rosa Parks demonstrated bravery, assertiveness and responsibility.

Do some of these traits mirror your own traits?  Probably!

From our Young Heroes Award that takes place in the summer to our Teacher as Hero Award that will be celebrated next week on January 27^th, the National Liberty Museum honors heroes of all kinds.  Over the next few weeks, our Heroes of Character Blog will feature the 15 Teacher as Heroes winners for 2010.

Mary Jane Chambers, Triton Regional High School

Mike Conn, Milton Area Senior High School

Jami Evans, Cramer College Preparatory Lab School

Gerri Garofalo, Archbishop Wood High School

Madeline Glowienka, Lingelbach Elementary School

David Hall, North Penn High School

Andrene Henderson, Jay Cooke Elementary School

Lynn Jacobs, Anna Blakiston Day School

Carolyn Kivenias, Allen M. Stearne Elementary School

Katerina Luckett, YWCA Tri-County Area/Pottstown Head Start

Jessica Marine, St. Francis De Sales

Elizabeth Harvey, Kate Hayes, Kendall McArthur-Johnson, High  School of the Future

Donna Wolfert, Mattison Avenue Elementary School

While you read these stories, brainstorm ways that you can also be a local hero in your community! 

Get involved in the blog by submitting stories about heroes in your life – from teachers and firefights to your parents and friends.  E-mail your stories to info@heroesofcharacter.org or post them as a comment to this blog so that we can begin an active and lively discussion about what heroism really means!

Admin: D. Fiero

Tomorrow, January 15^th, 2011 would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 86^th Birthday.  To remember the huge impact he has had on our country, many people are given the Monday near his birthday off from school and work.  Why not use this year to have a DAY ON!  Use your day off from work or school to have a DAY ON helping your community, just as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did.

Heroesofcharacter.org is collecting your Martin Luther King Day of Service stories!  Share with us what you did on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day by sending a blog post to info@heroesofcharacter.org.  Weren’t able to do something this year?  Send us ideas for future service projects and events.

Many organizations host large scale service days doing everything from painting recreation centers to working in soup kitchens.  No project is too small and everyone is capable of doing something!

To find out about projects in Greater Philadelphia region, check out the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service website at http://www.mlkdayofservice.org/.

To find projects throughout the country go to http://mlkday.gov/.

Whether big or small, we all have the ability to make a difference and be a HERO OF CHARACTER.

"Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world; indeed, that is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Admin: D. Fiero

On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organized a March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to promote civil and economic rights for African American citizens. A group of OVER 200,000 diverse people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to protest racial inequality in the United States.  It was at this event that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.  Dr. King had a dream that all people living in America would be treated equally, he hoped for younger generations that one day “they will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

To honor this true hero of character, the National Liberty Museum will be hosting Civil Rights Tours and History Scavenger Hunt on January 17th.  The tours and scavenger hunt will highlight civil rights events that occurred in the Greater Philadelphia region.  As you explore the museum you will find stories about each civil rights event and get a sticker to add to your scavenger hunt map!

The centerpiece of the National Liberty Museum is a two-story glass flame called the Flame of Liberty.  To help you remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, we encourage you to add your own dreams to our ‘Flame of Dreams Wall’ displayed in the Museum through February, 2011.

All events this day will be free of charge.  Come help us celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others who have struggled for equal rights.

Admin: D. Fiero

On August 5, we were proud to honor Ashley Gbemudu, a recent graduate of Springfield Township High School as a TD Bank Young Hero in our award ceremony at the National Liberty Museum.

Ashley Gbemudu considers herself a normal teenager, but many around her call her a “citizen of the world” because of her compassion for others.

All throughout junior high school and high school, Ashley has been a great leader to her peers. She was voted class president in 8^th, 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grade. In addition to being class president, Ashley spent time as a peer tutor and student mentor.

She held the office of vice president for one year and president for three years of Springfield’s Youth in the Loop for Life, an organization that promotes awareness and supports youth with lupus, juvenile arthritis and juvenile diabetes.  This experience in working with Youth in the Loop inspired her to get involved with the Arthritis Foundation and the Tri-State Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America where she sponsored events to raise money and had the opportunity to attend the Lupus Symposium in Washington, DC.

Her involvement with Youth in the Loop for Life and the Lupus Foundation of America demonstrates her great concern and compassion for people with life threatening illnesses - characteristics that will help guide her in achieving the goals she sets for herself.

Her school counselor, Mary E. Soboleski, described her as “simply, a young woman who sees her life as a life of responsibility and takes her responsibilities seriously.” Her aunt, Sandra Clark explained that “Ashley’s sense of self as a citizen of the world is what inspires me the most.”

Ashley is currently Drexel University with the goal of becoming an oncologist. We wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors.  

Her local newspaper, the Springfield Sun featured her in a recent article.

Admin: B.Blumenthal

We were proud to honor Talib Coffield, a 10 year-old from South Philadelphia as a TD Bank Young Hero last month in our award ceremony at the National Liberty Museum.

Talib Coffield is an exceptional “friendship builder” who stands alone when it comes to meeting, helping or mediating new or current students.  What makes Talib’s skills so unique is his innate ability to recognize challenging situations among his student body. He is always the first student to help every classmate navigate the halls, classrooms or resolve any conflict between classmates.  

His teacher, Candace Kean, sang his praises when she stated that “when it comes to meeting or helping new students, or even mediating when friends argue, Talib stands alone in this field.” He goes out of his way to become friendly with newly admitted students and students who have been rejected by others, gladly inviting them into his circle. Before Talib, Kean had never seen any student come close to this type of relationship-building behavior in all of her years of teaching.

Talib not only caught our attention, but that of the South Philly Review, a community newspaper from South Philadelphia.

Congratulations to you and your family!

Admin: B.Blumenthal