Well I am so happy and excited to announce that it’s official: Levar Fisher, who used to play the outside linebacker position for the Arizona Cardinals, and now is a motivational speaker, will be appearing at Kids Are Heroes Day at the Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, Maryland on Saturday, October 23rd. Levar is one of our partners who travels around the country speaking about Kids Are Heroes and encouraging kids not to let go of their dreams. I have met him in person and have witnessed his speaking firsthand. All I can say is if you can make it to this event you are in for a real treat. NFL players who are prima donnas sometimes make people feel that all players are like that. Well not Levar. Besides being an entertaining speaker, he is engaging and is very approachable. His charisma is what really works for him and wins over the kids. Before kids know him they want to hear from him just because he is an NFL player. It’s one of those “you had me at hello” kind of things. But his talent at keeping kids and parents interested is what is really important. Because it’s not all about an entertaining speech. It’s about helping to set off a spark inside of you and your children. Believe me, you and your family will be rewarded if you come to visit him and all the other kids on Kids Are Heroes Day.
And don’t forget, Diana Onyonyi will also be there. She is our first hero from Africa and is traveling all the way from Nairobi, Kenya!! Her speech is entitled “Peace is Possible”. So if you want to experience potentially life-changing inspiration, you’ll want to be a center court on Saturday October 23rd. As we get closer to the event I will post times of certain events that will be happening that day. We have much more than I just mentioned, including other heroes traveling from all over the country. So please, mark your calendars and stay tuned!!
Social media is great but there is one piece of baggage that comes with it that is truly beginning to annoy me: Voting. The Pepsi company recently made a decision to replace TV advertising with social media. They have put together a very successful campaign where they give out many parcels of money to needy causes. The catch: people have to vote. This is great for the companies because every time someone votes they have to do it on the company’s web site. And people can’t just vote once either. They can vote every day for a month, usually. Although this is a successful ploy for companies it’s really starting to get on my nerves as I am being asked left and right to vote for this and that.
Well guess what? MaryMargaret, the founder of Kids Are Heroes, has entered a role model contest hosted by the Discovery Girls Magazine. This is a very wholesome tween girl magazine that MaryMargaret has subscribed to for years. She even found one of our heroes, Lexxi Saal through this publication. From thousands of finalists MaryMargaret was chosen to be in the top 30. That’s great but to win you have to be in the top 10. How do you get there? That’s right, by voting. Starting September 1, people can vote once a day for their favorites. The top ten winners will be flown to California for a photo shoot so that they will all be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
So now I have the unenviable task of asking for your vote. How can I do that when I know how annoying this whole process has become? What does it matter to you if MaryMargaret is chosen as a role model for a magazine? The answer is that a vote for MaryMargaret is a vote for Kids Are Heroes. We have been trying to get press in an international publication and how perfect is this one? The more kids and parents that read about us the more we can have an impact. So I humbly ask that you vote, once daily, and also ask your contacts to vote as well. I promise I will never ask you again. :)
HERE’S HOW TO VOTE: Go to THIS LINK, find MaryMargaret’s picture (it’s the one posted here) and click ‘Vote for MaryMargaret’. You will need to register with them, but once you do that you should be able to vote each day without having to sign in. We would SO APPRECIATE if you would take the time out each day to vote for her. This could really help the KAH cause. THANK YOU!!!
And if you want a daily reminder sent to your email inbox, you can subscribe to a reminder list that will nudge you each morning only during the month of September. Sign up at http://marymargaret.kidsareheroes.org
It’s not even September and already I am waking up in the middle of the night thinking about Kids Are Heroes Day. We are exactly eight weeks away from the big event. It has been my goal to make each event bigger and better than the last one. This starts to become a challenge after you’ve had ex-NFL players put on a show during one of them. But already I’m pretty confident we will live up to the task. More on why a bit later.
For the unaware this will be our third annual Kids Are Heroes Day to be held at the Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, Maryland. Christina Steinbrenner, marketing director of the mall, has been very generous to us since our inception. The fountain coins are donated to a different hero’s charity each month, and Christina makes every effort to ensure that Kids Are Heroes Day is something special.
