On this episode of Chicken Soup for the Soul, we highlight our hidden heroes—those who don’t always wear a uniform or make it on the local news. Instead, these everyday citizens do big things to impact the lives of others, inspiring communities and changing perspectives without a need for cameras and big thanks.

The first hidden hero is Jordan Somer, founder and director of the Miss Amazing Pageant: Queens Today, Leaders Tomorrow. The Miss Amazing Pageant is a nationally recognized beauty pageant offered to young women with special needs who would like the chance to showcase their gifts and talents. Somer created this pageant to encourage a “lifestyle of seeing the best in people.”

The next hidden hero is Robert Kennedy, a fifth-grade teacher who started the Brotherhood. This after-school program for at-risk fifth-graders provides a place for young boys to work through homelife struggles, find help for their classwork, and discover the best version of themselves.

Rounding off the hidden heroes is Matt White, a musician who noticed a young boy named Chauncy, looking for work in exchange for food at a local grocery store parking lot. Chauncy balanced countless side jobs to support his mother, who fights diabetes, so instead of buying Chauncy a package of donuts, like Chauncy originally proposed, Matt and Chauncy went grocery shopping.

After Matt saw the struggles of Chauncy and his Mom, Matt took their story to social media, which helped Chauncy find a consistent part-time job. In addition, local community members chipped in to provide Chauncy and his mom with furniture, clothes, food, and the chance at a new, more secure life.

Chicken Soup for the Soul encourages each of us to look out for our own community’s hidden heroes. It encourages us to be those heroes, too, and earns this film Dove-approval for All Ages.

The Dove Take:

Not all heroes are seen, but those are usually the best kind.