“We need heroes. The world needs heroes.”
That’s what Michelle Relerford, weekday morning co-anchor for NBC 5 News told a group of local elected officials, business leaders and others on Thursday morning in Aurora.
Among those gathered for the breakfast were “everyday heroes,” just like the ones Relerford said the world needed. In fact, that’s what the third-annual event, aptly named the Aurora Everyday Heroes Breakfast, was all about.
Put on by Scouting America’s Three Fires Council, which manages Scouting programs in Aurora and beyond, the event honored three people who have been committed to local youth: Jeff Craig, Joe Grisson III and Avis P. Miller.
These three everyday heroes were recognized at the breakfast, according to event emcee Samantha Loveland, for their “steadfast commitment to youth leadership and advocacy.”
Miller, a community leader who has helped lead various organizations across Aurora, is a lifelong resident of the city. But she said during her remarks that this is not just the place she lives, it’s who she is.
“These streets, these faces, these stories, they’re all part of my story,” Miller said.
Life hasn’t always been easy for Miller, but through her challenges she found purpose and strength in her faith, family and the people around her, she said.
“I’ve always believed that every voice matters, and I’ve tried to use mine to make a difference,” Miller said.
To be recognized as a community hero “feels almost unbelievable,” she said, because she has just been doing what she loves, which is loving and serving her hometown.
Grisson said during his remarks that accepting the Aurora Everyday Heroes award this year was especially meaningful because he was chosen alongside two “educational giants.”
Although he has also served on various boards and committees, including his current position as the chair of the Aurora Housing Authority Board, Grisson said he is especially proud of the mentorship programs he has been a part of.
“All these things, I think, share with my goal of mentoring young men and supporting various community-based initiatives,” he said.
That’s what everyday heroes are, according to Craig: someone who makes a difference in the lives of others and someone that others look up to because of who they are.
Craig is the former superintendent of West Aurora School District 129, former chair of the Aurora Education Commission and current director of Education and Workforce Development at the city of Aurora.
He said during his remarks that if even a small percentage of people consider him to be an everyday hero, then he can leave this world a proud and happy person.
When he thinks of everyday heroes, he said, he thinks of people who positively impact those in their sphere of influence, someone who cares for others over themselves and someone who sacrifices their personal lives for others.
“Everyday heroes are usually those we never read about, hear about or know about until it impacts us,” Craig said. “Those are the people that we don’t know that we need them until we need them.”
Heroes are important, Relerford said during her keynote speech, because they show qualities like bravery, selflessness and perseverance, and they inspire people to become great and overcome hard times.
“Heroes bring us together by proving the ways which we are all the same,” Relerford said. “So, I challenge you: think about the heroes in your life and how they inspire you or give you hope and strength.”
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
