Article by Marti Self

HEROES IN THEIR HEARTS – 1045 words

We are all fascinated by heroes and what moves them to action. Do we have a hero within? Of course, we do – it’s motivated by our passion! Having trouble finding that passion? Here are some heroes of today, most of which you may not have heard of.

BARRY DOYLE:Barry Doyle owns a small restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina called Barry’s Café. While working the breakfast shift at his restaurant one morning in 1994, Barry got a call from the local fire department that crews had been working a blazing tractor-trailer crash for hours and were hungry. Putting himself aside – as heroes do – he gathered coffee and biscuits for the firefighters and headed out to the scene.

Thus began Feed the Firefighters Foundation, which has provided some 35,000 meals to firefighters throughout Wake County. Barry’s Café now has a fully equipped mobile kitchen which he drives to firefighting scenes and, with the help of his wife Denise and their teenage daughter Catherine, dispenses hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and other grub to grateful firefighters.

From his heart, Barry Doyle has reached out to those people who serve the community with selflessness and is a perfect example of “the power of one.” You can join his efforts at http://www.feedthefirefighters.com.

MICHAEL BLOWEN:Hundreds of racehorses meet violent ends every year. Retired racehorses that have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for their owners will be euthanized because they can no longer race or because they have been injured on the track. Many are abandoned because their owners no longer wish to maintain their upkeep.

Michael Blowen thought this was just flat wrong! His love of horses developed from his first visit to a racetrack in 1981. Volunteering in stables, cleaning and grooming the horses every day before going to his job in Boston, he was strangled him by the desperate cries of unwanted horses as they were loaded into trailers destined for slaughterhouses.

So, in 2001, he and his wife Diane left their jobs in the city and moved to Kentucky, borrowing million to purchase the land for Old Friends Equine, the only rescue farm that takes stallions. Remember the movie “Seabiscuit”? The horse that played Seabiscuit is Popcorn Deelites, a resident of the Old Friends Equine rescue farm! You can help support his non-profit efforts at http://www.oldfriendsequine.org.

DR. RANDY CHRISTENSEN:Homeless teens are a growing population in America – and Dr. Randy Christensen made the heroic decision to treat these teens for free in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. For the past eight years, this crusading doctor has spent the bulk of his time cruising the streets of Phoenix in his mobile health clinic, offering free medical services to more than 7000 homeless teenagers.

Dr. Christensen’s efforts are funded by the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and other advocacy groups. He offers a “safe haven” for local teens who have fled abusive homes or otherwise intolerable environments. With his staff of seven, he treats teens for everything from skin infections to asthma. He has also engaged the services of other local physicians to whom he refers the teens he cannot treat in his mobile treatment center.

Although he could enjoy a lucrative private practice, Dr. Christensen feels compelled to help homeless teens. This hero provides referrals for housing, food, GED resources, substance abuse, employment, legal services and health insurance. “I’m helping a population that has no options,” he says. “This is what practicing medicine is all about.” To support Dr. Christensen’s heroic efforts and the Crews’n Healthmobile to make these “invisible citizens” feel cared about, go to http://www.hybs.org.

MAJOR DAN ROONEY:Armed with the conviction that no soldier’s family should have to suffer further setbacks after the loss of a loved one, Major Dan Rooney, after serving three tours of duty as an F-16 pilot, has raised over million to fund college scholarships for families of service people killed or disabled in war.

Based on Tulsa, Oklahoma, Folds of Honor Foundation was born after Major Rooney experienced a life-changing event when he was part of a mission returning a fallen soldier to his family. He vowed then that he would change the future of a grieving widow or a fatherless child. Folds of Honor provides scholarships to spouses and dependents of America’s miliary personnel who have given the ultimate sacrifice or became disabled in the line of duty.

Major Rooney believes that “The greatest measure of respect that we can bestow upon a fallen hero is to step up, step in and support that solder’s family; to open our hearts, extend our embrace and lend a general hand” in a selfless manner to make any patriot proud. To further this hero’s efforts, tax-deductible donations can be made by contacting http://www.foldsofhonor.org.

ADAM BENDER:I love kids – but I especially love brave kids! I was told once that “If it’s not hard, it’s not brave.” No one exemplifies that more than Adam Bender! This nine-year-old cancer survivor makes us all stop and reflect on what we can accomplish.

Diagnosed with bone cancer at the tender age of eight weeks, Adam underwent months of chemotherapy before his parents made the heart-wrenching decision to let doctors amputate his left leg when he was only a year old. Undaunted by what others would consider an insurmountable setback, Adam rejected his artificial leg for crutches and, at only three years old, was able to send a soccer ball flying! Today, he plays soccer, baseball as catcher, and flag football as quarterback, and has recently begun wrestling. His dream is that others will see that a physical challenge can be overcome “when you have the desire and you believe in yourself.”

An inspiration to everyone, Adam has started an organization to help kids with physical challenges be able to participate in sports. The mission statement of the Adam Bender Foundation is to “educate youth sports leaders and schools on the opportunities and benefits of involving physically challenged children in mainstream team sports,” among other objectives. To make your contribution to this young hero’s dream, go to http://www.site.adambender.net and, in Adam’s words, “Let us play!”

My hope is that we will all be inspired to see more in others – and ourselves – and look past the “obvious” obstacles to success! Find your passion and become your own hero!