Douglas E. Abrams, J.D.

This month's hero had much to be thankful for, and many people to thank, but his gratitude had nothing to do with the school community's support for his exploits on the gridiron or the court and everything to do with the school community's support in his battle to live.  (Photo credit: Takaaki Iwabu, News-Observer)

12-year-old Canadian Pee Wee hockey player Mark Mannarn "Feel Like a Pro Day" raises money for cancer research and teaches that life lessons about how to respond to adversity can be taught by players too.

This month's column tells of two high school athletes who, after suffering catastrophic injuries, quickly forgave the opponents who meant no harm, but who will bear deep emotional scars for the rest of their lives. and how forgiveness in the face of adversity may require the greatest courage of all.

What a star point guard on a high school basketball team did after won $40,000 in college scholarship money in a free-throwing contest was a testimony to his generosity and to the power of team sports to teach a critical life lesson.

When a referee at a JV hockey game in Massachusetts suffered a serious concussion, a coach's act of exceptional sportsmanship set the kind of example for his players they will remember long after their playing days.

Four blind youth athletes who refused to let their disability stand in the way of playing sports are this month's youth sports heroes.

Coaching today may create pressures and occasional frustrations, but earning the players' lasting respect pays a coach dividends for a job well done long after their memories of other heroes grow dim.

This month's Youth Sports Heroes are the organizers of the annual Sticks for Soldiers Lacrosse Classic in Fairfield, Connecticut and the Patriots Challenge Cup Hockey Tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which exemplify the best of civic responsibility in sports.

Generosity is learned behavior, and teaching the importance of giving is a lesson that can begun to be taught at a young age. By supporting worthy causes, youth leaguers, guided by their parents, can have a positive impact that contributes to meaningful change, as this month's Heroes column illustrates.

This month's youth sports heroes are giving the children of migrant farm workers in Florida and inner-city children in Buffalo a chance to play sports.