KNOW GREATER HEROES is a CHARACTER education and LEADERSHIP training program for grade school students throughout the nation delivered by college students, university personnel, and community volunteers. This systematic training program builds empowering environments and foster consistent educational and community change.

Our nation is plagued with increasing societal problems. This program has been designed to meet our need for outstanding ROLE-MODELS with the moral character and leadership abilities necessary to reduce emotional and behavioural problems every community faces. The program makes it possible for children to see, hear and feel the conviction of great leaders IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY.

True success will be achieved as lives are positively influenced for good. The ultimate goal and mission of the Know Greater Heroes organization is to affect the lives of children and those that mentor and lead them. Through action-packed, fun-filled, high-energy assemblies, children are given the hope, courage, and determination necessary to become their own greatest hero. Each of their families, as well as their elementary schools, are given access to character education and leadership developing tools in the form of books, posters, clothing, and websites. Families will be able to surround themselves with positive role models and great family entertainment, thus increasing the bonds of love, self-respect, respect for other, and leadership in each home. Within each child, we want to cultivate dreams, confidence, and self-esteem necessary to accomplish anything they choose in life, while making it possible for the program to be self sustaining.

Brief Program Description

The program was conceived in 1993 by Chris Brown after a shocking, nationally televised interview of a famous NBA star. In that interview, the basketball player confirmed our need for positive examples for good by parenthetically said, "I am not a role-model, I didn't sign up to be one. I am just a basketball player."

Chris believes that raising children is a community effort. Parents must not fear who their child�s heroes are. As a teacher and coach, he developed the program to teach, train, and coach role models - examples that our youth can look to as examples for good. Over the years, the best information and wisdom has been gathered and formulated into a curriculum, and a system that makes it possible for our children to see, hear and feel good everyday. The system makes learning exciting and fun. The message fosters hope, love, and self-worth all to plant the seeds necessary to live a happy, productive and successful life.

Know Greater Heroes was designed, developed, and implemented in 1998 in high school health classes, and then to presented to Utah Valley University's Athletic Department in 2001. After teaching, training, and coaching a team of 18 university students and securing private funds; Chris conducted the first pilot program in eight elementary schools in Utah County. Know Greater Heroes popularity and demand escalated. For this cause, Know Greater Heroes has been continually developed, and vigorously tested with promising results.

Now, in its fifth year, Know Greater Heroes operates on two college campuses. It has trained and coached 2 teachers and 60 college students, who served cumulatively over 4000 hours in nine months, and touched the lives of approximately 50,000 elementary school administrators, teachers, children, and their families.

Target Population

The Know Greater Heroes program has been developed to serve, build, and empower people in communities throughout the world regardless of gender, race, or socio-economic status. The programs target population is two tiered; first, focusing on university students and teachers, and second, building leaders out of elementary school administrators, teachers, children, and their families who are taught and served by the university student leadership teams.