1

™

Inspiring Stories by Members of

Barry Spilchuk, Sarah Freeman, Sasha Marusich

Girl Guides of Canada

III

INSPIRING STORIES BY AND ABOUT

OUR HEROES

Written by:

The Girls and Women of Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada

Barry Spilchuk, Sarah Freeman, Sasha Marusich

YMH Media Corporation

Burlington, ON

www.YMHMediaCorp.com

V

To all Members of Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada,

past, present and future…. You are all HEROES!

DEDICATION

8

8

VII

Writer’s Name Hero’s Name

Abbie Farrar .......................................Dr. McCall

Abigail Denney ..................................Erin Thornley

Abigail Jeanveau .................................Erin Jeanveau

Abigail Jupp .......................................Caitlan Warman

Abigail Theresa Machado ...................Margaret Lima-Machado

Addie Hill ..........................................David Suzuki

Adeline McLean Hughes ....................Marjorie Pallister

Ainsley Ross-Howe.............................Sara Ross-Howe

(Leader with the 1st Campbellville Sparks)

Alana Noel .........................................Alyssa

Alena Jones ........................................Mom (Ang Jones)

Alessia Parison....................................Sarah Heron

Alexandra F. Weber ............................My Best Friend Lita

Alexandra Hamel ...............................Richard Hange (Grampa)

HONOUR ROLL

8

8

Listed alphabetically by FIRST NAME of the Author

VIII

HONOUR ROLL

Writer’s Name Hero’s Name

Alexandra Mitchell .............................Daddy

Alexis Holmgren ................................Brown, Golden, Violet Owl,

16th Red Deer Brownies (2009)

Alexis Weir .........................................Sydney Crosby

Alice (Grandma GG) .........................Jessica and Rebecca -

Grandma GG's Grandaughters

Alida van der Vlag..............................Stacey van der Vlag

Alisa Cleave........................................Brett Lustri

Alisa Nikitov ......................................Olga Brezven

Alisha Janiga.......................................Angela Janiga

Aliyana Jiwani ....................................Sidney Crosby

Allison................................................Esther

Allison S.............................................Mom

Alma Kessel........................................Claudette Vague

Alysse Macdonnell .............................My Mom

Amanda B ..........................................Roberta Bondar

Amanda Smith - Guider, ...................My Dad - Cory Smith

Bishop Falls, NL

Amber Dawn Colebourne ..................Bosco

Amber Joelle Schneider ......................Robyn Cassidy Schneider

Amber Leonard ..................................Martin Leonard

Amy Pohl ...........................................Brandilyn

Amy Pynenburg .................................Clifford James

Amy Ruttan .......................................Donna Ruttan

Amy Topshee......................................Donna

Amy-Lynn Boyle ................................Jennifer Boyle

Anastasia Miranda..............................Tyrone Miranda

Angela Kruger ....................................Peggy Miner

Anisha Rajaselvam..............................My Dad Rajesh Rajaselvam

Chris BurtonChief Commissioner

“I am very excited to support Girl Guides’ very own “You’re MyHero” book. It captures so many aspects of what Guiding is abouttoday! I know you will be touched by the stories and will be ableto relate to so many of them. The book is a great celebration ofour sisterhood and displays so many ways we are demonstratinggirl greatness!”

Happy Reading!

Chief Commissioner, Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada

XXVI

XXVII

SPECIAL THANKS

Linda Crawford Bobbi Hoadley

Lynne Hodgson Catherine Mort

Shannon O’Donnell Vernon Russell

Margaret Valois Mary Vincent

14

OUR GUIDING LEADERS

Elaine PatersonChief Commissioner

(and The Queen of England)

July 1, 2006 - Canada's birthday. My mother received a call to see if Icould be a last-minute replacement escort for the Chief Commissionerof Girl Guides of Canada when she arrived in Ottawa later that day.