So what makes this year stand above the rest? Well last year we had Cati Grant travel all the way from San Diego, California to be with us. Cati, whose platform is against bullying, held the record for traveling the furthest to be at one of our events. Well her record will be shattered this year by Diana Onyonyi who will be coming all the way from Nairobi, Kenya!! We are so excited to be able to meet and welcome her. Diana is a fifteen-year-old young woman who was instrumental in building a school dormitory and library for the Karura school in Nairobi. She is a Global Teen Leader through the Three Dot Dash organization. According to an email I just received from her she “was named as a contributor in the process of building the second republic” of Kenya as “His Excellency Mwai Kibaki promulgated Kenya’s new constitution.” Diana is scheduled to be here the entire week of the event, so we will be scheduling appearances for her all over the county at schools, public meetings and press interviews. The topic for her speech at Kids Are Heroes Day is “Peace is Possible.” This is something that should not be missed.
This year we will also welcome the support of our local government which plans to issue an official proclamation declaring October 23rd, 2010 as “Kids Are Heroes” Day. Ms.Jan Gardner, current County Commissioner President, has offered to send official county award certificates to all of our heroes, regardless of their location. As I mentioned before we still haven’t hit September yet. There are other things we are working on to make this event more special than ever. So please stay tuned. There’s lots more to come.
Have you seen that Cisco commercial where Ellen Page visits a classroom (assumed to be in the US) and she asks where the kids are going on their field trip today? The kids’ answer in unison: “China!!” then point to their video screen where another classroom of Asian children yell back to them. I’ve always thought that was kind of a neat commercial but also assumed it was actually implemented for a select few or even still a pipe dream. I stand corrected. This technology is widely available and being used in the US. How do I know this? Because one company that uses it extensively has invited Kids Are Heroes® to build a presentation for 15-20 schools across the country. This event is already scheduled and we are calling it the first “Virtual Kids Are Heroes Day”. On Wednesday, December 8, we will be taking a train to Philadelphia so MaryMargaret and I can host this presentation. There will be several other heroes involved, only they will not have to travel much as the technology already exists where they live. That was part of the reason they were chosen as the first group to participate in this wonderful event. Gail Poulin, kindergarten teacher from the Norris School in Southampton, Massachusetts, will also participate as she can explain to all the students and teachers how she embeds the Kids Are Heroes experience in her curriculum from the beginning to the end of the year. Each location has two 50″ plasma TV’s , one displaying the current featured presenter and the other showing the participating schools. It’s even interactive so that during the Q&A part a school in Kentucky can ask a question of one of our heroes in New Hampshire. Is that awesome or what??
This is the kind of thing we have been working towards for quite some time now. And this one was funny how it happened. It sprouted from an email from Heather Weisse, the Manager of Educational Services for MAGPI. From MAGPI’s web site: “MAGPI (the Mid-Atlantic Gigapop in Philadelphia for Internet2) is a regional high-speed network and aggregation point providing access to robust advanced network infrastructure and Next Generation networking services for institutions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.”
Another exciting thing about this is that once it is complete it will have been recorded and will be available for everyone to stream it over the Internet. Activities like these will take us to the next level. And if it goes well we may be able to do it on a regular basis. Isn’t technology great?
Sometimes I do get frustrated when it comes to what I do. The reason is simply because I cannot share what I learn with everyone. Everyone should indeed know about what Neha Gupta is doing. She is our newest featured hero. And although I cannot reach everyone, the ones who read this blog post will know what I mean. It is truly amazing what our younger generation is capable of accomplishing. Neha is a young teenager who has created a non-profit called “Empower Orphans” which aims to better the lives of orphans in India.
At what age would you say you started getting involved in philanthropy and what started you down this road?
As my grandparents live in India, I often visit the country. In keeping with family tradition, we volunteer at an orphanage each time we visit my grandparent’s hometown, located in northern India. When I was nine years old, I realized that the 200 children who live at the orphanage did not have adequate money to gain a proper education; I felt very sad when I heard this because I know the importance of education. Moreover, it was heartbreaking for me to think that these children had no mother or father to guide them, protect them, or love them.
Instead of internalizing these feelings and merely showing empathy for the orphans and underprivileged children, I decided to take action by raising money. The money would help the children gain a better education, be able to stand on their own feet and ultimately become positive contributors to society.
How did you initially discover the orphanage you are helping?
My grandparents have a tradition to volunteer at the orphanage, Bal Kunj, in their hometown in India every year, so I have been going there since I was very little.
How did your non-profit, “Empower Orphans” get started?
To formalize my fundraising efforts, I created and registered a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Empower Orphans; www.empowerorphans.org). The mission of Empower Orphans is to address the problems associated with orphans/abandoned children and children born into homes living in poverty by motivating individuals to translate empathy into action.
