Purple Heart Recipient Brings HOPE to Richfield Students, Educators

RICHFIELD SPRINGS—As a meaningful prelude to Veterans Day, a Purple Heart recipient and nationally renowned motivational speaker will bring his amazing story and a strong message of HOPE to the Richfield Springs Central School District.

Sgt. Rick Yarosh, of Sweethearts & Heroes, will deliver a special address during the Richfield Springs CSD’s Annual Veterans Day Assembly for students in grades PK-12 on Friday, November 8.

Yarosh is a husband, father of two and retired U.S. Army sergeant from New York. He’s also an expert in HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist). He has toured the country as a motivational speaker—both solo and with Sweethearts & Heroes, a student empowerment and empathy activation program directed by Tom Murphy, of St. Albans, Vermont. For more than 16 years, Sweethearts & Heroes, which aims to prevent bullying and suicide, has made presentations to more than 2 million students, from New England to Hawaii.

Yarosh was deployed to Iraq in December 2005. On September 1, 2006, he was severely injured by an improvised explosive device in Abu Ghraib. For half a year, he recovered at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, fighting through second- and third-degree burns on more than 60 percent of his body. His right leg was amputated below the knee. He also lost both ears, his nose, multiple fingers, and most of the function in his hands. He says the only reason he would change that fateful moment is if he could bring back his brothers in arms that he lost in combat: Sgt. Luis Montes and SFC Anthony Venetz.

Yarosh has spoken to and inspired millions of people from all walks of life, including sports teams, schools, churches, military groups, and non-profits. For his heroic service, he received the Purple Heart. Additionally, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has built and dedicated a smart home for Yarosh and his family.

Yarosh and Murphy brought their signature assembly to Richfield Springs during the 2023-2024 school year. Circles, the natural follow-up to those assemblies, are happening in the Richfield Springs CSD during this school year.

Sweethearts & Heroes offers a signature presentation that calls for HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist), Empathy and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build compassion and empathy; and the BRAVE Youth Leadership Program, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades, thus creating a sustainable, student-directed initiative that can change a school’s culture.

This school year, Sweethearts & Heroes has begun offering Train the Trainer, which teaches current educators how to weave their own Circle trainings for future hires; and STEP (the Student Teacher Empathy Program), which teaches high-school students how to present Sweethearts & Heroes’ signature assemblies for students in grades K-2 and 3-5.

For more on Sweethearts & Heroes, visit https://www.sweetheartsandheroes.com/.