My duty was to attend the Garden Party at Rideau Hall (the GovernorGeneral's residence) in Ottawa with the Chief Commissioner. There wasa possibility that I would be able to meet Queen Elizabeth II, since theGarden Party was on her itinerary.

Needless to say, my mother went over my uniform, hair and shoes witha fine tooth comb and critiqued me on every aspect of my appearance.Mom also reminded me of my personal manners and how I should ad-dress the Chief Commissioner.

I was spick and span, nervous and excited when I set off to meet the newChief Commissioner, Elaine Paterson. I got along with Elaine like ahouse on fire; we were almost two peas in a pod. After lunch we headedoff and soon realized that we didn't know anyone at the Garden Partyso we relied on each other for support.

At the time I was 17 and thought that, for being an older lady, the Chiefwas pretty cool. We laughed and joked the whole day. Elaine gave mesome pointers as to how to address the Queen, such as don't shake handswith her, curtsey when greeting her, and never look her in the eye.

Around 3:40, the Queen arrived. Elaine and I squeezed our way throughthe crowd and eventually ended up near a lovely young girl in a wheel-chair. We lucked out - the Queen spoke to the child in the wheelchair!As the Queen moved on, Elaine and I waved and tried to grab her atten-tion. It was a success! The Queen of England walked right over to us!

15

OUR GUIDING LEADERS

As Girl Guides, we pride ourselves on being women and this was such amoving moment. It was an amazing experience to come face to face withsuch a powerful woman. All the rules Elaine had spoken about flew outthe window, I became very excited and told the Queen that our Guidinggroup would be visiting Great Britain that summer. The Queen repliedsoftly and ever so politely, that she hoped that the weather would co-op-erate while we were there. I then presented her with the World Friendshippin that I had on my uniform and explained that it represented thefriendship among Guides around the world. Her Majesty thanked meand then moved on her way.

Governor General, Romeo LeBlanc, recognized me as being a Ranger.He asked me if I have been working on my Duke of Edinburgh Award.I replied that I hadn't but I had just earned my Commonwealth Award.He jokingly said it wasn't the same.

By Trina Brink

Editor’s Note:We have found out from Trina that, after telling the Queen that Trina and her family weregoing over to England, Trina’s mother wrote to Queen Elizabeth. The Queen rememberedTrina and wrote back to ask if she wanted to watch the changing of the Guards - from insidethe Buckingham Palace gates! She was able to walk inside the gates and see the Palace Guardsup close. She even got to pet the Guard's goat. Trina says, “Never will I forget that day.”

QUEEN ELIZABETHby Miranda Madsen Orr

My Hero is: Queen Elizabeth

Because: She is a very good role modeland she always acts properly, eatswith her mouth closed and respectseverybody around her.

74

8

8

Camping 1927

CAMPING THROUGH-OUT THE YEARS

8

8

Camping 1935

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN GUIDING

75

8

8

Camping 1960

8

8

Camping 1963

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN GUIDING

94

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN GUIDING

8

8

Vancouver

8

8

Lloydminster

Rally Day Celebrations

95

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN GUIDING

8

8

Moose Jaw

8

8

Brandon

96

8

Ottawa (top) & Toronto

8

8

Montreal

8

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN GUIDING

106

OUR MOTHERS

Me and My Hero

My name is Erin Alden and my hero is my mommy. I picked my mom asmy hero because she is always there for me. She cares for me every day andloves me immensely. I can always trust her with my secrets and she never,ever tells them to anyone. Any time I have a bad dream, I snuggle up toher she always tells me, "It’s just a dream and that I am safe with her."

She supports me in times of need and loves me even when I misbehave.Whenever I get hurt, she tends to all my wounds, kisses them better, andtells me, “I love you.” Oh, and did I tell you that she says that a lot?Another thing is that my mommy is like an angel as she flies through allher errands; it always impresses me whenever she does.

She can cook dinner while helping me with my homework and that isamazing. No matter what anyone else says, my mom is a hero and youhad better believe it. There are so many things I could say about my mombut I will end it here. My mom is my hero; she is the greatest mom inthe world!

