A few weeks ago as we launched ourselves into 2007, I asked you readers to tell me about your Hidden Heroes, people you know that have made a positive difference either in your own lives or the lives of people around you.

One of the first to get in touch with me was Rim Shin. Three years ago Rim, who was a newspaper columnist in Korea, moved to Nanaimo with her husband and two children (Her daughter, Julia, was one of the students that raised $10,000 for Zimbabwe AIDS orphans last fall). They made the move so that her husband could pursue a Masters degree at Malaspina. Soon after, while attending the Silly Boat Race, she met her Hidden Heroes, Bill and Barb Boagey and they have been friends ever since.

Rim sent me the following email:

“I would like to recommend Bill and Barb Boagey as Hidden Heroes. They are over 80 years old, but they are actively involved volunteering for various organizations such as the Port Theater and the Salvation Army. Bill also helps Grades 2 and 3 students at McGirr Elementary school to improve their reading skill, and encourages them in many ways such as improving their self-esteem.

“Bill is also a mentor for some international students including myself helping to teach us English (volunteering). I have been inspired by him and his wife as to how to live life to the fullest. They also invite Asian immigrants for special days such as Thanks Giving and Christmas; this gives immigrants a feeling of being included in this society.

“There are many well known heroes like Steven Lewis,” Rim concluded, “but these two people are truly heroes to me.”

When I called Bill, like most of the Hidden Heroes I’ve written about, he was quick to point out that he was not a “hero”.

“I don’t believe in altruism,” he told me rather sharply. “I’m not a selfless man. I’m totally selfish. I do what I do because of what I get out of it. That’s definitely not heroic,” he affirmed driving his point home once again.

To add just a little to what Rim had to say about Bill, let me tell you that he spends four mornings a week at McGirr Elementary School, as part of the BEARS reading improvement program, tutoring Grades 2 and 3 students, and next Saturday he will be spending all day working with a Chinese student from Malaspina who is a friend of another student he and Barb have helped over the past couple of years.

Bill was quick to tell me that he admires people like Rim who come here from other countries, work hard and take advantage of the opportunities offered to them in Canada. Rim by the way is studying at Malaspina to become a social worker and her husband has completed his Masters degree.

In conclusion let me say that I am in absolute agreement with Bill regarding his stance around using the word “hero”. He, Barb and Rim are definitely not “heroes” as defined in the dictionary. They are just a few of the hundreds of millions of ordinary people in the world who, every day, are doing small things to make life better for the people around them. I call these people Hidden Heroes and I say that they, not the one in a million dictionary defined heroes,are the ones that truly make the biggest difference in this world. They are the ones we can’t do without.

PS – The BEARS program (Be Enthusiastic about Reading Success) was introduced to School District 68 by former Hidden Hero, Bill Pineo.

Hidden Heroes appears Wednesdays in the Star.