National Hero Day - Giving Back To Honor The Real-Life Heroes Who Serve Our Homes, Schools, Communities, And Beyond

Key Takeaways

National Hero(es) Day is celebrated annually on October 8th in America. This day was created in 2020 to celebrate and honor the everyday, real-life, heroes in our own communities. 

• Real life heroes selflessly serve and sacrifice either as a way of life or in spontaneous situations, using their talents, training, and care for their fellow community members to make the world a better place. 
  
• National Hero Day serves as a reminder that there are heroes among us, those who tutor our children, come to our aid in health emergencies, put themselves in harm’s way to rescue or protect fellow citizens, or even randomly come to the aid of a stranger to bring help or encouragement to those in need. 
  
• You can give back to the heroes in your community through volunteer efforts, donations, cards or gifts of appreciation, by doing something heroic, or becoming a real-hero to those around you. 

Giving Back

In childhood, many are mesmerized by superheroes, those characters who are gifted with powers beyond the realm of everyday abilities, including - super strength, super speed, x-ray vision, the ability to fly, cat-like reflexes, superhuman intellect…and so much more.

But what is it exactly that draws us to these characters? 

I mean, sure, the thought of seeing a human soar through the air, hearing him described as “faster than a speeding bullet, and more powerful than a locomotive” is certainly intriguing, but the reason for such interest, if you ask me, stems from something greater. 

We all have very real fears, concerns, and struggles that we encounter throughout life, from the threat of injury or an emergency health scare, to (God-forbid) some kind of attack or intrusion that threatens harm, car accidents, even routine security checks, learning needs, and so much more. 

So, whether we regularly think of these common life-struggles or not, we all have a very real need for everyday heroes in our lives. 

Thankfully, these super humans, or heroes, do exist!! 

In our homes, schools, hospitals, communities, and beyond, we’re surrounded by real-life heroes!

But, could it be that we seldom see or recognize the real heroes in our lives, overlooking these selfless servants in our efforts to catch a glimpse of fictional fantasies? 

When it comes right down to it, fantasies are fun, but when real needs arise, we don’t look to the skies for flying men or an illuminated bat-shaped distress signal, instead we call upon real heroes!

Specifically speaking, in times of need, we call upon those heroes…

• In our schools
  
• In our hospitals
  
• At the fire department
  
• At the police station
  
• Who patrols the streets
  
• Who volunteer their time as mentors
  
• Who guard our homes and country
  
• Who come to our aid in emergencies

…and on and on. 

Unfortunately, these real-life community heroes often receive little recognition, though they live a life of selfless sacrifice. 

So today, we’d like to highlight these heroes, honoring them in light of National Hero Day, and exploring some ways we can give back to those who serve our homes, schools, communities, and beyond!

National Hero Day

Throughout the world, most countries have days set aside to honor heroes. 

Some of these days mark the remembrance of specific events where heroic countrymen played a part in a victorious battle for freedom, others honor military heroes or notable leaders. 

Here in the United States, for many years we have had days marked for remembering presidents, veterans, and those military heroes who’ve paid the ultimate price for freedom, laying down their lives so that their fellow countrymen may live in peace. 

These types of heroes are rightfully mentioned, remembered, and honored during celebrations, memorial services, and more. 

But, roughly 5 years ago, America added another day of celebration/honoring, a time set aside for another kind of hero that many of us encounter each and every day. 

Our military members are indeed heroes, but there are many others within our homes, hospitals, schools, and communities that selflessly serve their neighbors in other ways…ways which we commonly take for granted. 

And, this is why National Hero (or Heroes’) Day was created.

In 2020, the United States added a celebratory day to its calendar - National Hero(es) Day, to be observed annually on October 8th. 

This day recognizes both those members of our families, communities, and country who put on a uniform to serve and protect (military, guards, etc) as well as the heroes we encounter in our everyday lives. 

