An unsung hero is defined as someone who strives to make a difference in the lives of others; however, their work often goes unnoticed.
Many of these heroes can be found every single day - teaching in classrooms across the country.
One of them, Brian Reedy, a teacher at Carson High School, was recently recognized as one of the nation's most innovative educators in the 2005 ING Unsung Heroes awards program.
Reedy was one of 100 winners who received a $2,000 award to help bring his innovative idea to life in the classroom. He will vie with other winners for one of the top three prizes Ð an additional $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000.
The goal is for the documentaries to stimulate dialogue, show the value of individuals, and breakdown stereotypes. Reedy, who lives in Carson City, hopes the documentaries will create a positive response among people and bring the community closer together.
Reedy's winning program idea, "Real Stories for Our Community", was created to raise awareness and show appreciation for the members of the Carson City community.
Students in the program will create relevant and meaningful documentaries that highlight people and topics throughout the community including local war veterans and teachers who are making a difference.
They will handle all elements including the planning, interviewing, producing and editing for the films that will air monthly on the regional cable network. The opportunity will give the students experience in the field of video production and help develop various skills while they do something good for the community.
The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes kindergarten through 12th grade educators nationwide for their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects, and ability to make a positive influence on the children they teach.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the program that has now awarded more than $2.3 million to nearly 1000 educators across the United States.
The 2005 ING Unsung Heroes winners were selected from a group of nearly 1,150 educators.
"As we celebrate 10 years of the ING Unsung Heroes awards program, ING is honored to award educators like Brian Reedy who go above and beyond to show their unwavering dedication and commitment to our youth," said Bill Jasien, senior vice president of ING U.S. Financial Services.
To learn about this year's winning projects, visit the Web site at www.ing.com/us/unsungheroes. Applications for the 2006 ING Unsung Heroes awards are available by calling 1-800-537-4180 or e-mailing ing@scholarshipamerica.org.
ING Group, a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, provides 403(b) plans to kindergarten through 12th grade educators and other employees of nonprofit organizations in America.
n For more information, call Caroline Campbell at ING at 770-618-3801.
