Friday, February 8, 2013 Clean Water Project Featured in Local News!

The 2012 Little Heroes Foundation Clean Water Project in China was featured in the Deseret News on Thursday, February 7.

The article reads as follows:

In 2012, the Little Heroes Foundation was able to install clean water machines in 25 boarding schools located in Zhongwei, China. It is estimated an additional 30,000 children a year will have access to safe drinking water from the machines.

Located in the desert region of the Ningxia Providence, Zhongwei is a poor area where the average income is $535 yearly per household and access to clean water is limited. Children in the area are the most vulnerable to disease through drinking the water, which causes them to be too sick to attend school.

Little Heroes partnered with the YangFan Foundation, which was able to develop an efficient system of purchasing and installing clean water filtering machines in local boarding schools.

So far, machines have been installed in 25 boarding schools. The Little Heroes Foundation has committed to fund another 25 schools for the drinking water machines. The machines have helped 14,983 children thus far. It is estimated that each year, an additional 30,000 children will be helped by receiving access to the clean water.

Founded in 2007 by Travis and LaRee Hansen, the Little Heroes Foundation’s mission is to “improve the mental and physical well being of children throughout the world by serving, supporting and enhancing human life,” according to its website. Members of the organization choose one major project each year which they help plan, fund and oversee.

Along with its sponsor support, the Little Heroes Foundation has received generous private donations. All donations received by the organization are used to help improve lives around the world. For more information on the Little Heroes Foundation, visit its website atlittleheroesfoundation.org.

See the full article here.

Monday, December 24, 2012 Merry Christmas!!

On behalf of our Board of Directors, Advisors, Volunteers, Supporters, Families, LHF Staff and all the children that have felt hope and seen their lives improve in 2012 – Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Monday, November 19, 2012 Travis Hansen releases new book!

Former NBA Player Counsels Teens on Making Winning Decisions

Travis Hansen, former BYU and NBA basketball star, writes about his successes and failures on and off the court and how young people can set the best course for success.

Travis Hansen was a regular kidborn and bred in Utah. He graduated from Mountain View High School in Orem, served an LDS mission to Chile, and became a basketball stand-out at Brigham Young University. Through hard work and dedication he achieved his dream of playing professional basketball, in both the NBA and abroad. He is not shy about addressing some mistakes he made along the way and is eager to help young people chart a path around similar mistakes on a trajectory of greatness.

The Next Few Years Will Change Your Life (Deseret Book, hardcover, $18.99) is a bold statement from Hansen and co-author Dick Harmon.

In the book, Hansen writes candidly and openly to teens: offering counsel, encouragement, and direction. Using his own life experiences from both on and off the court, Hansen teaches them the valuable life lessons he learned about overcoming mistakes and how to set goals that build faith in Jesus Christ.

The book includes a workbook designed to help readers set and reach goals. It also contains a foreword by BYU Head Basketball Coach Dave Rose that illustrates Hansen’s work ethic and ability to share what he has learned.

Advanced praise for The Next Few Years Will Change Your Life:

“I loved the stories and wish I had read this twenty years ago! Every young man and woman would benefit from reading this book.”

- Danny Ainge, President of the Boston Celtics

“I really enjoyed reading Travis’s book! It had many great and fun stories that everyone can relate to. I say, ‘Just Read It!’”

- Jimmer Fredette, fellow BYU alum and current member of the Sacramento Kings

“Travis’s Book is a great guide for becoming a confident, honest, and morally strong young man or woman. It will inspire the LDS youth to truly maximize their full potential as children of their Heavenly Father.”

- Austin Collie, fellow BYU alum and current member of the Indianapolis Colts

The Next Few Years Will Change Your Life is available now at Deseret Book and other select retailers.

Media requests for interviews and any other requests for information can be directed to Dave Kimball by email at dkimball@deseretbook.com or by phone at 801-517-3295.

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Monday, November 12, 2012 Be a Hero This Christmas!

Looking for a way to give back this Christmas? Little Heroes has just the opportunity for you!

As part of our Be a Hero Christmas effort, Little Heroes has acquired names of 50 local families in need of basic items (clothing, housewares, food, etc.) for Christmas this year.

We would like to invite you to take a family or individual to provide Christmas for this year. For questions or to participate please call Annie at 801.377.1423 or email annie@herowithin.org.

Monday, November 5, 2012 Happy Birthday Erik!