• From the teachers, staff, tutors, and mentors in our schools who spend countless hours providing a safe environment to nurture and educate our nation’s children…
• To the nurses, doctors, staff, and EMTs who come to the aid of those in need, often providing life-saving services to folks each and every day…
• To the police officers who keep our neighborhoods and communities safe, patrolling and sacrificially coming to the aid of those in need or distress…
• To the firefighters and EMTs who also risk their lives to rescue those in harm’s way…
• To the role models who set positive, steadfast examples to others in their communities, offering support and giving hope for our future leaders, movers, shakers, and beyond…
• And, to the young and old, our neighbors, friends, and strangers on the street, the folks who selflessly come to the aid of those in need within their own towns and communities... 

Each and every one of these are indeed real-life heroes, and National Hero(es) Day (October 8th) marks a time when we can come together to collectively, and individually, celebrate or honor these people and their heroic service and efforts. 

Of course, if you ask such folks about what they do, or if you speak to someone regarding a selfless act performed for the good of their fellow man, these types of people, these heroes, will commonly deflect praise, often stating that they’re just doing what they think is right in a situation. 

Tutors explain that they simply want to help.

Nurses tell of how they’re only treating their patients as they’d want their own family members to be cared for should they have such a need. 

Police officers and firefighters typically explain that they’re only hoping to protect those within their communities. 

And, average citizens in what some term ‘good Samaritan’ situations often claim they were only coming to the aid of another - commonly describing their efforts by saying, “it was nothing, really.”

I’m sure you’ve all heard similar explanations from the heroes in your own community, and if you ask me, this further solidifies the reason for this day…a time when we can honor these heroes among us. 

As the Foo Fighters have so plainly yet profoundly stated for all the 1990s alternative and hard rock listeners - “There goes my hero, watch him as he goes. There goes my hero, he’s ordinary!” 

Dave Grohl, the lead singer of Foo Fighters, has explained that this song “is about the extraordinary potential of ordinary people and serves as an anthem for the common man.” 

So, I suppose this is why this tune has been playing on repeat in my head as I delve further into this topic of real-life heroes - because folks, Mr. Grohl has it correct - when we take a good look at those around us, those in our communities who serve and sacrifice for the wellbeing of others, we find that we are indeed surrounded by real-life, ordinary, heroes! 

And in reality, there’s simply nothing ordinary about such acts, services, or people. 

…so, let’s consider some ways to give back and celebrate these super humans!

Giving Back To Honor Real-Life Heroes

National Hero Day communicates to our nation that there are real-life heroes all around us. 

It prompts us to recognize those individuals or groups who have made positive contributions to society, or more specifically to the community or neighborhood you are blessed to call home. 

So then, how can we recognize these heroes? 

What can we do, or rather what can you do to give back or honor these superstars? 

Giving from the heart, or showing your heartfelt appreciation for someone, often involves something you are good at. 

Awkward sentence there, I know - so, since I’m struggling for a short and sweet sentence to sum that up, consider this illustration…

Here at Lifeboost, we may not be artists, gifted with the ability to paint murals or canvases, ready to gift our heartfelt appreciation through those talents, but we do know coffee!

Better yet, we know the ins and outs of healthy coffee. 

And, we have spent much time and consideration in our processes to ensure each sip of Lifeboost coffee we (and you) enjoy is something that is not only delicious but supporting the health of our bodies as well. 

So, with coffee being in our wheelhouse, this is how we like to bless others. 

With that in mind, we enjoy celebrating, supporting, and honoring some of the selfless heroes in our own community with donations of Lifeboost Coffee. 

Recently, in light of this upcoming day for honoring heroes, we were able to donate 30 bags of coffee to the Beech Grove Police Department in Beech Grove, Indiana and 30 bags of coffee to the Indianapolis Fire Department, Station 35, in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Some of you (outside of the Beech Grove area) may recognize the Beech Grove Police Department from the show LIVE PD as they were featured in this series. Exciting, right!

