Roberto Clemente was born into a big family in Puerto Rico. His family didn’t have enough money, so Roberto had to start working at an early age and learned the importance of being thrifty. He fell in love with sports because they gave him a way to succeed. The sport he loved the most was baseball. To succeed in the Major Leagues, Roberto needed skill and hard work, and he needed courage. Some people, even his teammates, would say things about him because of the color of his skin. His parents had taught him to love everyone, no matter where they came from. That is why he got on a plane to Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve of 1972. He had heard about an earthquake in Managua, the capital, which left 250,000 people homeless. Roberto had a strong sense of caring and believed we should all be generous with those less fortunate. He had already sent three planeloads of relief supplies, but they weren’t handed out to the needy. He figured that if he flew down with the supplies himself, maybe they’d get to people faster. He died when the plane crashed into the ocean. Roberto’s courage and generosity are his legacy: Today, the highest award in baseball for helping others is the “Roberto Clemente Award.”

When Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory after a vacation, he found more of a mess than usual. He had been growing bacteria on plates, so that he could study how they make people sick. Some of the plates were ruined! Mold from a piece of bread had gotten all over them, and the bacteria were dead. Instead of getting mad or frustrated, though, Sir Alex put his thinking cap on. What killed those bacteria? He didn’t know it yet, but he had discovered penicillin. Because of his ingenuity, not to mention his perseverance and leadership, he saved millions, maybe even billions, of lives!

Gail was a nurse administrator at University Hospital in New Orleans. She was the head nurse who took care of newborn babies, some of whom were very sick. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, and Gail and her staff were trapped with the babies for days. There was no electricity and no running water. To keep the babies warm, the nurses had to hold them for hours at a time. They all showed incredible teamwork. Gail hardly got any sleep for five day. She hadn’t heard from her family, and wanted to be with them. But Gail’s job was to take care of those sick babies. Because of her loyalty, and her incredible optimism, all of the babies made it out safely, and now are ready to enter kindergarten.

Can you believe that an Olympic runner called “the fastest woman in history” had trouble walking until she was 12? Wilma did not have an easy life. She was born prematurely, and because of segregation, the local hospital wouldn’t care for her just because she was African-American. Wilma was very sick as a child. She suffered from measles, mumps, scarlet fever, whooping cough, chicken pox and double pneumonia, and then the worst— polio. The only black doctor in town told the Rudolphs that Wilma would never walk. But they didn’t give up, and neither did Wilma. She had to wear a metal brace on her leg. Her mom drove her to a hospital 50 miles away. Her 21 siblings helped her do special exercises. Wilma and her entire family were incredibly determined. When she was 16, she competed in her first ever Olympics. Four years later, after a ton of hard work and unbelievable faith in herself, Wilma became the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in one Olympics. Back home, the governor wanted to throw a victory party, but Wilma insisted that it had to be integrated, for people of all colors to enjoy. Her parade was the first integrated event in her town’s history!