Sweethearts and Heroes in Whitney Point

WHITNEY POINT, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A duo of superheroes, without the capes, spoke to local middle-schoolers about the importance of always keeping hope, and instilling it in others.

Two motivational speakers, Tom Murphy and Retired United States Army Sergeant, Rick Yarosh, make up the Sweethearts and Heroes’ duo.

The group presented to students at Tioughnioga Riverside Academy this morning.

Their message aims to prevent bullying, hopelessness, and suicide, while promoting skills like empathy, compassion, and teamwork.

Yarosh is a Purple Heart Recipient who was severely burned while serving in Iraq.

During his presentation, he described his road to recovery, saying, there were days when he didn’t want to get out of bed.

But he knew if he didn’t, he may never get better.

“Well, if you give up on that thing, you will never see the results that come from getting through it. You will never get to experience the reward that comes from getting through that difficult thing. And I can promise you something right now, the more difficult something is to get through, the bigger the reward is when you get through it,” says Yarosh.

Yarosh says years ago, the word bully, meant what the word sweetheart means today.

He describes a sweetheart as someone who pushes you to your limit to get the best out of you.

Yarosh and Murphy also presented to Whitney Point High School and students at Carol E. Adams Primary School.

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