Shows like this serve to highlight the heroic work these officers engage in on a regular basis, and we’re always happy to share our favorite healthy brew with those who sacrificially put their lives on the line to serve and protect those within our community. 

On the day Taylor, one of our invaluable Lifeboost queens, made this delivery, you might notice from the pics that she’s primarily getting to know the detectives at Beech Grove. 

Why?

Because the officers were all in a training session at the time. 

And, this just goes to show that the real-life heroes in our communities not only put in extra hours to keep up with proper training to best serve their neighbors, but that these heroes also include roles we often don’t hear about - here, the detectives that work tirelessly to bring justice and ultimately keep our cities and towns safe. 

As far as Station 35, when Taylor rolled up with Lifeboost in hand to thank these community servants, you’ll never guess what these heroes were doing…

When she arrived at the station, Taylor found the firefighters fueling up on an average, run of the mill coffee, getting ready for an intense workout session in between fire runs - ultimately preparing for their fireman calendar photo shoot! 

Hmmm, not sure if they were joking, or if Indy has a fiery calendar in the works for the upcoming year? 

Either way, I suppose it’s a good thing she arrived with a Lifeboost coffee donation when she did, because we all know clean, healthy coffee is some of the best pre-workout fuel you can enjoy!

Of course, coffee isn’t the only way to give back. So, how can you honor the heroes in your own community?

1- Gifts

Gifts, like coffee, are a great way to show someone, or a group of people, that you appreciate their service, kindness, example, or sacrifice. 

These gifts communicate gratitude and speak praise for the everyday heroism we see from such individuals. 

Other gift ideas include baked goods, pastries, fruit trays, charcuterie boards, etc. each of which could include a note of appreciation for the service, talents, or sacrifices these individuals or groups heroically share with/to their community.

2- Social Media Highlight

You can express gratitude for the ‘ordinary’ heroes in your community by highlighting such individuals or groups and their service on social media. 

In other words, let others know about the ways these folks positively impact your community. 

Sometimes we don’t even realize the efforts some folks tirelessly engage in to better our towns/cities, and a social media highlight can serve to inform and inspire others.

3- Donations/Volunteering

You can honor the heroes in your community by coming alongside them and serving others. 

By donating time, talents, finances, or goods, you can better the lives of those around you. So, consider donating items needed by those people or organizations which serve your community, but also consider volunteering your time at shelters, food banks, schools, hospitals, etc. 

And, don’t be afraid to think outside the box regarding donations…did you know that donating blood is incredibly crucial to the work done by medical professionals? 

Blood donations save the lives of countless individuals each year. In fact, it is estimated that for each blood donation, 3 lives are saved! 

So, consider donating blood, but don’t stop there. 

There are always ways to donate or lend a hand to help others in any town or community!

4- Cards And Letters

See beauty, speak beauty. 

That phrase is entirely applicable here, as the everyday efforts of ordinary heroes are nothing shy of beautiful.

So, show your appreciation for their heroic work through handwritten cards or letters, speaking beauty into the lives of those who selflessly come to the aid of others, care for those in your community, spend time investing in the lives of the youth in your neighborhood, etc.

5- Be A Hero

Perhaps one of the best ways to truly honor the ‘idea’ of being a hero, an ordinary, everyday, real-life hero, is to be one! 

Do you know someone who could use some encouragement? Speak positivity into their life. 

See someone struggling with their groceries? Offer to lend a kind, helping hand. 

Teach your children to be kind to others in school. 

Volunteer your time to tutor kids in need. 

Get involved in those endeavors within your community which seek to uplift those who are hurting, struggling, or simply need a little boost now and then. 

Be an example to others…or as Gandhi has stated, “be the change [or the good, or the hero] that you wish to see in the world.”

Check out Lifeboost Coffee Grata Medium Roast.

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-hero-day-october-8

https://nationaltoday.com/national-heroes-day/

References for the article to confirm data and information.