The organization’s goal is to help create self sufficiency by supplying the children with the tools to gain a basic education and technical skills to enable a sustainable livelihood; helping them to become productive and positive contributors to society. In addition to education, Empower Orphans provides food, clothing, healthcare, and medical supplies to establish an effective learning environment.
What does the organization mean to you? Why is it so important to you that you help the orphans? What has been achieved so far?
I believe that every child should have the opportunity to gain a proper education, and since these orphans do not have the means to, I feel that it is extremely important for me to help them, and that is what Empower Orphans stands for- bettering the education of the children.
Significant strides have already been made to make a difference in the lives of more than a thousand orphaned, underprivileged and abused children.
Bal Kunj Orphanage – India
In 2006, a library was started at the Bal Kunj orphanage. Over the years, I expanded upon the library and have continued to provide stationery to each of the 200 children who live there.
Each child is provided with nutritious food, school bags, shoes warm clothes and blankets (to combat the severe winters experienced by northern India).
In addition, I have provided technical books to 20 children aged between 14-16 years, enabling them to enter a trade and earn a living.
Shree Geeta Public School (for underprivileged children) – India
During the summer of 2009, I expanded my efforts to provide education and improve wellness among 360 underprivileged children who attend the Shree Geeta Public School.
A four day eye and dental clinic was held at the school, during which medical doctors evaluated the vision and oral care needs of the 360 children.
56 children received more advanced eye care, while 103 children received further dental treatment.
The annual education of 10 underprivileged children was sponsored by Empower Orphans.
Sewing machines were given to 10 older girls, who can now take on seamstress jobs and stand on their own feet.
During 2010, the number of projects conducted increased substantially.
A computer center with 4 computers and printers was established. Children in grades 3 to 7 can now start to gain an understanding of computer technology.
Another library was opened for 360 children. Books represented 40% of the school fees and this directly reduced the burden on the parents.
The education of 40 children sponsored.
20 more girls were provided with sewing machines.
Christ’s Home for Children – Warminster, PA
Provided 175 CFL bulbs so that the orphanage can start reducing their electricity bills and utilize the money towards improved care for the children.
In 2010, I plan to provide bicycles to children at the orphanage.
Mission Kids (for abused children) – Norristown, PA
Distributed stuffed animals to children that visit the Mission Kids center in Norristown, PA
Street Children – India
Provided 220 children with shoes.
I see you have a web store where people can help with needs for the orphans. What would you say would be their greatest need?
As I have mentioned, these orphans do not have the means to gain a proper education so the greatest need of the children would be school fees, uniforms and books.
I understand you are doing things in the US to help people too. Can you elaborate on that?
This year, I expanded my organization to include children in the US. I have already given 50 stuffed animals (given by Build-a-Bear and Kohls) to the children at Mission Kids in Philadelphia and 175 CFL light bulbs to Christ’s Home for Children in Warminster, PA. I am now working towards supplying the orphanage in Warminster with bicycles, food and books to Mission Kids, and am going to start helping the extremely under-privileged schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
How can other kids help out if they want to get involved in what you are doing?
Other kids can help out by going to www.EmpowerOrphans.org, to start their own fundraising teams/ branch in their area. Through that, they can raise funds in whichever way they feel comfortable. The funds can then be used for projects in US or India or other places globally.
How would you say this activity has affected your life?
Empower Orphans has affected my life considerably, as I have learned how important it is to give to others and also how just one person can truly make a difference in society.
What would you say to a child who really wants to do something great for other people but doesn’t know where to start?
At first, I did not know where to start either. But, I set goals, and started with small ideas which slowly led to bigger and better ideas. After five years, I raised $50,000! Therefore, what I would tell a child who wants to get involved in philanthropy, is to just stay determined and remember that you may not think that your impact will be vast at first but it actually will be.
How do you envision yourself once you reach adulthood?
When I reach adulthood, I envision expanding Empower Orphans into a truly global organization. In the future, I want to open a Technical School for the orphaned and underprivileged children. Once children living at the Bal Kunj orphanage turn 16, they have to leave the orphanage and fend for themselves. They are not trained for any vocation and find it difficult to make a living. Subsequently, the potential of their slipping into a life of crime or prostitution is high. This sequence results in more orphans. To break this cycle, the Technical School will focus on teaching technical skills (electrician, mechanic, lathe operators, tailors and seamstresses) to both the orphans as well as other underprivileged children (approx. 500 children a year).
