Cards Celebrate Community Heroes

Who are these everyday heroes? They are any of the thousands of people who take time out of their day to help others. They work as mentors, drive elderly neighbors around town and help friends when they are down. They do any of the little-but important-things that keep communities together.

Connecting Through Cards

Heroes In Our Midst is a national program of the Greeting Card Association that seeks to reinforce the importance of connecting with others, and to recognize individuals in America's communities who are giving of themselves to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

Each month, program officials travel the country to spotlight two Heroes In Our Midst, honoring them with a hometown award ceremony, and inviting their communities to express their care and appreciation for these individuals by sending them a card or note.

Local residents are also encouraged to continue "the chain of connecting" by sending a card or note to the everyday heroes in their own lives.

Tradition of Giving

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 61 million people volunteered their time last year alone, so chances are you won't have to look hard to find an everyday hero. It's hoped that the Heroes In Our Midst program will help encourage people across the country to continue that spirit of caring and connecting with others.

"Heroes In Our Midst and greeting cards both speak to the positive power of creating a me-to-you connection," says Heroes In Our Midst spokeswoman Juliette Bogus.

"Everyone has a story about how someone impacted their life or created a lasting bond or shared memory through a greeting card."

Heroes In Our Midst is now planning to create a library of greeting card stories, sharing its favorites with newspaper readers and visitors to its Web site.

"We're asking folks to send us their greeting card stories. We're not asking for essays, just a few words letting us know how someone touched them, or showed how much they cared through a greeting card," says Bogus.

Mail your greeting card stories to Juliette Bogus, Heroes In Our Midst, 1312 18th St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036 or e-mail jb@HeroesInOurMidst.org. If you don't have a special story to tell but you'd like to learn more about the program, visit www.HeroesInOurMidst.org. Juliette Bogus, spokeswoman for Heroes In Our Midst, reads from one of the thousands of cards sent.

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