Sweethearts & Heroes Comes to Delaware Academy

By Angelica Toumbas

DELHI - On September 15th and 16th Delaware Academy welcomed Sweethearts & Heroes.

Now in its 16th year, this organization is presented by founder and CEO Tom Murphy. Murphy is a motivational speaker and former MMA fighter, who puts on this profound workshop focused on bullying and suicide prevention.

This interactive demonstration is centered around helping young people understand what bullying is and how to put a stop to it. Not only that, but what bullying can lead to, and the core theme of H.O.P.E. Throughout the presentation, kids are reminded to “Hold On, Possibilities Exist”. Meaning, to not be hopeless, to remember that even in bad times, there’s always the possibility for better days.

Murphy talks about things like perspective, how bullying is habitual, how often it occurs, and how most of it is done in front of other people, and how the youth can really be the change in the world when it comes to this matter.

Alongside Tom Murphy is retired U.S. Army Sargent Rick Yarosh, Co-founder who also speaks in the presentation. He shared his motivational story with the crowd and explained how while he was serving in Iraq, he was severely burned, and it changed his life forever. He goes into talking about hopelessness, and what it means to be a bully. Yarosh gives a great backstory as to where the word bully derives from and spoke about how it actually used to mean “sweetheart” in the 16th century, once used as a term of endearment. He further goes into what similarities there are between what a sweetheart is, and a bully. He also mentioned his gratitude toward the bullies he had in the hospital and the impact they had on him during his recovery.

Something that is made clear during the presentation is that people have the ability to give and receive hope. Rick tells a story about a surprising interaction he had with a little girl who didn’t judge him for his physical differences and makes a good point that “the hope she gave me is the same hope we all carry around.” His message embodies what this organization is all about.

Sweethearts & Heroes have traveled around sharing their message with millions. For people of any age and in any place in their life, the messages and presentations are uplifting and moving. The mission of this organization is to “empower everyone to become someone’s Sweetheart or Hero”, and to motivate people with H.O.P.E.

For more information about Sweethearts & Heroes please visit: www.sweetheartsandheroes.com