We’ve highlighted responses from some of the brightest and most talented artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in the community below.

Brian Bartels

My hero is my mom. My mom cooks all the meals for our family. She raised six squirrelly kids and a fussy husband, cleaned all our clothes, constantly organized the house, got us up every day for school, made sure we had everything we needed, clothed us, kept us from killing each other, sang us lullabies, made us laugh, and again, most of all, she fed us. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any snacks we desired in between. We were not rich by any stretch, apart from the opportunity to use our imaginations. To date, my mom has provided over approximately 70,000 meals for my family. Read more>>

Olivia Shears

My hero is undoubtedly my mother! I might be a bit biased, but I truly believe she’s one of the most remarkable people on this earth. She’s owned her photography business my entire life, all while juggling more philanthropic missions than I could name. Most recently, she’s worked tirelessly helping hurricane survivors around the world restore their damaged photos since Hurricane Ian hit SWFL in 2022. Her work with hurricane damaged photos has led her to growing a community of 30k Instagram followers and even to being a guest on The Kelly Clarkson show. Watching the way she turned tragedy into hope for so many people has been truly inspiring.  Read more>>

Penelope Oliver

There are so many people who continue to inspire me to fight for the values I hold near and dear to my heart. I’m on this path and where I am in life because of the people I saw, and those who paved the way. When I look back on my journey I see how the power of representation, with depth, not only with someone who looked like me, but with the representation of lived experience, passion, mission, and vision, and someone with ambition. I’ve always looked up to Madam Vice President Harris, long before she was Vice President. When I read her book, when I watched as she led with love in the Senate, I started to believe I could follow in her footsteps, or use my voice for change, or be a lawyer. It ignited this fire and sparked my activism because I knew I could be something, I was something, and I could change the world, all while staying true to myself. Read more>>

Maurisa Collis

Plain and simple—my hero is my mother, Tami Brown. She is the living embodiment of resilience, grace, and unwavering determination. When I was fourteen, my mother became a single parent to three children, and in what felt like an instant, our lives were turned upside down. We went from a comfortable, upper-middle-class life to barely scraping by. Yet, through it all, my mom never faltered. I vividly remember her taking on extra hours at work to ensure my siblings and I could still pursue our passions—dance lessons, private school education, and all the little things that seemed impossible in the midst of financial strain. She worked tirelessly, day in and day out, and at the time, I didn’t fully grasp the enormity of the sacrifices she was making. She could have easily told us that our hobbies, our sports, and our passions were no longer within reach, but instead, she made them happen for us, no matter what it took. Read more>>

Joni Franks

One of my hero’s is the late Queen Elizabeth. I didn’t know much about her, other than she was a corgi lover like me, until I was gifted a book about her life story. After reading that book, I was moved by the way she so selflessly dedicated herself to her nation at a very young age. I was moved by her faith and her love for her constituency and her dedication to serving! This type of personality would be unusual to find in American politics today. I was so moved by her story, that I wrote her a letter and I mailed her the first three books I had authored and illustrated about my Welsh corgi, Sagebrush and our Colorado adventures together. I shared with her that I was trying to make a positive difference in the world for the new generation through my writing. Read more>>