By Erin Elizabeth Alden

8

8

A Very Proud Brownie

107

My Mom

My mom is my hero. She is always there for me. Last year my momwanted to be a firefighter - she was 48 and she got in. She is now a 3rdclass volunteer firefighter. My mom works full time and she is also aBrownie Leader.

Last year my mom’s doctor told her that she had to have surgery becauseshe had tumors. She put the surgery off until January because she said shedidn’t have time with birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. She hadthe surgery and is back to work at the station but she can’t have any morebabies. My mom is a hard worker and she takes time to read and playwith me. She teaches me to love everyone because that is what God wantsus to do. Sometimes l get mad at my mom when she is busy and can’tspend time with me, but that’s okay because I know she is out there help-ing other people. She will always be my mom and l love her very much.

By Samantha E. A. Lampman

OUR MOTHERS

“MY MOM”by Skye Gromow

My Hero is: Mommy

Because: She loves me. She does lots of things withme. She is nice to me. She helps me with lots ofthings. She is my mommy and I love her.

134

Sharon Martin

"Who is your hero" my teacher says. Everyone jumps and says, Supermanor Justin Bieber or Obama. But the teach asks why and they just say be-cause. I, on the other hand, have a great hero. I can say why too! Mymom, Sharon Gale Gilbert-Martin. Since I've been a baby my mom, in-cluding the rest of my family, treated me like a gift from heaven.

As I got older, my mom started volunteering at stuff I went to. She vol-unteered and still volunteers at minor hockey, which my brother, Zack,has been in for years. She volunteered as a minor hockey mom. The goin the canteen, organize stock, take orders when open. My mom spentmost of her time there. She also did minor hockey registration at the be-ginning of the year. People came to our door everyday.

She does Pioneers as a teacher. She helps me when I'm sick and hurt. Ilove my mom and when I grow up I want to be like her. That's mybackup to when someone says "Who's your hero?"

By Rebecca Martin

OUR MOTHERS

MY MOMby Grace Hamilton

My Hero is: My Mom

Because: She always makes me eat good things

135

An Invitation

”Want to be a Brownie?”

“What’s that?” an eager child asks. “A part of Girl Guides”...and fromthere it all began. Wow! Camp, badges, new friendships, new experiences,learning to swim, what more could a nine-year-old (in 1965) ask for?

Elizabeth (Morrow) Dinn - an English war bride, Red Cross nurse, wife,mother and my hero - gave me the opportunity to experience adventure,excitement, challenges and life skills. Looking back, one realizes the mag-nitude of the door that opened up that September day. Those skillslearned in Guiding became a part of me and helped make me the personI am today.

Always encouraging me to do the best I could, no matter the task, thatwas my mother. Unconditional love, no strings attached. She chose meto be her daughter. She was my adoptive mother, my hero, who I lost atthe age of sixteen, due to illness. Her strength and encouragement haveremained with me throughout my life, as I became a nurse, wife andmother. She inspired me, encouraged me to stand tall and proud, to sharewhat I know, to never be afraid to question, to be organized, to spreadmy wings. These are also some of the traits that I gained throughout myGuiding experiences. Guiding! An opportunity encouraged by mymother when I was child, an organization with opportunities I chose tobe a part of as an adult.

I continue to be inspired by Guiding and see the rewards from Guidingthat my mother saw. To think it all began with one question from mymother, my hero.

“Want to be a Brownie?”By Maxine Gladney

OUR MOTHERS

240

COURTNEY D.by Madelin Harvey

My Hero is: Courtney D.

Because: If I didn’t meet her I wouldn’t have afriend l ike her. She also helps me out a lot, and she’sencouraging.

MY 2ND BEST FRIEND LAURAby Leigha Reid

ALEX BILODEAUby Mackenzie VanLanduyt

My Hero is: My 2nd best friend Laura

Because: She always helps me when I’m sad and hurt.She is always nice to me. She en I work togetheramazingly as a team. Thats why she’s my hero.

