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Boys and Girls Club Hero Stories
Emmanuel’s Gift Emmanuel was born in Ghana, a country in Africa. Emmanuel was born disabled but his mother loved him very much and wanted to give him the same opportunities as his brothers and sisters. Emmanuel had the courage and spirit to try to do anything anybody else could do. He had the strength to never give up. He wanted to make something of his life. Emmanuel had the amazing strength to ride a bicycle across Ghana, 600 miles, using only his one leg to show that a person with a disability could do great things. Emmanuel gave great gifts to people in Ghana. One great gift was 200 wheelchairs. Everything he did he did to make the world a better place. Emmanuel was very smart, playful and liked to fun fast. He competed in a triathlon even though he was disabled. That means he biked, swam and ran with only one leg. Can you believe it? We the Boys and Girls Club want to be like Emmanuel and use our special gifts to make the world a better place. We want to make something of our lives and never give up. By The Boys and Girls Club of Fort Braden. Two Super Coaches and The Great Ali “We need to make sure we have more black coaches,” Tony Dungy said. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are the first black coaches to go to the Super bowl. Tony Dungy gave Lovie Smith his first coaching job. What it’s about is life; being the best you can be and being a hero. Being a hero is about sharing with others and caring for other people. Both coaches teach that football is about learning life; being the best you can be. No matter which team won the Super bowl, everyone has won because of Dungy and Smith. Mohammad Ali was great too. He beat the
odds and used his special gifts to help other people. He wanted to see
freedom all over the world for black people. We the Carrie Wilson Boys and Girls Club want to remember that life’s about being the best you can be. It’s about sharing with other people.
He’s # 1 and He’s Won For Peyton Manning preparation pays off. He gave his best. Everyday Peyton Manning practices like it’s the Super bowl. He inspires everybody else on his team! He stayed longer at practice. He missed only one practice in 9 years! He is a perfectionist and a professional. For the Super bowl he made sure he had 54 balls that were perfect. That was smart because his balls were not as slippery. He prepared as hard as he could. He says, “no matter how the game goes I can always say that I gave my best to be ready.” The Frenchtown Boys and Girls Club want to prepare like a Super bowl champ; preparation pays off. She built Her Own Legacy Coretta Scott King earned worldwide admiration for her good works. She started the King Center in the basement of her home. Her steely determination built it into a national shrine. After her husband was killed, she endured years of threats and hardship. She never stopped trying to secure rights for all people. Coretta Scott King’s success makes me want to work hard and go to college and get a good education. I admire Coretta Scott King. The Boys and Girls Club of Bethel celebrate the determination and heart of Coretta Scott King. A Hero Aaron Ralston climbed a record 54 peaks. On this day he was climbing alone. All of a sudden an 800 pound rock moved and trapped his hand. He used all of his strength but his arm was stuck between the boulders. Even though he was scared, he was calm. The situation was bad. He thought about what he had to do. He tried every way he knew to escape. He tried for three days to break free and even then he didn’t give up. By the sixth day he was nearly dead. No matter what, he decided he would live. He broke his arm two times then began to cut his arm. Even in great pain he was still thinking. He made a tourniquet. Finally he was free. Aaron was a hero. We want to be brave just like Aaron. He never gave up and kept on trying.
Attacked by a Mountain Lion Anne Hjelle, a pretty woman, found that her life changed forever after she was attacked by a mountain lion. Anne was cycling with a friend in California, not far from her home, when the mountain lion leapt from a bush. She tried to fight him off with all her might. She never gave up even when the lion ripped at her face. For a moment she wanted to die but had the courage to live even as her face and body were being torn apart. Anne knew her husband would love her no matter what so she fought hard to live. Some other bikers appeared and were able to scare the lion away and get some help. Anne went under 6 hours of reconstructive surgery. Many women would hide away and not have the courage to face the new way people looked at them. Anne however, feels she must go out to share her story and speaks to groups. She speaks particularly to teenage girls to inspire them and to tell them that they don’t have to look a certain way. What is important is what is inside. We of the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center celebrate Anne. She inspires us to remember that what you look like on the outside is not half as important as who you are on the inside. Teen Center, Boys and Girls Club of Monticello
Amazing Gator Rescue The high school friends were good swimmers. They thought the lake where they were swimming was safe until Edna Wilks was attacked by an 11 foot gator. Even as it pulled her under she fought back. The boys were scared and swam for shore. Edna cried for help! Her best friend Amanda turned around and swam to Edna’s rescue. She said to herself, “No, I can’t leave my best friend behind.” When she got to Edna, Amanda pulled her onto her boogie board! She used her powerful breaststroke to bring Edna to shore. She told her friend, “It’s all right,” even though she was scared and crying herself. If Amanda had not come to the rescue, Edna would have died. Amanda’s biggest fear was alligators! She had always read stories about brave people; she dreamed she would be brave too. The Eastpoint Boys and Girls
Club celebrate Amanda by learning to face our greatest fears. Perhaps
we will save a friend and become a “Hero.”
