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

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

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

The National Liberty Museum Young Heroes Award recognizes extraordinary, young people from across the area and the U.S. – from every sector of society – who make outstanding and selfless contributions to drive change from their local communities. On August 5, we were proud to recognize thirty-nine amazing youth leaders from the tri-state area.

The award, which is sponsored by TD Bank, is given to young people who make positive changes in their schools and communities through art and creative writing, leadership, volunteer work, political involvement or peer mediation.

Ron Matthew, Greater Philadelphia Market President of TD Bank, says: “These young leaders dedicate their energies to bettering the lives of others; they do not do it for financial award or publicity: they do it to make a difference.”

Receiving the Young Heroes Award empowers young people to improve the society we live in and gives them public recognition for the valuable work they do.  Each year, the event has grown to honor hundreds of outstanding students, under age 18, who are creating change through a variety of uplifting activities.

Our winner this year, Deana Vega, a remarkable 11-year-old cancer survivor who is dedicated to improving the lives of those around her, received a $1000 grand prize and a laptop computer. All winners received recognition at the Young Heroes Awards Ceremony at the National Liberty Museum; a certificate of recognition, medallion and gifts; a plaque featuring their story in the Museum’s Young Heroes Exhibit and a wonderful accomplishment to include on college and job applications.

The 2010 Young Heroes have received some outstanding press including:

Philadelphia Inquirer

Channel 6 ABC in Philadelphia

KYW Newsradio 1060 in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Tribune

Courier-Post Online

NJ.com

Admin: B Blumenthal

The Let Art Freedom Ring Liberty Bell created by students from George W. Sharswood Elementary School does not just celebrate democracy and liberty, but the history of communication.

Let Art Freedom Ring is a cooperative program between Philadelphia Arts in Education Program and the National Liberty Museum.

Called BOB, meaning Birth of a Bell, this Let Freedom Ring Liberty Bell shows the role of the Liberty Bell within the evolution of communication. The voyage begins with the earliest ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to commemorate the birth of the nation. The story on the Bell ends in present day, where we use cell phones to keep ourselves constantly connected.

The students and artists working on Birth of a Bell took a multimedia approach, using various mediums to create and design their bell.

This bell can be seen at the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall on 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Admin: B. Blumenthal

If you have been to the National Liberty Museum recently, then you probably saw our two newest editions. In our Let Freedom Ring and Education Center galleries, we are proudly displaying two Let Freedom Ring Liberty Bells made by local school students. 

The Let Freedom Ring Liberty Bells were created jointly by students from five Philadelphia middle-schools and local artists as a part of a program called Let Art Freedom Ring.

Let Art Freedom Ring is a program of the National Liberty Museum and the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership. The goal of the project is to provide middle-school aged students with the opportunity to study the concept of democracy, civic responsibility and learn different art techniques by working with professional artists. 

For the duration of the summer, two of the bells can be seen at the National Liberty Museum, and the other three are on display at the National Constitution Center.

Over the next five weeks, we will be featuring these artistic Liberty Bells on our Heroes of Character Blog. We will be learning more about the schools, students and artists involved, as well and trying to understand how they chose to portray their perspectives of liberty and history through art.

For more information go to www.letartfreedomring.org, and remember to check out the bells soon, because in the fall they are traveling to New York to go on display.

Admin: B.Blumenthal

Every year, the National Liberty Museum recognizes students around the country who stand up for others with our Young Heroes Award, sponsored by TD Bank. Every year, we recognize one student who has demonstrated responsibility and excellent  character with our President’s Honor Award. Our winner for 2009 was Van Morn, an amazing Philadelphian whose good works appear to be unstoppable.

Van had just completed his final year at Olney High School in Philadelphia, and now attends Thaddeus Stevens University.  He was nominated by Mrs. Elaine Steinbacher, his advisor for the Pennsylvania Congressional Awards Program.

Olney is a neighborhood in North Philadelphia with a rich history.  Originally rolling hills of farmland settled by German-Americans, Olney has become home to people from all over the world.  Its story is Philadelphia’s story.  The neighborhood, like most of the city, was hit hard by the deindustrialization of the 1960s and 70s. Factories closed down.  Businesses, and the jobs they offered, disappeared.  Crime rates went up.  Many people moved out.  In their place, new populations moved in: Vietnamese, Columbians, Koreans, African-Americans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Laotians, Cambodians.  They saw the opportunity in this neighborhood.  They have worked hard and kept Olney alive, carrying on old traditions and starting new ones.

Van and his family are a part of this renewal.  He, his parents, and his two younger sisters moved from the country of Cambodia to the United States, in search of a promise.  His grandmother, who lost three children to the dictatorship of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, lives in California and took the family in.  She didn’t have enough room in her house.  It was not easy, but that was no deterrent.

Van grew up in a world of poverty, and his family worked hard every day to survive.  They only had enough to eat because his mother planted and cultivated crops when she wasn’t working.  “We are a surviving type of family,” Van says.

This time last year, he had a job, and was a full-time high school student, and faced the additional challenge of becoming a fluent English speaker.   Still, he volunteered your time to the less fortunate.  He gave his time to the Inglis House for Disabled Adults.  He initiated “clean-up-the-streets” programs in your neighborhood.  He even helped with the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program, as their official photographer.

Van is the kind of person who sees the opportunities ahead of him, and reaches for them.  At the same time, he does his best to give other people an opportunity too.  He’s a hard worker, and an exceptional student, but the quality that best defines him is his gratitude.  He is happy to have been given a chance to succeed, and he can’t help but give back to everyone around him.

Van won the President’s Honor because he has proven himself to be a remarkable Young Hero.  We admire his can-do attitude, and for his refusal to give up.  We honored him for his giving nature and his commitment to others. He has already achieved so much, and now has a whole lifetime to build on those accomplishments and to inspire others.  Congratulations, Van!