My Hero is: Alex Bilodeau

Because: he was the first canadinan to win a olympicgold metl on canadinan soil.

MY SISTER ZEYANNAby Leena Shafik Ramji

My Hero is: My Sister Zeyana

Because: She always helps me with my homework,how to do times tables, how to colour nicely and shealways stands up for me

OUR HEROES IN PICTURES

MY FAMILYby Madison Homeniuk

My Hero is: My Hero is my famulee

241

OUR HEROES IN PICTURES

MY FRIEND - JULIAby Madison Kerr

My Hero is: Julia **

Because: She is my best friend.

SUPER MOM & SUPER DADby Maiya Samoridny

My Hero is: My Hero is my Famulee

SHUSHIE - MY BLANKETby Maegan Beach

My Hero is: Shushie (blanket)

Because: I like to hug her when I have a cold or acut.

222

OUR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS

The Sisterly Bond Ever since I was young I have never thought that I was loved. I had thethought that no one cared about me and I was just too young to understand.Just before my eighth birthday I was placed in a foster home with my sister.I still didn't feel like I had the loving family that I had always wanted.

Throughout the rest of my childhood I was in and out of foster homes.It wasn't until I was thirteen when I found my loving family. Cathietreated all the girls like they were her own children but when Cathie gotsick and had to leave I began to feel empty again. I felt that no one wouldbe able to replace that hollowness in my heart.

Danielle came into my life in December of 2008 - she had come from arough family too. We didn’t have much of a bond at first, let alone a sis-terly one; it took us a few months to get used to each other. When we fi-nally developed a bond it was extraordinary. Danielle has stuck with methrough the thick and thin and even though we have had our differenceswe still stick together. I haven’t had contact with my family in years butDanielle treated me like I really was her little sister. She introduced meto her family and they made me feel like I was loved.

Whenever we were frustrated with the foster home, school or anything lifethrew at us, we would go and talk to each other - we were each other’s sup-port. One day when I was really upset and feeling overwhelmed Daniellewalked into my room gave me a hug and we just started talking. Therehave been days where we would fight and had no one to turn to but wemade it through the rough patches and stuck together. Every time wewould have a disagreement we never let the sisterly bond disappear - andthat is what has kept us together. She has helped me realize that there is al-ways someone out there who is going to love and care about you. Danielleis my hero because she has showed me that life is worth living and everydayshould be lived to the fullest. No matter what kind of family you comefrom, you are loved by someone and you can always find that sisterly bondto share with someone. Danielle and I have that amazing sisterly bond!

By Maddison Bailey

223

OUR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS

Brandee Upton

My name is Cheyenne and I am 6 years old. My hero is my AuntBrandee. She helps me with my math and she is a good speller. She is avery nice girl and she is very pretty. She helps everyone in our family andshe always listens to me. She lets me help her do things too. Aunt Brandeetakes me out for girl’s day, just me and her. We always go out for lunchand get our nails and feet done. We always get the same colour. She is avery, very good cook and that is why I want to be just like my Auntiewhen I get big.

By Cheyenne Ramos

You Can Do Anything

"You may never walk again," the doctors told my cousin, Cory.

When my cousin Cory was fifteen, he got a virus that put him in a comafor four weeks. When he woke up, the doctors told him he was paralyzedfrom the waist down and he would never walk again. Before all this hap-pened, Cory played competitive hockey. He was crushed by the news.One day he decided he wanted to get well and walk again. He did lotsof exercises. The hospital asked him if he would like to watch wheelchairsports. He decided to try hockey but it bothered him too much. He thenwanted to play basketball. He played so well he played for the CanadianWheelchair Basketball team. He also trained for the Paralympics.

Cory is now twenty and can walk with a cane. In the summer we playcroquet together. Cory is a true hero. If you put your mind to something,anything can happen.