Every Gift Counts Three extraordinary people use their gifts to survive. Marc Dupavillion, Allison Wilcox and Eddy Provost were excellent sailors and had other special gifts as people. Allison had a PhD in psychology and had nursing training. Marc was a great organizer and leader. Eddy was an Eagle Scout. The three friends had agreed to sail a 38 foot boat from North Carolina to Rhode Island. One day into their voyage a hurricane changed direction and with 100 mile an hour winds caught up to them. The waves were 70 feet tall and broke the boat apart. Marc thought quickly and got all three safely into the inflatable raft just in time. The little raft was no match for the huge waves. Once Marc was thrown out and was 100 feet away and about to drown. Allison was a very strong swimmer and was able to pull him back to the raft. All of them thought they would die but they did not give up. Each began to use their special gifts to keep them alive. Eddy used his Eagle Scout training to be the provider and caught fish. Allison became the nurse and made sure the blisters from the sun and salt did not become infected. Allison also had great faith and never stopped waving her arms and yelling when they saw rescue planes in the distance. For 11 days the three friends used their gifts and courage to stay alive. Finally, when all had given up, Allison yelled and waved her arms one more time. This time, the planes saw them and they were rescued. The Boys and Girls Club of
Carrabelle celebrate using our special gifts. We hope if our time
comes, we will use our gifts and courage to live and to help others.
Hanging Tough Bethany was a champion surfer at 13. Her gifts earned her sponsorships from surf-ware companies and she was on track for a professional career. It was a perfect day for surfing when a 14 to 15 foot shark attacked her. One moment her arm was in the water paddling and the next it was gone. Bethany said, “you would think having your arm bitten off would really hurt.” She never screamed or freaked out. She had the courage and confidence to stay calm. A friend quickly came to her rescue and used quick thinking to make a tourniquet with the surfboard leash to stop the bleeding. It helped that Bethany was in peak physical condition and had the determination to live and not panic. Another quality that helped Bethany was her sense of humor. She called what remained of her arm ‘Stumpy.’ In no time, Bethany was back in the water competing again. The Boys and Girls Club of Chapman celebrate Bethany’s courage and will to not give up on her dreams.
Dosha, a 10 month old pit bull mix, survived a miraculous death. One of Dosha’s gifts was that she was a good athlete. One day she jumped over the fence in her yard. The bad news was she was hit by a pick-up truck. Everybody thought she was dead. When the police arrived, they shot her to make sure she would not suffer. A city employee came and took her to a local animal control center. They put her in deep freeze. Luckily, Dosha had a strong will to live. A few hours after she was put in the deep freeze, an employee opened the door and found her sitting up. She was alive! Dosha was rushed to the vet. The bullet had missed her brain and her injuries from being hit by the truck healed. All the time Dosha displayed her happy personality. The Boys and Girls Club of St. Philips celebrate Dosha’s will to live and her fighting spirit. Even during a terrible day, Dosha was happy and never gave up. My First Hero Story A hero was once a boy or girl just like you and me. Our special Faith Center gifts are: A hero wakes up feeling fine and loves to greet the day. Our special Faith Center Adventures: Heroes go adventuring each and everyday. Playing for a hero means they learn about their hearts. Heroes fill their hearts with good and use their special gifts. |
