My Unsung Hero

After fainting at work on her first day on the job, Emily found comfort not from coworkers — but from a customer.

During a painful divorce, Jolena was out of money and overwhelmed. Then a coworker slipped her an envelope with $200 and a simple message: pay it forward.

When her purse went missing on a trip to Chicago, Lavonne panicked. What she didn’t know: two strangers had already stepped in to help.

Almost 50 years ago, a stranger’s simple question gave her safety — and an example she’s tried to follow ever since.

In 2008, Prop 8 passed in California, leaving Kate feeling unwelcome in her own state. Then one stranger’s quiet courage on a train platform reminded her she wasn’t alone.

When he was 15, Eric lost his mother to suicide. When he returned to school, most adults avoided the subject — until his chorus director got up from the piano and gave him a wordless hug.

In high school, Elizabeth’s choir solo ended in embarrassment after her high note came booming through the mic. But a classmate’s kind words restored her confidence just when she needed it.

When Silvana realized she didn’t have enough money to finish the school year in college, her teacher told her she had been accepted to a scholarship. Later she learned the truth: the “scholarship” was from him.

Minutes before an important job interview, Oliver realized he’d forgotten his dress shirt. A stranger offered a kind and unexpected solution.

When she was in the sixth grade, Tanya’s world was unraveling. One day, overcome with grief, she cried in class — and her teacher, Mrs. Welch, wrapped Tanya in a hug.