By Michelle Leigh Smith

282

65 Red Roses

I was two when I met her, but I don’t really remember, obviously. Hername was Eva Markvoort. I met her at a party at her school where mymom worked. Eva had made me a Christmas ornament, a tiny brownbear in a red stocking with a big smile on his face. On the back it read,“To Audrey, Joyeux Noël, Eva.” The ornament was adorable. Every yearat Christmastime, my mom would unpack the ornament as we were dec-orating the tree, and I would ask who Eva was. After years and years ofmy mother telling me Eva’s story, I decided to surf the web and learnmore about her.

Eva suffered from cystic fibrosis, a fatal genetic disease that caused youto cough incessantly. There is no cure and most people with it die youngand spend the majority of their time in a hospital. Cystic fibrosis is de-scribed as drowning alive. I found out that Eva had a website of her ownnamed “65 Red Roses” where she blogged about her life with cystic fi-brosis - the good, the bad and the ugly.

When I read her blog, I learned that she had hopes of becoming an ac-tress. Unfortunately, whenever she auditioned for a movie, the film di-rectors were apprehensive, scared that she would start coughing duringa scene. Still, Eva never gave up. She stayed upbeat, even if things weregoing badly, she always held on to the dream of becoming an actress. Shefinally got her break when she got to star in a documentary about cysticfibrosis.

I recently watched her documentary on CBS. The whole movie docu-ments her life at home, her life at the hospital, her life waiting for a dou-ble lung transplant and most importantly about her legacy: makingpeople aware of the need for organ donation.

Eva was a fighter to the very end. In her last video blog, as she was dying,the only thing that Eva felt like talking about was the love of her familyand friends and how great her life had been. As she put it herself, “Love.

OUR COURAGEOUS HEROES

283

Love. Love.” She was never resentful or angry and was possibly thestrongest girl I have ever met. Even when she was in pain, she kept blog-ging to encourage other kids with cystic fibrosis to keep going and to en-courage other people to become organ donors. Sadly, Eva died just beforeher 26th birthday, on Saturday, March 27th, 2010.

Eva was a huge inspiration to me because I am frightened by diseasesand I often worry about possibly getting sick. However, after watchingher videos, I decided to become an organ donor myself and to face someof my fears. I found out that with a parent’s permission, children couldbecome organ donors. Now, I have talked to some friends about it andthey are also considering becoming organ donors. Before Eva passedaway, she had said that she would like her legacy to be continued, notonly by family and friends but by everyone. If she could inspire me tobecome an organ donor, what could she do for others who never had thechance to meet her or have yet to read her wonderful blogs? Please helpkeep Eva’s legacy alive and consider becoming a donor.

By Audrey Bourassa-Tait

OUR COURAGEOUS HEROES

FIGHT IT, BEAT ITby Gracie Glencross

My Hero is: Suzanne Delaney

Because: She is going to bike across Canada to raiseMoney to Help Children with Cancer. She is my gymteacher. I love her.

288

Dr. Annie Huang

My hero is Dr. Annie Huang. I look up to her because I want to find acure for cancer, like she does. Dr. Huang works at the Arthur and SoniaLabatt Brain Tumor Research Centre at the Hospital for Sick Childrenin Toronto. She is trying to find a cure for brain cancer in children.

I want to find a cure for cancer because then people would no longerhave to worry about getting sick from any type of cancer. I want to goto medical school at the University of Toronto to become a cancer doctor.I am only in the third grade now so it will take me nine more years untilI start university!

I feel hopeful that I can find a cure for cancer!

By Molly Lewis

OUR COURAGEOUS HEROES

My Hero is: My Mommy

Because: Once I got an earring stuck in my ear andmy mommy took me to the hospital and the doctortook it out. It hirt alot.

MY MOMMY - DR. McCALLby Abbie Farrar

289

Regina “Dream Writer” Evans

Regina Evans is the hero of our units. She has been in Guiding for over15 years and comes to our weekly meetings every week, riding herscooter, Sally. She rarely misses a meeting and while she can't come tocamp, she helps out by being our Home Contact. Regina gives guidanceand leadership skills to both the Brownies and the Guides. She is verycreative and shares her ideas with us all.

