Dear Friends,

This year marks the 30^th Anniversary of The MY HERO Project online. What was launched as an experiment in 1995 has grown into one of the world’s largest collections of stories, art, and films celebrating positive role models. The MY HERO Project has reached more than 125 million participants in 197 countries.

The History

In the early 1990s, as reality TV spread across the airwaves, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rita Stern Milch, Tom Weinberg, Joel Cohen, Skip Blumberg, and I created a TV pilot to highlight positive role models for children. Networks praised the pilot but declined to pick up the series, saying that it was "not commercially viable." My friend Antonio Mendoza then suggested we take the project to a new space: the internet.

Screen shot from the MY HERO TV pilot

On August 7, 1995, MY HERO went online as a nonprofit, commercial-free website dedicated to celebrating the best of humanity through media, art, and technology. From the start, filmmaker and philanthropist Karen Pritzker believed in the mission and understood the power of the internet to educate. Together, Rita, Karen and I, set out to build an oasis of goodness online — a promise that has guided us ever since.

The MY HERO Project Co-founders

Jeanne Meyers, Rita Stern Milch, Karen Pritzker

(photo credit - Francis Parker School, Chicago)

We started with text and images from the TV pilot and a guestbook, and believed that if we built it — other like-minded folks would come. They did. 

Teachers first began using MY HERO by mailing in stories. Later, with input from both students and teachers, a user-friendly template was created and tested, making it easy for anyone to publish essays online with images and links.

From the beginning, we articulated our rules: 

MY HERO will not promote hatred, violence, racism, or sexism. All content is reviewed and approved by our team of educators to make sure it is appropriate for visitors of all ages.

Our heroes work for human rights, social justice, peace and environmental protection. We honor diverse women, children and men whose accomplishments in the arts, science and technology pave the way for future heroes.

Original MY HERO collage - by Rita Stern Milch

We have seen the powerful ripples that come from giving young people a safe platform to share uplifting stories, art music and films. Through the process, students have gained confidence and an understanding of their own ability to create positive change.

MY HERO has received awards and recognition for providing diverse role models for young people. Support from donors, foundations and corporations has helped us grow and provide a safe, commercial-free space for students to discover and share stories of hope, courage and resilience.

The MY HERO International Film Festival

In 2005, with the rise of broadband, we launched The MY HERO International Film Festival, inviting student and professional filmmakers worldwide to share inspiring short films that honor heroes. Founding festival director Wendy Milette, a graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts, recruited faculty and students who have supported the festival ever since.

Respected authors, educators, activists, and filmmakers joined in this celebration and became Film Festival Special Award Sponsors, recognizing new faces and talent. Today, Esther Wojcicki, Eva Haller, Ron Kovic, Kathy Eldon & Amy Eldon Turteltaub, Judith Anderson, Barbara MacGillivray and Jeni Stepanek annually give recognition and cash prizes for short films highlighting those working for peace, ocean conservation, women's and children’s rights and more.

Educator Esther Wojcicki and filmmaker Katherine Liao at The MY HERO International Film Fest

Film Festival screenings have been hosted at leading venues including USC School of Cinematic Arts, The American Film Institute, The Herb Alpert Educational Village at New Roads School and the RIVIAN South Coast Theater in Laguna Beach. Special screenings have also taken place in media art centers and schools worldwide. All winning short films are added to our library and can be viewed online.

Media Arts Education and Literacy

MY HERO promotes media literacy and production skills to level the playing field, bridge the digital divide and empower youth to use media for good. Teachers use MY HERO to promote values, creativity, self-expression and cross-cultural understanding in classrooms and for distance learning.

Through our lesson plans, digital storytelling tools, contests, film festival, media arts workshops and teacher training, we support educators in the US and around the world.

Over the years, grants from The Seedlings Foundation, The Massen Greene Foundation, The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, The City of Laguna Beach, The US Dept of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, The Max Factor Family Foundation, The Foundation for the Contemporary Family, and MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation have supported our programs.

Recently, with a generous grant from The Scripps Family Impact Fund, we produced and published The MY HERO Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook. The book has been given to schools and educators at conferences and is available to download online or order in print through Amazon. We also produced the 30-minute companion film Reel Heroes: Student Films and Filmmakers to showcase outstanding short films made by students.

Many individuals have helped us grow over the last 30 years. Co-founders Rita Stern Milch and Karen Pritzker provided leadership, creativity and vision. Our devoted board of directors, MY HERO team, and educational partners help us reach visitors from around the world who use our free programs and resources. 

Thousands of teachers have become ambassadors, sharing our media library with educators in classrooms around the globe. Professional writers, artists, filmmakers volunteers and college interns support our events and programs. None of this would be possible without our generous donors.

We hope you'll take part in this celebration and help us continue this important work.

• Share our resources with educators, students and parents that you know.
• Participate. Add your hero story, art, song or short film to our growing library.
• Give. Your donations keep MY HERO free for classrooms and families everywhere.

Please know how much we appreciate your support.

With gratitude,

Jeanne Meyers

Co-founder and Director

The MY HERO Project

MY HERO 30th Anniversary Celebration

Please join us on the evening of September 20th for an inspiring program with short films, live music, and speakers celebrating The MY HERO Project's 30th Anniversary. 

Thanks to RIVIAN for hosting this event.



Admission is FREE but reservations are required.

RSVP- RIVIAN South Coast Theater

Sept 20, 2025

Doors open at 6:30 pm

Program 7:00- 9:00 pm

RIVIAN South Coast Theater

162 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA, 92651

We hope to bring our celebration to other communities in the coming year so please reach out to us if you would like to share our work in your community.

30- second MY HERO 30th Anniversary Animation by Nathan Smith - webmaster / designer

Help support MY HERO's global learning community.