On a personal level, I want to become a pediatrician (so that I can continue helping children).
Why not give Neha a shout-out on the Kids Are Heroes web site? To do so click here.
This is a follow-up post from my last one which was “Calling All Photogs“. That post wrote of a volunteer matching system to be built on our web site where we match volunteer photographers with our heroes, so that the heroes could post events where photographers were needed and in turn the photographers who have signed up could get some valuable pro bono work, and help a great cause at the same time.
Well I have been busy over the last week or two building this system. As a matter of fact I decided that as long as I was building it I would add some potential volunteer disciplines, namely videography and graphic artistry for starters. I decided to integrate it with Twitter for a number of reasons. That may be disappointing to some, but in the end I think it was the right move. Most of the volunteers will come from the people following me on Twitter and it will also encourage the heroes who are not yet on Twitter to take that step and join the fun.
So if you are a photographer, a graphic artist, or a videographer and you would like to volunteer your skills to help out some young heroes who are doing amazing things, please go over to http://volunteer.kidsareheroes.org and register yourself. In the beginning it will be a bit like the chicken and the egg, as we will need heroes to post their events as well, so after you have registered please check back from time to time to see if any opportunities have been registered. Since it is integrated with Twitter if you follow our heroes you will be able to see when opportunities are entered. Heroes will be able to browse the volunteer list as well and potentially follow the volunteers and/or contact them directly.
So please check it out and start posting events/volunteering. It is a brand new system so it may have a glitch or two. If you find any please feel free to let me know about them, and/or send me ideas on how to improve it in the comments section below. Thank you!!
Yes I would like to put out a call to all photographers across North America for help — at least I think I do. You see when I did that on Twitter I got quite a response from people so I must be careful what I start. But anyway, let me at least move on with the idea.
We have been blessed with four wonderful photographers who have done pro bono work for us. Mary Kate McKenna, Michelle Lindsay, my friend Amanda (@thenagainphoto) and Tracy Timmester. These are four incredible ladies and even better photographers. When they take pictures of the events we have, we bring the color and clarity back to our social media efforts and share with all of our friends. It really adds a lot of good weight to what we do. I had a discussion with Mary Kate the other night at our tweetup and she told me that photographers are lucky to come by opportunities like the ones we present. So my idea is this: To come up with a national network (even to include Canada too!) of photographers who are looking to do some pro bono work for great causes. If and when there is a hero from our web site who is hosting an event, that hero would check the “list” to see if there is a photographer in our network near the hero. If so, then that photographer is sent out to the event and presents the hero with a disk of unsigned images for use in marketing and press releases.
Now that I’ve said that I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew. My question is how do I know who I am sending out to photograph a hero’s event? So I am going to send this blog post out to the photographers who have responded to me on Twitter. I sure hope you have some ideas for me. These kids are so deserving and their charities would benefit so much from your work. Thanks guys!!
If you are a photographer and are interested in helping, please leave a comment including your geographical area, web site and other pertinent information. Thanks!!
I bet I am not alone in still feeling uplifted by what happened last weekend at Kids Are Heroes Day. I am seeing pictures posted, comments being made that would indicate that the other parents are still thinking about it too. My excitement is driven not only by the fact that it was an amazing day, but I also can see how we can use that energy for future events as well. Kids Are Heroes is all about getting other kids involved. We have had our share of successes in the past with this concept, but I bet we will impact many more kids much faster if we are able to put on similar events in a larger venue.
Case in point: One of MaryMargaret’s best friends is named Emma. Emma has joined us on several occasions to help out with whatever we were working on at the time. Even though she knew what KAH was all about, that was as far as she went with it and that’s totally OK. We always say we never sell what we do to kids or parents — we just want them to know we are here in case they become inspired by what other kids are doing.
So Emma was there again to help MaryMargaret at her table. They “scored” the indoor “football” game. It was a very long day so Emma slept over that night. The next morning at breakfast I casually asked MaryMargaret if she had thought about her next project. “I’m going to help with the oil spill” were the words that immediately came out of her mouth. We had been talking about this for a while but weren’t sure if she was passionate enough about it. No sooner had she said that when Emma chimed in, “I want to help!!” So they talked about it for a while and dubbed their new project “Black to Blue”. Since then MaryMargaret has been off making an inspirational movie about the subject. What’s so cool about it is that she has not asked for nor wanted my help. She used Windows Movie Maker (which I have never even tried) to do it. The movie brought my wife to tears, so I know it’s going to be a hit. Her goal is $5000 to help with the cleanup efforts. So what about Emma? We hadn’t spoken to her in a few days and were wondering if she was still committed. Just so happens I saw her mom last night and she told me “Absolutely!” She has been drawing pictures of pelicans in distress for the fund raisers, and to put on “Black to Blue” T-Shirts to sell. So it looks like we will be featuring a new hero pretty soon.