Regina is special. Four years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancerand was given only a few short months to live. Through severalchemotherapy sessions and radiation treatments, she battled through andpromised not to give up. She amazed us all with her perseverance anddrive and still came to our meetings. Four years later, Regina is still fight-ing the biggest battle of her life but she doesn't let it stop her one bit.

Although she is limited in her activities, she doesn't let that stop her. Shejoined us all at Casa Loma for the 100th Celebration party - she wantedto be a part of that once in a lifetime event.

Now, with Rally Day approaching, she has volunteered by helping withthe opening ceremonies and campfire closing. She refuses to give up.When we all think we have it really bad, we look to Regina - she is ourinspiration, our drive, our hero!

By Karen Pennington

OUR COURAGEOUS HEROES

306

A Legacy of Song In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, I was fortunate to be a member ofthe 187th Guide Company that was led by Susan McCullough, or “Cap”as we called her. She, and a couple of her friends, (“Lefty” and “Louie,”as we referred to them) led this unit, and its re-birth as a Pathfinder Unit,for what must have been a couple of decades. They were an extraordi-narily strong force in teaching us skills that have positively influencedmy perception of myself, and my capabilities, in the years since. In par-ticular, Susan McCullough was an influence in my recognizing that girlscould do just about anything, if they put their minds to it.

The skills we learned were broad-based, and extremely well taught. Theyled me to become a competent leader for the next generation of Guides.They led me to discover a love of the outdoors (we went camping threetimes a year, like clockwork), a love for music, guitar playing, and whatit was to create a memorable campfire.

It was Cap’s influence in teaching us every song under the sun, includingdozens and dozens from all the songbooks that were published at thattime, that led me to bring the joy of that music to Guides across Canada,and into the United States. I have lived and worked in Ontario, BritishColumbia, Quebec, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Finland. In all those places,I have brought the music and singing that Cap taught me. As a site staffmember, Program Director, and then Camp Director at Doe Lake incentral Ontario, the base of knowledge she provided to me in terms ofhow to create a masterpiece of a campfire stood me in good stead. Be-cause of this, I had some of the best signing experiences of my life - withgirls from all over the province.

In the late 1990s, Susan McCullough was killed while on a vacation inAfrica. Her influence, love of music, and singing continues to live on inall the Guides who sang with her around that electrically-lit woodencampfire at St. Timothy’s Church in North Toronto. It will live on as Icontinue to sing and play the guitar for generations of Guides to come.

By Kirsten Vice ("Kit")

OUR HEREOS REMEMBERED

307

A Hero In Many Forms

I walked into grade one and she taught me sharing and cooperation -TEACHER

I walked onto the fifth grade softball diamond and she taught me aboutsportsmanship and fair play - COACH

I walked into the Guide meeting and she taught me perseverance andhow to have fun - GUIDER

I went to Guide camp and she taught me about shared leadership andteamwork - LEADER

I went to my first national Guide camp and she taught me about beingflexible and adaptable - FACILITATOR

I went to my new teaching position and she taught me about work ethicand professionalism - MENTOR

I became Area Commissioner and she was the first to offer her congrat-ulations and assistance, if needed - ROLE MODEL

I became Chief Commissioner, and though she was no longer beside me,I know she is looking down providing that ever present encouragement- HERO

A hero is bold, inspiring, courageous and greatly regarded for her quali-ties, for these reasons, Ruby Gordon is my hero!

By Chris Burton

OUR HEREOS REMEMBERED

JOANNIE ROCHETTEby Apryl Carney

My Hero is: Joannie Rochette

Because: When her Mom died she waz brave. Shetaught me scared or not, courage.

