Local Charity – HomeTown Heroes Shows Their True Colors

It was a crisp Sunday morning, but off in the distance you could hear a rumble of thunder and see some black clouds with a cream colored one mixed in.  What in the world was coming towards Monroe, NC?  Should we batten down the hatches? Run for cover?

Oh, wait a minute, let me focus a little but more and maybe clean out my ears….that was not thunder…and those were not clouds…those were members of the local charity HomeTown Heroes waiting for other HomeTown Heros members to show up so they could get on the road. Where in the world were they going?

Well, the last time I checked their Facebook page, there was a posted note indicating they were meeting Sunday morning and heading up to Duke University, approximately a two hour drive, to visit some sick children at Duke. But not just any children…children who are receiving cancer treatments. Children who live in Mecklenburg County, but now have to spend their time at Duke, away from their home.  A child whose family will do anything, including relocate, to help their child.  And who happens to have an extended family called HomeTown Heroes.

HomeTown Heroes is more than just a charity for children who have cancer. They do more than just send money. When a a family is matched with HomeTown Heroes, they are now a part of a much bigger family. A family that cares about them. A family that wants to make them happy. A family that will care about them and their own family during and after the sickness. Once you are a part of Hometown Heroes, you are a permanent family member.

Every member of HomeTown Heroes is a volunteer. Men, woman, and children. They do not have an advertising budget so they depend on the community and each other for financial support.  But they are so much bigger than financial help.

They take time out of their days to really get to know these families. They visit them at home. They visit them in the hospital. They plan trips for them. They make them laugh and smile. They are there for these families at every turn. Some have full time jobs. Some are Sheriffs. Some are teenage students. Some are Moms.  But what do they all have in common?

Yes, their big hearts. Sunday morning a group of HomeTown Heroes drove up to Duke University to visit some sick children. But not without a grin or two. Not without laughter trailing behind them. Not without a few antics along the way. (The fish tank incident is safe with me!) But especially not without warmth and love in their hearts for these children.

They made some children very happy Sunday. They played with them, laughed with them, goofed off with them.  They watch Hannah Montana with them! And made them smile. Isn’t that what you would want to see from a sick child? A smile? Knowing they are loved so much by so many people and that so many people care about them and want them to get well?

I am privileged to be able to write about HomeTown Heroes. And I will continue to do so every chance I get.

Everytime I turn around HomeTown Heores are showing their true colors. I am guessing that would be red…for the love of these families.

If you are looking for a local charity to support, why not check out HomeTown Heroes. See what they have done for the community and the families and children in our community.