Most Popular Hometown Hero Stories

Adapting Bikes for the Disabled

by Karen Karvonen

Some 30 years ago, Hal Honeyman opened a store to sell bikes.

Building Reservation Homes

by Denise Glaser Malloy

Robert Young once was a successful Seattle business owner who thought poverty was "someone else's responsibility."

Leading an Inspired Life

by Beverly Burmeier

On his daughter Lana's wedding day in 1994, Bill Hyche surprised her with a special gift he had been working on since she left home to attend college five years earlier.

Rescuing Champion Racehorses

by Alanna Nash

"Just look at this boy," says Michael Blowen, gazing with pride across a Kentucky pasture at Ogygian, a champion 24-year-old stallion.

Delivering Produce on Wheels

by Rebecca D. Williams

Like a little red barn on wheels, the Mobile Farmers' Market rumbles into the parking lot of Plaza Towers, a rent-controlled apartment building for senior citizens in Greeneville, Tenn.

Healing with Rhythm

by Nancy Henderson

Eddie Tuduri of Carpinteria, Calif., coaxes his new friends to sit in a circle facing congas and bongos.

The Compliment Guys

by Marta W. Aldrich

Purdue students freely praise passersby

Sweetheart Behind the Wheel

by Judy Woodward Bates

For Grigsby, who's logged almost a million miles behind the wheel, driving a school bus is a family tradition.

Instilling Values on Horseback

by Karen Karvonen

Michael McMeel, 57, remembers one of the first places where he gained self-confidence, learned respect and experienced magic.

Singing for the Fallen

by Naomi Seldin

Josh Revak's life changed in a flash in June 2006 while he was escorting a tank in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

Little Girl, Big Heart

by Tracy Leinberger-Leonardi

When Kennedy Kulish's baby brother, Kaeden, was born in 2003 with a hole in his heart, she spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms watching other children and their parents come and go.

Rebuilding a Beloved Diner

by Sheryl Kayne

Hungry and excited patrons inhale the aroma of morning coffee and scones as they wait to enter O'Rourke's Diner in Middletown, Conn.

Knitting with Love

by Jodi Webb

Denise Dee of Sag Harbor, N.Y. (pop. 2,313), learned how to crochet during her summer 2001 break as a high school guidance counselor

Racing to Inspire Others

by Sheryl Kayne

In 1977, 15-year-old Rick Hoyt of Sturbridge, Mass. (pop. 8,860), brought home a flyer from school for a 5-mile footrace to benefit a lacrosse player paralyzed in an accident.

Sharing a Love of Learning

by Vicki Cox

Alferd Williams, 69, joins two dozen first-graders huddled around teacher Alesia Hamilton's rocking chair at Edison Elementary School in St. Joseph, Mo.

Saving Sitting Bull's Horses

by Patti Maguire Armstrong

The Shuttle Brothers

by Electa Draper

The Steven Curtis Chapman family supports adoption

by Katie Dodd

It was a song in the heart of Chapman's oldest daughter, Emily, that inspired Steven and wife Mary Beth to adopt three daughters from China and to start a foundation to help other families adopt.

Being Rosie the Riveter

by Elaine Miller

A real-life Rosie portrays an American icon

Sharing Lunch Boxes & Packing Lunches

by Lori B. Murray

Rows of lunch boxes line the shelves at Etta's Lunchbox Cafe in New Plymouth, Ohio.