348

My Hero - Joannie Rochette

My hero is figure skater Joannie Rochette. During the 2010 OlympicWinter Games in Vancouver, Joannie’s mother died a few short days be-fore she was supposed to skate. Even though her mom died, she stillfound the strength to compete. During her program she fought backtears, but finally allowed herself to cry when the music finished. Shestruck a pose and let the tears for her mom flow. She was very bravethrough it all and will always be my hero for being so brave and believingin herself. She won a bronze medal. I hope to be as brave as her whenI’m older.

By Mackenzie Goulding

OUR CELEBRATED HEROES

349

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby is my hero because he got the gold medal-winning goalfor Canada in overtime in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. He did-n't think it would go in but it did! I jumped in the air when he scored.The Canadian women won gold in hockey as well! Hockey is my bestsport. Sidney Crosby's number is 87, he plays for Pittsburgh in the NHL,and he played for Canada in the Olympics. He is from Nova Scotia andis a great Canadian hockey player. He also helped win the Stanley Cupin the 2008-2009 NHL season. I really wish I could skate and playhockey like him. All my friends think he's great, too; even my olderbrother! I wish I could meet him someday. He's my hero!

By Hayley MacDougall

OUR CELEBRATED HEROES

My Hero is: Sidney Crosby

Because: He has good sportsmanship and he followsthe rules in hockey. Plus he does not have any badtraits like smoking or drinking and that is good.

SIDNEY CROSBYby Aliyana Jiwani

350

Anne Frank - My Hero

"I want to go on living even after my death! And therefore I am grateful toGod for this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of ex-pressing all that is in me. I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrowsdisappear; my courage is reborn. But, and that is the great question, will Iever be able to write anything great, will I ever become a journalist or awriter?"

Anne Frank

My hero is Anne Frank. I think that with her words, "I want to go onliving even after my death!" she means that even though she died, herstory has never been forgotten because she has lived on through her writ-ten words. Her memory is still moving within all of us. Anne Frank wasan ordinary girl who had all of her rights, nationality - everything thatwas dear to her - taken away by the Nazis. Even though times were hard,she kept on going and went into hiding with her family. When the Nazisfound them hiding, both families were taken to concentration camps.Anne Frank wished that when they were liberated from the concentrationcamp, she would publish her book and become an author.

Anne Frank died of starvation in the concentration camp along withmost of her family except her father. When he got out, he went back tothe hidden attic and found her diary to publish it. Anne's dream cametrue: she became an author. Anne Frank and six million other innocentpeople risked their lives to save others and were killed just because theNazis didn't like their religion.

Anne Frank is my hero because after everything that she went through,she remained brave and determined to the very end. She wrote abouteverything that happened to her in her diary and never at any momentlet her dreams die. Like Anne Frank, I dream of being an author; I lovewriting stories and I dream of publishing a book one day. Anne Frank isnot only a hero but she is also a role model.

By Naomi Vallance Shaw

OUR CELEBRATED HEROES

351

J.K. Rowling - My Hero

J.K Rowling is my hero; she is the woman I aspire to be in life. I considerher my hero for many reasons; she has written one of the best book seriesin the world— Harry Potter, and she is very determined. She never oncegave up on her dream of becoming an author. Before Harry Potter, shewas an unemployed single mother living off of welfare and would writeevery day in a small café. Before finding a publisher she tried seven dif-ferent publishers who all turned her down.

She is now the richest woman in England, 122nd richest person in theworld and the second richest woman in the world, with a worth of 280million pounds. J.K Rowling has become an important figure in my life;she is the person I look up to when I am feeling troubled. I always thinkabout her and her wonderful books and how they have created so manywonderful memories in my life.

J.K Rowling has helped me as a member of Girl Guides because in GirlGuides we talk about women and their great achievements and J.K Rowl-ing is a woman who has achieved so much. She was a Brownie and a GirlGuide in Scotland, which helped to inspire me to join as well. I havebeen motivated to write because of her. I will never forget that she is thereason that I am where I am today. From her, I have learned to nevergive up, to always fight for what you believe in and to never let anythingget in the way of what you want.

