At St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, we have a special place in our heart for kids who go above and beyond the ordinary. Since 1996, our annual Kids are Heroes program has recognized more than 1,000 children between the ages 5 and 18 from Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties who have performed heroic deeds, or displayed acts of selflessness and demonstrated good citizenship during the past year.

How winners are selected
Each year, Tampa Bay’s outstanding young heroes are selected by a panel of judges made up of current and past pediatric patients of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Players from the Tampa Bay Lightning participate in Kids are Heroes as spokes-champions, and aid the patients in the judging process.

To congratulate our heroes, we hold a special ceremony for nominees, winners and their families at the end of the year. Every child nominated receives recognition at the ceremony, and the winners in each age category receive special gifts from St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and participating sponsors.

And the winners are…
Some examples of past winners include children who have pulled an accident victim from a burning car, saved a sibling from a dog attack, donated their time or money to a charitable organization, befriended a special needs student in their classroom and called 911 to help their relative suffering from a heart attack.

How can I get a nomination form?
The 2009 Kids are Heroes campaign is currently underway, and nominations are due by October 26th. If you have a special child in your life you would like to recognize, please call (813) 870-KIDS (5437) for a nomination form or click here to print the form.

For more information about St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s Kids are Heroes program, please contact Amy Gall at (813) 870-4731.