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.

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   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.

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

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

Here's another winner of the National Liberty Museum's 2009 Young Heroes Award, sponsored by TD Bank. Every year, we recognize students who demonstrate responsibility and good character. For some of our Young Heroes, that means they volunteer their time to community service, or they work to defuse violence and bullying, or perhaps they raise awareness of important causes.

TJ is one of our 2009 Young Heroes, and he has really put his generosity into action, along with a lot of initiative and perseverance.  Almost single-handedly, he started a “Coaches Versus Cancer” fundraiser at his school.  He worked with the administration, the student government, the athletic directors, and the school district to found what is now an annual tradition. It wasn't always easy, but he let no obstacle hinder his vision or prevent him from reaching his goals. Because of his determination to meet with local college and professional sports teams, line up corporate sponsors, and organize raffles and donations, the event was a success – they raised $22,000 for cancer research!

Do you know any heroes, 18 years old or younger, who are doing some outstanding things in your school or community? Nominate them for a 2010 Young Heroes Award. To see more of the 2009 Young Heroes (and heroes of all ages), visit the National Liberty Museum! We're open Tuesday - Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Every year, the National Liberty Museum shines a spotlight on a handful of phenomenal kids with our Young Heroes Award, sponsored by TD Bank. Sometimes when people see a problem that needs fixing, they assume that someone else will take care of it. Not our Young Heroes. They remind us all, young and old alike, that the problems we see are OUR responsibility, and that with a healthy helping of teamwork we can change the world for the better.

Mary, Grace, Gerald, Alyssa, Alexandra, Molly, Brianna, Julia, and Alexis lead the Just Do It Committee at their school. Four years ago, the Committee began to organize fellow students and motivate them to get involved and make a difference.  Just Do It has raised  money for charities like Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House, the March of Dimes, Autism Speaks, and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. The group’s generosity, the way they give freely of their time and resources, is astounding. They show us that when we work together, we can do just about anything.

Do you know any heroes, 18 years old or younger, who are doing some outstanding things in your school or community? Nominate them for a 2010 Young Heroes Award. To see more of the 2009 Young Heroes (and heroes of all ages), visit the National Liberty Museum! We're open Tuesday - Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

We've just unveiled our latest "Young Heroes" exhibit in partnership with TD Bank. Come on in to the National Liberty Museum and check out the newest awardees, all students who have made the world better by sharing their time, talents, and resources.  Here's one of them:

Erica is multitalented, and boy is she generous with her talents and time! Erica can sing, dance, and act. She excels at academics. She’s opened for Aretha Franklin in front of a sold-out crowd, is a member of Philadelphia’s All City Choir, and dazzled tens of thousands of Phillies fans with her rendition of the National Anthem. Instead of using these gifts for her own glory, though, she uses them to give back. She organizes regular clean-ups around her neighborhood, and performs at events for the Philadelphia Prison System. She has organized voter drives, volunteered for President Obama’s campaign, and translated for citizens on Election Day.

Does her generosity know no bounds? Well, she hasn't found any yet.  Keep up the good work, Erica!

Do you know any heroes, 18 years old or younger, who are doing some outstanding things in your school or community? Nominate them for a 2010 TD Bank Young Heroes Award. To see more of the 2009 TD Bank Young Heroes (and heroes of all ages), visit the National Liberty Museum! We're open Tuesday - Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Did you know that this year, Philadelphia had the world’s largest Martin Luther King Day of Service? It's not the first time, either. In fact, this city organized the very first King Day of Service in 1996.

That year, not even the worst blizzard in Philadelphia history could stop volunteers from lending a hand - 1000 people turned out to help with dozens of service projects. This year, we had at least 1000 service projects! The 15th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service brought more than 70,000 people together to carry on Dr. King’s legacy.

MANNA and African Daughters of Fine Lineage worked together to feed hundreds of homeless men, women, and children. The Comcast Corporation and Philadelphia Reads partnered up to spread literacy, training volunteers to become reading coaches. The Red Cross and the Crispus Attucks Association hosted a blood drive together. Students from the Perelman Jewish Day School and the Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy collaborated for the 9th straight year, making “Dignity Kits” with clothing and toiletries for the needy.

How did you serve?  Send us your stories so we can spread the good news!  Here are some projects that other readers have told us about:

The Interact Club at Cinnaminson High School in New Jersey invited the Red Cross workers to come talk with the students about working in shelters.  The Interact Club also organized an activity where students made care packages and wrote personal greetings for troops overseas.

Kylan Watson, a 2008 National Liberty Museum Young Hero, wrote to tell us about an event at the Nazarene Baptist Church in the Nicetown section of the city. After a presentation by the Philadelphia Police Department about the effects of drug abuse, Kylan participated in a panel discussion about the state of the African-American family.  There was a spirited discussion of generation gaps, single-parent households, and the responsibilities African-Americans have to each other and to society as a whole.

Kylan also mentioned an important point - you don't have to wait for next January to serve your community. We are challenged to serve every day of the year. Want some ideas for a great new service project? Would you like to find a project near you? For all this and a lot more, check out the President's new web site, serve.gov.  And let us know what projects you are working on!