By Gwenyth Anne Wren

OUR CELEBRATED HEROES

364

Mrs. Linda Costello

There is a teacher named Mrs. Linda Costello that teaches the thirdgrade. She is my hero. She is easy to talk to and she always listens to me.She helps me with my problems when my friends and I have a fight. Ilook up to her. She is strict in a very nice way. She helps me with mygoals and helps me to be a better person. It is important to her that everychild in her class learns. She loves all of the kids in her class and her fam-ily. She works hard and takes care of her husband who is sick.

She treats all of the kids in her class the way she wants to be treated andshows us what is right and what is wrong. She gives extra math help andwill have a re-test for people who did badly on the previous test. She ishelping us to get to grade four. She teaches us about others and shows ushow to solve our problems with our words.

I want to be like her when I grow up because she shows me that teachingis a fun job.

By Elizabeth Abbate

OUR TEACHERS, PETS & OTHER HEROES

MRS. LARMOUR, MY TEACHERby Cheyenne Morris

My Hero is: Mrs. Larmer, my teacher

Because: She help’s me when I fall she’s kind andcare’s for me. When I fell off the bed she came run-ing to help me up.

365

OUR TEACHERS, PETS & OTHER HEROES

NAVAby Zoë Topshee

My Hero is: Nava, my babysitter when I was 5

Because: She took care of me very well and was veryfun to be around. We make cookies and went toba-ganning together. She also helped me make funcrafts, like paper maché. I made a kitty cat. I moveaway and I miss

8

8

A smile - The universal language

368

Everyone's A Hero!

A hero is someone who helps someone else - what a vague description!That means that the store clerk whose name I don’t know is a hero. Itmeans that the person who picked up my mitten while I was walkinghome from school and gave it back to me is a hero. That means nearlyeverybody I’ve met is a hero, whether they believe it themselves or not.You don’t have to do the most heroic deed to be a hero, all you reallyhave to do is be nice and help other people.

If it weren’t for that one person who commented on how well I pre-formed as a character in that play, I might not have continued with act-ing. All the “what if that hadn’t happened?” experiences aremindboggling. It’s weird to think that if that little thing someone didfor me hadn’t happened I could ultimately be living a different life thanI am today. I owe it to those strangers and the people I know for helpingme. How incredible an idea it is to think that nearly every person youinteract with is a hero. More people should be thanked and appreciatedfor being heroes in our everyday lives. Thank you to all ordinary heroeswho have helped me in my life.

By Sierra Robertson-Roper

OUR TEACHERS, PETS & OTHER HEROES

8

8

A Flock of Heroes

$20.00 CAN/U.S.

YMH Books is a Canadian publishing company dedicated to raising funds for charitable organizations and foundations throughthe sale of our inspirational book series You’re My Hero™.

Our publications present the opportunity for real people to tellreal stories about their real heroes. YMH prides itself on findinginspiration in Everyday Heroes and joining in the celebrationand acknowledgement of heroes worldwide.

We are very proud to participate in the 100th Anniversary of Girl Guides of Canada and we areextremely honoured to help celebrate Girl Greatness.

For more titles please visit our website:

www.ymhbooks.com

Girl Greatness Starts HereHero noun 1. an extraordinary person with superhuman powers to inspire you, make youlaugh or do amazing things 2. A champion who makes the world a better place 3. Someonewho plays a starring role in our new book, You’re My Hero, Girl Guides of Canada.

As Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada’s marks our 100th anniversary, there’s never beena better time to acknowledge the everyday heroes in our lives who often remain unknown. Thisbook is full of stories about such heroes – people that inspire us, challenge us, and make us feellike we can do anything. They are friends, relatives, Girl Guide Members and those whose actionsmake a big difference. Their stories are touching, inspiring, light-hearted, silly and even a bit wacky.

These inspiring stories by Girl Guides of Canada Members truly reflect amazing spirit of Guidingand all that Guiding makes possible. It’s time to celebrate the heroes in our lives.

ISBN 978-0-9866135-0-0