Little Heroes wishes board member, Erik Adams, a very happy birthday! We are grateful to have him as part of our Little Heroes team!

Thursday, November 1, 2012 Clothes for Afghanistan

Little Heroes Foundation worked to get donations of winter clothes for children and families living in Afghanistan. With the help of generous donors, 20+ boxes of warm clothing were gathered. The boxes will be shipped to Sgt. Trent Weaver who will oversee the distribution of the clothing to families in need.
We are thankful to all the generous donors who donated items to help this cause!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012 Help for kids in Afghanistan!

Our co-founder LaRee Hansen’s cousin, Trent Weaver, is serving in Afghanistan and has recently asked if we could collect winter hats, gloves, coats, boots, shoes, and socks for children in his area.

New and used items will be accepted. Let us know if you like to help! 100 children is our goal :)

Email our Executive Director Annie Sundwall: annie@herowithin.org

We have had someone step forward and offer to pay for the shipping – now we just need the goods to ship!

Monday, October 22, 2012 2012 Christmas Donation Needs

As part of our Little Heroes “Be a Hero” Christmas effort to provide Christmas for 50 local families, we ask that any donors who would like to participate choose items to donate from the list provided below:

  • Kitchenware (baking and cooking things such as frying pans, cookie sheets, pots, cooking utensils, etc.)
  • Kitchen towels
  • Bathroom towels
  • Soap (kitchen soap, laundry soap and body soap)
  • Toothbrushes and toothpaste
  • Shampoo, conditioner and other hair care products)
  • Blankets and sheets (all sizes needed)
  • Coats and/or jackets (adult and children sizes needed)
  • Socks (adult and children sizes needed)
  • Small candy items for stockings

Donated items should be dropped off to the Little Heroes Foundation offices by Monday, December 3.

Questions concerning donations should be directed to annie@herowithin.org.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 Little Heroes Goes to BYU Game

The Little Heroes Foundation had the opportunity to host two families at the BYU vs. Oregon State football game Saturday afternoon. With a private suite donated by the BYU Athletics Department, Little Heroes Foundation was able to invite families who have their own special Little Heroes.

Sarah and Ethan attended with Ethan’s grandma, Margaret. Eleven-year-old Ethan was enthusiastic and loved to cheer for the Cougars by saying “Go team!”

The Albrecht family was celebrating their son Alex’s 12th birthday by attending the game. Alex and his brothers are big BYU fans and enjoyed cheering loud and watching the band perform at halftime.

Alex was born with hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy. Despite this, Alex has exceeded the expectations of his doctors and therapists by learning to talk and walking with a walker.

Little Heroes loved getting to spend time with both Ethan and Alex while learning from their strength and love for life.

LHF founders, Travis and LaRee Hansen, with Ethan, Sarah, and Margaret.

Little Heroes co-founder, Travis Hansen, and Executive Director, Annie Sundwall, with the Albrecht family.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012 Little Heroes Visits China

Little Heroes Foundation representative, Jessica Braithwaite, recently returned from visiting the Little Heroes-Natures Sunshine Clean Water Project currently underway in Zhongwei, China.

Zhongwei is located in the desert region of the Ningxia Province of China. The local people live very poorly which an average annual income of $535 per household. It is extremely difficult for them to get water, let alone clean water. Households typically collect rainwater and store it in dirty underground cellars. When the rainwater is gone, they must travel a full day to collect water from a polluted nearby river.

The children in Zhongwei are especially vulnerable to disease because of the unsafe water. Their bodies are not strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses that come from drinking dirty water.

When learning about the conditions in which these children live, Little Heroes was eager to partner with the YangFan Foundation who has worked to establish an efficient system of purchasing and installing clean water filtering machines in local boarding schools across Zhongwei.

During her visit, Jessica was able to meet the engineer who created the clean water filtering machines as well as visit many of the schools where Little Heroes has installed clean water machines. In addition, Jessica was able to interact with many of the 14,983 children who have already been impacted by this project.

Little Heroes looks forward to continuing their efforts to improve the lives of more children in rural China through the Clean Water Project. Thank you to all LHF staff, supporters, donors, volunteers, Chinese government representatives, YangFan foundation and our founding sponsor Natures Sunshine! It takes a lot of special people to make things happen!

To see more pictures from Jessica’s trip, click here.

Also, be sure to check back to the Little Heroes blog to hear stories from Jessica’s trip and to learn about the children being impacted by this project!