Nominate your Hero

By Debbie Gregory.

Our veterans have extraordinary tales to tell, and Major League Baseball (MLB) wants to hear them.

Now you can help veterans be heard by nominating them for MLB and People magazine’s Tribute for Heroes. Submit your hero’s story and tell how they have served above and beyond the call of duty. Organizers will pick three service members for each team and then let fans vote for their favorite. The winners will be flown to New York City to attend and represent one of 30 MLB team at the 2013 MLB All-Star Game.

MLB and People magazine have teamed up to not only recognize veterans, but also to inspire Americans, through their Welcome Back Veterans (WBV) initiative, to reach out to and help returning veterans and their families.

By in large, the American people are very generous. Even in a tough economy, Americans open their hearts and their wallets to help those in need. For example, after the South Asian tsunami struck in 2004, Americans privately donated more than $1.5 billion. And following Hurricane Katrina, Americans have given somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.4 billion to date. But Americans are not only  generous with money; on any given day, millions of Americans give of their time and talents to benefit their communities through volunteer service. Volunteering is so pervasive in the United States that it can be observed daily.

According to U.S. government statistics, in a typical year, about 1/5th  of the American population (more than 62 million people) serve as volunteers. They contribute more than 8 billion hours of service to local and national groups. And many companies demonstrate their good corporate citizenship through endowments, sponsorships and foundations

WBV was created by MLB and the McCormick Foundation as a way to assist the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense, whose systems are often strained by the enormous number of veterans they serve.

Welcome Back Veterans has teamed with leading university hospitals to develop treatment procedures for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The organization has also created clinics throughout the U.S. to help veterans and their families. MLB has donated more than $23 million to the effort.

Ready to tell America about your hero? Visit  www.tributeforheroes.com . The last day for submissions is May 17th.