Modern Day Heroes Research Paper

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there lived a person who would change the face of the earth. Their ideas and their actions could revolutionize the way the world works. That person is you and that person is me. Each of us have gifts that enable us to be the heroes of our own stories, but if we play our cards right, we could help many others reach their happily ever after. Heroes are ordinary people that go on a journey to rid the land of problems that defile it. They come in different shapes and sizes, a hero could be a missionary or someone close to you, but what unites them is that they don’t just sit in a tower, waiting for someone to save them. Instead they go out and create positive change in the world.

You could start your own conquest to be the hero of someone else’s story by volunteering internationally. With the assistance of a church, a business, or an organization, you can go out and begin to help slay the dragons terrorizing the modern world. One

of these dragons is the Refugee Crisis. With a civil war destroying Syria, citizens are risking it all in order to find safety. From crossing an ocean in a raft to walking endless miles, refugees are seeking a place where they can stop being victims. Over 13.3 million Syrians are suffering this terrible fate, their lives tossed and turned by war and poverty. Luckily, there is an organization called World Vision. People there are helping refugees by providing water, food, and safe places to stay. Through world vision, you could help refugees reach the safe havens they desire. World Vision also provides mission trips for teenagers right here in America. Together we can act like heroes all across the U.S., from West Virginia to California. Helping others by strengthening local communities and vanquishing poverty.

If a mission trip seems like a harder quest than you can handle, don’t worry, there are other ways to show heroic behaviors.

One way is to volunteer at a local homeless shelter. Homelessness affects over half a million people and sadly, it’s a feat not easily conquered. Homeless people spend brutal days on the streets, facing extreme weather and discrimination, while trying to live off almost nothing. Many seek refuge at one of the 3,771 american shelters, but it takes work to keep these running, and that is where you come in. Volunteering at these shelters is easy, usually requiring you to serve meals, talk to the homeless, or sort donated items. I myself have volunteered multiple times at the Siena Francis House in Omaha. I’ve spent my time there serving food, singing songs, throwing parties, and making memories that will last a lifetime. I can confidently say that volunteering is a rewarding experience that offers a chance to be a true hero by helping those who have nothing to give in

return.

The adventure of community service is one that every person should go on but there are also little things that you can do everyday to give the world hope that heroes do exist. You can smile at a stranger, help an overwhelmed coworker, pay for the person behind you in the drive through, or sponsor a child in need. In December, my language arts class decided to sponsor Madeling. A poverty stricken child from Nicaragua. Every month we send Madeling $38 to provide her with schooling and other basic necessities. Helping her has shown our class that armed with a sword of kindness, there is no obstacle that can’t be defeated.

I hope that after hearing me talk today you have come to understand the power you hold as a person who could act as a catalyst for creating a better world. Someone who by volunteering a little bit of time could radically change someone else’s life in a very positive way. So, that said, my challenge to you is to go. Go out into your schools, your workplaces, go into your grocery stores and your homeless shelters. Go out and make a difference. Go be a hero because it’s people like that, people willing to give everything in exchange for nothing who are the true heroes. They are the people that show us that selflessness, and kindness, and love are the roads to living happily ever after.