Former Arizona Cardinal Levar Fisher
So was this newfound motivation a coincidence for Emma? What about MaryMargaret? We are no different than other parents. We have no magic dust that keeps our child motivated to do such things. This activity can be hard on kids and parents alike. It’s a constant battle to raise awareness and donations. We might be out at a fund raiser in the heat for four hours and come back with few donations. Many of the parents said this weekend really recharged all of their batteries because it was so inspiring. I am no different in feeling that sentiment. So what did it? I believe there were two major factors. First, Levar and Devin put on a wonderful show. Many people told me they were surprised at how giving they were when it came to personal attention, signing autographs, etc. NFL players have a reputation of being prima donnas, but definitely not these two. And Levar’s charisma and natural ability to relate to kids really drew them towards him. Kids wanted to be in that special group of kids who were deemed “heroes”. Levar spoke of many of the heroes in his speech. Kids want to be part of that. But that wasn’t the only motivating factor. Later on that day we had a reception for the “hero” families at the hotel pool area. The kids couldn’t jump in the pool fast enough. They were together for four hours, playing, laughing and cajoling as if they were all best friends. Emma was there too. I think she really wanted to be a part of this “club” cause these kids (and what they are doing) are really cool. And I also know she wasn’t the only one who was motivated that day.
Since Saturday I have added two goals to my list. The first is to repeat Saturday’s events on a much grander stage. (Hint hint, Hershey Park!) What happened Saturday is deserving of national attention. Second I want to develop a platform where the heroes can collaborate with each other as they grow up. Many companies offer grants, scholarships and large donations to kids who are doing great things. Often times it’s about how many votes they can get. That means it comes right down to how connected they are. This promotes an atmosphere of competition and resentment. I want to do just the opposite. These are the leaders of tomorrow and how much more will they be able to accomplish if they work together and support each other?
So if you have any ideas on how I can get there with both of these goals, I’m all ears.
This video is of the pictures from Kids Are Heroes Day. The wonderful photos were taken by Tracy Timmester. (Thanks Tracy!!!)
Normally when we have an event like we did Saturday I write about it right away. This day was so powerful I have been simply enjoying the thoughts that have been bouncing in my head over the last couple of days. If only everyone could experience something like this.
Saturday, June 26 marked the first Kids Are Heroes Day held at Boyd’s Bear Country in Gettysburg, PA. Heroes from our web site traveled from all over the country (and even Canada) to be there and raise awareness for their causes. Special guest stars Levar Fisher (ex-NFL star, former Arizona Cardinal) and Devin Wyman (ex Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots) put on a show that both young and old will never forget. We ended the day with a private reception at the hotel where all the heroes made lasting friendships, (yes, some were even crushes) and the parents celebrated the day by establishing their own bonds.
The Heroes
In attendance were Casey Landahl (MD), Ricky Springer (GA), JT Robertson (NY), Wesley Prankard (Ont, Canada), Bailey Reese (FL), Kennedy Kulish (PA) and MaryMargaret O’Neill (MD). As many of you know, Levar Fisher has been a partner of Kids Are Heroes for a few months now, but this was the first time I had the privilege of meeting him in person. It was important to me to have him meet all the heroes and get to hear from their own voices what their passions were. In doing so I was also hearing some of them for the first time and I admit I was moved to tears when I experienced the focus, determination, clarity and passion coming from these kids who are so young. Levar did indeed draw inspiration from them as you could tell from his speech.
The Show
We started by introducing the “adult heroes” so that they could in turn give out awards to the younger ones. Joddie Walker, Founder of the Children’s Advocacy Center, Richard Baumgardner, Commander of the American Legion Post 202 and Officer Mark Landahl gave heartfelt tributes to the kids and Boyd’s had prepared awards for them. All the kids are so humble and they do not seek out accolades, but that is part of the reason they deserve them. I had been hearing a lot about the speech Levar and Devin were going to deliver, but nothing can compare to seeing it in person. It had a great mix of fun and inspiration as the kids were giddy with excitement. Devin Wyman is a big boy. His 6’8″ frame boasting 350 lbs can never go unnoticed. When I shook his hand for the first time I had to look down because I thought he was wearing a catcher’s mitt. Nope, it was just his hand. He thrilled the audience by lifting two children up over his head, bent a steel bar with his bare hands while holding it in his teeth, turned a frying pan into a burrito with his hands and exploded a Sprite can all over the heroes to their amazement. All these “tricks” came with a message made to both teach and entertain. Levar then spoke about a lot of things, but with great skill took the heroes’ stories and related them with inspiration for both young and old to enjoy. His sense of humor and eloquence will have a lasting impression on all of those who had the privilege to hear him.
