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