An 83-year-old man and his dog were trapped inside his Jeep after it broke through the ice of a frozen Iowa lake and started sinking.
Water was pouring into the vehicle, and the man was stuck inside with no way to get himself out.
Nearby, 17-year-old Joe Salmon saw what happened, stripped off his boots and outer gear, and waded into the icy water toward the partially submerged Jeep.
The rear door was locked, so Joe used the handle of a utility knife to smash the back window and pulled the dog out first.
But the man was still trapped, with his foot pinned between the seat and center console.
Joe climbed farther inside, freed his leg, folded the seat down and helped pull him out through the broken window.
Other bystanders helped drag them back across the ice to safety, and the man survived.
Joe was only 17, but he went into freezing water, broke into a sinking Jeep and didn’t come back out until that man was free.
That’s the kind of young hero people should know about.
In the spring of 1955, a 67-year-old grandmother from Ohio told her family she was going for a walk.
She didn’t say she was heading to Georgia to start the Appalachian Trail.
Emma “Grandma” Gatewood was a mother of 11 and a survivor of decades of abuse. She packed almost nothing: a homemade sack, a shower curtain for rain, a blanket, some food, and a pair of Keds. No tent. No sleeping bag.
146 days later, after more than 2,000 miles, she stood on Mount Katahdin in Maine, signed the register, sang a verse of “America the Beautiful,” and said:
“I did it. I said I’d do it and I’ve done it.”
She became the first woman to solo thru-hike the AT in one season — then hiked it again, and later a third time.
She didn’t wait for permission. She just started walking.
And that’s a wrap! 🎉 20 more kids have added their names to the 50 Yard Challenge Hall of Fame. Twenty young people chose to spend their time serving others in their communities. They could have been doing anything else—playing video games, hanging out with friends, or just taking it easy—but instead, they chose to help the elderly, people with disabilities, single parents, veterans, first responders, and active-duty service members. Some started this year, some last year, and some began three years ago—but the important part is that they finished what they started.
That’s a lesson that goes far beyond mowing lawns. When you commit to something in life, see it through. These kids did exactly that, and they should be incredibly proud. So to every parent reading this who has thought about signing their child up, I’ll ask one question: What’s stopping you? If your child is ready to serve, grow, build character, and make a difference one lawn at a time, sign them up today and let them join this extraordinary group of young people changing their communities for the better. 💚 The 50 Yard Challenge is open to any kid ready to make a difference.
Zalen & Liam, congratulations—you did it! You both completed the 50 Yard Challenge and proved what can happen when you stay committed to a goal and keep showing up. Together, you put in the work, served people in your community, and finished something that required patience, discipline, and heart. That says a lot about the kind of young men you are becoming.
Take that same determination with you throughout life. There will always be goals that seem difficult at first, but you now have proof that you can stay focused and see things through. Keep working hard, keep helping others, and keep believing in what you’re capable of. “Big accomplishments are built from small promises kept over and over again.”
i miss how whites and blacks felt about each other after 9/11. everyone was american. black firemen died saving their fellow americans, as did white firemen. and cops. we’ve been robbed of that kinship.