The Reception
Have you ever dreaded going to a party where you didn’t know anyone? Well before this weekend we had only met the Landahls as they have attended several of our local events. You know how sometimes kids can be shy around new kids? All that went out the window on this wonderful day. The reception was specifically for the heroes and their families (Levar attended as well) so that they could get to know each other. It was held poolside at the hotel so the kids could play and have fun. It was scheduled for 6-8PM. Well we had to leave “early” at 9:45 because we had a 45 minute drive back home and had to tend to our dogs. The kids simply didn’t want it to end and quite frankly neither did I. It reminded me that whenever we do this an “after-party” is as important as any other event during the day. It was so moving it led to an idea. Many other sites that recognize kids award money to their charities but they have to get votes to get the funds. It promotes competition among the kids who are just trying to do good for other people. I think this is the wrong message. These kids are the future leaders of tomorrow, so why not teach and encourage them to collaborate with each other at an early age? Non-profits would do better to help each other than to compete. I plan to develop this idea and incorporate it into our web site somehow.
My heartfelt thanks go out to all the heroes who attended, to Levar and Devin for being so awesome, to my wife Michelle for making it so special, and to Dan at Boyd’s Bear Country for working so hard to support us.
Everything that happened on Saturday deserved nothing less than a national stage. I can’t remember the last time I have been so moved. Being involved in a non-profit can be trying and very difficult at times. This is true for both the parents and the heroes. Events like these remind us why we do it and recharge all of our batteries. I think mine’s a little overcharged right now. I just made an appointment with Christina at the FSK Mall to start planning Kids Are Heroes Day in October.
On a day when one of our heroes got the biggest perk ever as a result of being involved with Kids Are Heroes, I felt it appropriate to talk about the benefits available to our heroes once they join our community. Today young Ricky Springer makes his debut at the E3 Gaming Expo in Los Angeles, CA. He is demonstrating one of our sponsors’ latest technologies at this huge gaming event. His charity is also enjoying the $1000 donation derived from this effort. Read more about how this opportunity arose by clicking this link.
At Kids Are Heroes we are always looking for opportunities that may further our cause along with those of our heroes. Here are a few of the “treasures” that come along with being listed on our website:
Kids Are Heroes Day
Our local mall in Frederick, Maryland hosts the Kids Are Heroes Day each October which involves all of our heroes as they are provided a platform to discuss their charities and raise money. This is a great day of celebration as we bring all the heroes together and recognize them for the hard work they do for others.
Fountain Coin Donation Each month the same mall donates its fountain coins to one of our heroes’ charities. (Locals only.)
Television Exposure Our friend Nikki Burdine from our local NBC affiliate has created a monthly feature involving one of our heroes. Last month Casey Landahl was the subject and Nikki was so enamored with her that she gave her an additional spot. (Locals only.)
Charity Choice Gift Cards
In partnership with charitychoice.org we provide gift cards that support the charities of the heroes that wish to participate.
Social Media Assistance We have been working in social media for quite some time now and we do it on a daily basis. We are eager to share our experiences with Twitter and Facebook to help our heroes gain awareness.
Social Media Promotion
Currently we enjoy over 20,000 Facebook fans and Twitter followers. We are more than willing to share our heroes’ stories with all of them on a regular basis. In addition, we put our heroes who are involved with Twitter on a list that we encourage others to follow.
Nonprofit Establishment
We recently went through the process of making Kids Are Heroes a nonprofit organization. This is our second time in doing this and we are happy to share our experiences and assistance in this matter wherever appropriate.
Featured Hero We have a regular spot on our blog for what we call our “Featured Hero”. We interview the older kids to give them yet another platform to raise awareness for what they are doing.
Suffice it to say that we are always looking for new opportunities for heroes. We also recognize that by doing things together we encourage each other and validate each other’s efforts.
Read the First Comment 
